There’s no doubt that the newly released Snow White film is a visual spectacle. Almost 2,000 costumes featured in the shoot, filling a space the size of an aircraft hangar at Pinewood Studios in Slough. 

But hidden away in a cupboard under lock and key was the film’s most important outfit: a blue and yellow dress – and 13 identical copies – worn by the titular heroine. Security around the live-action version of Disney’s famous animated movie was paramount – there were to be no sneaked peeks.

Sandy Powell, the film’s Academy Award-winning costume designer, knew she would have to pay homage to the iconic look of the original 1937 animation. “If you take on a Disney film, you know what you’re doing,” she says, and she should know – she also designed the costumes for Disney’s Cinderella in 2015.

 “Snow White is important for Disney because historically, it was the first ever full-length animation feature. Everybody knows what Snow White looks like, so there was no way I could change it. I just did a different version.”

The design process started four months before filming began and continued throughout the five-month shoot. A team of 115 people – including pattern cutters and textile artists, leather workers, milliners, jewellers and dressers – worked on the 1,800 costumes and accompanying hats, shoes, aprons and belts.

Every item of clothing worn on screen was made specially for the production – usually unheard of in such large-scale films. However, the two principals – Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen – had relatively few outfits.

“When you’re doing this particular kind of film, you should be appealing to under-tens and telling the story in simple, bold terms,” says Sandy, whose canon of work includes The Favourite, The Wolf of Wall Street and Carol.  “It’s like a storybook. If you have a lot of changes, kids get lost.”

Snow White’s costume, worked on by 13 artisans, is made almost entirely of silk, the skirt consisting of layers in different shades of yellow that were specially dyed. Underneath is a petticoat made from culottes to maintain her modesty when she runs, falls or is under water.

The blue top has the same puffed sleeves as the original, but long sleeves were added to match the period, which references the Middle Ages. Sandy also made sure that the character’s red headband was jettisoned quickly, as “it’s too childlike, and the character is having to grow up”. 

Rachel was excited about the way the costume helped transform her into her character. “She was very enthusiastic and said she felt like a princess,” says Sandy, noting that “little girls – and boys – like wearing princess dresses with a lightweight, voluminous skirt”.

For the Evil Queen, who banishes her stepdaughter Snow White to the forest to be killed by the Huntsman, Sandy again looked to the original animation for inspiration.

“It was based on the fashions of the time, and the reference for that was the 1930s Golden Age of Hollywood, with figure-hugging, bias-cut dresses with sequins. It’s a simple, strong look and not a million miles from a medieval shape.” 

The palette is dark for a villainess, starting with greens, then changing to blues, blacks and purples. “Baddies are usually well-dressed, like gangsters, or people who are intimidating… [Or someone] imposing who’s always impeccably dressed, with nothing out of place.”

As a former model, Wonder Woman star Gal had the perfect stature. “She’s so tall that the costumes work well on her. She kept saying to me: ‘Oh, I can imagine this on the red carpet.’ 

“She always expressed her enthusiasm in the fittings and made it her business to thank the people who were making the costumes, which is always greatly appreciated.”

One of her outfits – Gal had eight in total –took 159 days to make: called the Evil Queen’s All is Fair costume (she wears it while singing All is Fair), the purple sequinned dress with a black velvet cloak had 11 people working on it.

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Last week Sandy went to Buckingham Palace to receive a CBE (she already has an OBE), awarded to her in the King’s New Year Honours list. 

© Getty Images

How does she feel about it?

“Well, it’s one step closer to being a dame!” she says, only half joking. “But seriously, I’m thrilled.”

To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.