Stephanie Collie, ‘Peaky Blinders’ Costume Designer, Dies at 60
Stephanie Collie, the costume designer behind film and television projects such as “Peaky Blinders,” died of cancer on Oct. 26 at St Christopher’s Hospice in London.
Over the course of her career, Collie worked with talent including Michael Caine, Henry Cavill, Jessica Chastain, Daniel Craig, Penélope Cruz, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Ryan Reynolds and Michelle Williams.
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Collie began her career in the sewing room of the BBC alongside costume designer Susan Coates. Following an introduction from Coates to David Parfitt, she worked as a wardrobe assistant to Branagh on “Much Ado About Nothing.” From there, Collie worked as a costume designer on “Peter’s Friends,” which was directed by Branagh.
In 1988, Collie had her work featured onscreen in Guy Ritchie’s crime comedy film “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”
Of her design for the film, Christopher Laverty said: “You could not pick up a men’s magazine of the time without seeing some guy in slim trousers and a jersey polo shirt. Stephanie Collie invented this look, thus providing one of the clearest examples of how costume design can transcend a movie and become something more. We would go so far as to say Stephanie Collie helped define an era.”
Collie later established herself as one of the world’s top costume designers through “Peaky Blinders,” winning a Royal Television Society Award for Best Costume Design for her work.
Some of her other credits include “Wrath of Man,” “Argylle,” “The Look of Love,” “London Has Fallen,” “Angel Has Fallen,” “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” and “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.”
Director Susanna White said of Collie: “Stephanie had a true originality about her sense of design – there was never anything received about what she did. Her work on Woman Walks Ahead was extraordinary – she went back to primary sources and found references for the clothing the Lakota people and Jessica Chastain wore which both made her costumes absolutely truthful to period detail yet gave the film a very contemporary spin. She told powerful stories through her work but like her personality her costumes never shouted “look at me” – she was always at pains to make sure that what she did fitted seamlessly into the aesthetic of the whole creative endeavour. No matter how stressful a day was she treated everything with her characteristic humour and grace. She will be greatly missed.”
Stephanie’s most recent project was the Amazon drama series “My Lady Jane.”
Cillian Murphy remembered her, saying, “Stephanie was a ferocious talent. She invented the ‘Peaky Blinders’ look and silhouette that has become iconic across the world.”
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