Bright red veils, deep jewel dresses, artfully tattered coats. Archival jewelry pieces, leather gloves, decorative bonnets. Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein is a feast for the eyes, thanks to costume designer Kate Hawley. The pair has collaborated for years, making her the only person who could transform his vision into the lush fashions we see on screen. Playing with color and the conventions of European fashion, Hawley crafted unforgettable outfits for Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, and Elizabeth Harlander.
The 2025 movie is based on Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel, which was first published in 1818 and revised in 1831. This later edition is the one that we are most familiar with today. Shelley began writing her novel for a horror competition with her husband, Percy Shelley, and friends John Polidori and Lord Byron. Her tale is of a science student who creates a humanoid being, whom he then abandons. The creature interacts with humanity, ultimately turning away from them and asking for a companion upon returning to his maker. Shelley’s book has been adapted countless times, but recently returned to the screen through Del Toro’s artistic perspective.
Victor frankenstein
Oscar Isaac portrayed the titular character in the recent adaptation of Frankenstein, altering Victor from a college student to a middle-aged scientist. For most of the film, he wears a white button-down shirt and dark high-waisted trousers. He occasionally dons a jacket or vest on top of this combination.
Frankenstein’s fashion journey is primarily that of dishevelment. As he grows absorbed in the process of creation, he disregards his appearance. The initially white shirt amasses stains of sweat, sewer water, and blood over the course of several days as he prioritizes his project over hygiene.
Victor Frankenstein’s most notable accessory is a pair of bright red gloves, gloves he wears through the process of creating a man. These gloves represent the blood on his hands for the crime of sentencing the Creature to an unwanted life, while also recalling his mother’s color scheme. Claire Frankenstein has a minor presence in the film, but she notably only wears red, a hue she shares with her son. He sometimes expands on the red through a tie or jacket, visually distinguishing Victor from the generally cool color palette of the movie.
the creature
The Creature wears minimal costumes in the movie. At first, he is wrapped in the bandages that Victor used to tie all the pieces together, giving him a mummy look that is distinctively different from previous iterations of Frankenstein’s monster. With the lack of an outfit, viewers can appreciate the prosthetic work done on Jacob Elordi to transform him into the creature. Dozens of prosthetic pieces were used in a process that lasted over 10 hours. These pieces were carefully placed together to represent all of the points where Victor cut skin or added tissue from another body.
The Creature’s first article of clothing is a moss-covered jacket that he picks up from a soldier’s skeleton on a battlefield. The black color and starched collar show the jacket’s harsh construction, while the tattered parts and green growth prove nature’s strength. Time and nature remade the coat into an item that blends into the forest scenery. The sentiment is especially evident in the indentation of the spinal cord on the back of this piece.
As he voyages, the Creature accumulates pieces. His clothing is practical and entirely scavenged, jackets that are nearly in ribbons, dark layers, and a fur overcoat. He trades the white bandages for black fabric looped around his hands and body as a shield from the cold. The costume design of the Creature clearly shows a journey, the path he took as he met humanity, picking up clothing pieces along the way.
Elizabeth Harlander
Portrayed by Mia Goth, Elizabeth is the most fashionable of the primary characters. Elizabeth Harlander is an altered version of the novel’s Elizabeth Lavenza, the Italian wife of Victor Frankenstein. The movie makes her the fiancée of William, Victor’s brother, and a curious woman with a love for entomology.
Netflix’s modernization of Frankenstein is most notable in Elizabeth’s outfits. While no specific dates are given in the novel, the story occurs in the 18th century. All dates are listed as “17—.” However, Hawley drew inspiration for her work from the mid-19th century. The delicate lace, floral headpieces, and yards of brocade that characterized fashion during Shelley’s life were replaced with flaring, brimmed bonnets, drooping shoulders, and sweeping skirts.
Elizabeth’s fascination with insects is also present in her costumes. She dons a muted moth-patterned shawl over a malachite green gown. The printed dress also has a spine detail on the back, suggesting a connection between Elizabeth and the Creature. She pairs the dress — and all of her other outfits — with a red beaded cross necklace. The cross with its scarab center implies her religion and belief in certain laws of humanity and nature, while the red once again connects to Claire Frankenstein.
One of Elizabeth’s most iconic looks is the rich blue gown she wears when meeting Victor Frankenstein for the first time. In Frankenstein: The Anatomy Lesson, a documentary showing the process of making the film, Hawley takes the viewers through the process of creating the layered dress. Each paper-thin piece of fabric had designs printed on it, combining to create a gown with the shimmer of a beetle and the pale fragments of an X-ray or lightning bolt. However, the accessories somehow outshine the dress. Elizabeth wears a unique feathered headpiece and an archival Tiffany & Co. blue scarab necklace. The head-to-toe blue outfit is dramatic and daring, characterizing Elizabeth instantly.
Elizabeth’s final outfit is her wedding gown for the ceremony with William. A feat of costume design, the dress contains numerous references and minute details. The sleeves combine the narrow drop shoulders of the 1840s with thin layers of silk tulle and bandage-style wraps. As such, her arms recall the Creature’s attire and that of the Bride of Frankenstein. When extended, her fluttery sleeves remind the viewer of white moths, a concluding natural connection. Her bodice is also made up of wrapped fabric, ribbons that transform into a bloody rib cage as she passes away. Elizabeth’s long locks are on display for the wedding, brushing against her massive skirts. Her hair is very representative of the Victorian Era, as women were unlikely to cut their hair short during that period and instead grew impressive waves.
These are only a few of the costumes worn by Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, and Elizabeth Harlander, not to mention the countless extras who were also outfitted. Through Frankenstein, Kate Hawley proves herself as a master of her craft, weaving together Victorian fashions and Gothic aesthetics into cohesive and striking visuals.