“I’ve been working with Francesca on trying to find as many ways as possible to use the same jewelry,” she told WWD in a suite overlooking the Mediterranean just before she stepped onto the red carpet Monday night.
“I’m such a huge admirer of her reference points. She’s got so many fantastic, interesting left-field references that she brings to bear. And the fact that she’s into reworking pieces, and going back into the archives, but also finding offcuts and previously used discarded jewels, just that we don’t always have to use something new,” Blanchett said. “I’m so excited that she’s alive to the possibilities.
And that couture approach was key: It was created in the jewelry atelier on Place Vendôme by the house’s artisans, who fit the piece to Blanchett’s precise measurements. “We have to bring that in creatively, to bring those moments into the present, but why don’t we bring the actual garments into the present? There’s ways of dyeing fabric and using sustainable fabrics,” she said. “I think creativity dies when you start thinking in short term, conventional ways. And I think by embracing sustainability and fashion it reinvigorates the collections.”
“It was amazing how quickly it all happened. I think there’s a real need there, and there’s a real desire for change,” she said. That year she led a group of 82 women on the red carpet to protest gender inequality. The number signified how many female directors had been in competition since the festival’s founding to 2018, in contrast to the 1,688 male directors at the time.