Dress like you own it
Carey Mulligan in the Miuccia Prada dress, 2013
In the 2013 film adaptation, Carey Mulligan’s Daisy Buchanan arrives dressed like she knows that Gatsby is watching. Luxury stylist Divya Sacheti elaborates, “Her party look borrows from Miuccia Prada’s Spring/Summer 2010 ‘Chandelier dress’, transformed into a crystal-embellished overdress layered over a champagne-toned slip.
Divya Sacheti
The drop waist keeps it easy and fluid, while the beadwork flickers with every step. A bi-colour fur capelet trimmed with tiny crystals adds a touch of indulgence without trying too hard. The soft, pale palette keeps everything feeling expensive,” emphasises Sacheti. Finished with pearls and delicate details, it is glamour that gets highlighted.
Advent of athleisure
Lois Chiles in The Great Gatsby 1974
This outfit signals elegance while making it mildly competitive. In the 1974 adaptation of The Great Gatsby, Lois Chiles as Jordan Baker delivers sporting chic with a distinctly calculated edge. Designer Theoni V Aldredge shapes her in a clean dropped-waistline, where the argyle cardigan subtly signals her golfer persona.
F Scott Fitzgerald
The pleated silk skirt moves with ease, balanced by a crisp collared blouse. Her Marcel-waved bob and sun-warmed tones feel precise, not playful. As Sacheti puts it, “the most compelling style is one that looks instinctive on the surface, but is built on sharp, deliberate choices underneath.”
Pink perfection
Leonardo DiCaprio in the iconic pink suit, 2013
The iconic pink suit is a small detail in the book, but it carries great weight. F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces it in the Plaza Hotel scene in his novel, where the colour alone sets Gatsby apart.
“The suit itself reads as sharply tailored and deliberately chosen, not careless or loud. Muted pink with white stripes, feels polished but risky. It suggests someone dressing to be seen, with care in fit and finish, but still slightly misaligned with the world he is trying to enter,” explains Sacheti.
Oozing luxury
Joel Edgerton’s equestrian look, 2013
Think classy yet cool, this is 1920s elite masculinity with quiet precision. The navy knit worn by the character Tom Buchanan played by Joel Edgerton softens formality and hints at leisure, while Jodhpurs and riding boots hold on to aristocratic authority.
A representation of the Jodhpuri boots
As Sacheti notes, “true luxury never performs, it simply exists.” Even the towel feels deliberate rather than casual. The man wearing it is not trying to impress. He is controlled, competitive and slightly entitled, carrying privilege as if it were entirely natural.
