Laced Till Death - Storytelling Through Costume Design in Nosferatu

By Writer's RoomJanuary 16, 2025

By Iris Petrova...

How does one depict a narrative characterized by dread, angst, repression and romanticism through garments? In Robert Eggers's remake of Nosferatu, costume design goes beyond mere storytelling–it becomes a tool for carefully crafting characters and evoking emotion. Costume designer Linda Muir weaves a tale of withering erotic fragility, with every stitch and accessory revealing secrets of the folkloric myth of the Vampire.

Every re-imagination of the Vampire dating back to the 17th century gives us a different depiction of the gothic supernatural legend. From the haunting expressionism of the original 1920s film "Nosferatu," to the 1970s "Nosferatu the Vampyre," and further representations in the 1990s "Dracula," the Vampire has had countless interpretations and intentions. Modern depictions of the Vampire have strayed away from its villainous origin, sexualizing and adoring the blood-sucking creature.

In an interview with Focus Features, Linda Muir touches on her creative processes. Her designs are imagined with meticulous and historically accurate details with a set intention to evoke transformation. With an emphasis on setting, location, and time period, the garments are informed by a spew of thoughtful elements.

This story takes place in Germany in 1838, during a pre-victorian transitional period, making it a time of changing cultural and aesthetic sensibilities. Muir's designs blend the structured silhouettes of the early 19th century with hints of decay and sublimity that mirror the unsettling duality of the vampire mythos. Layers of frilled fabric in muted color palettes are paired with textures and delicate embroidery, evoking a sense of both restraint and decadence—an echo of the repression and gothic romanticism that permeates the narrative.

Noseferatu Illustrations - Courtesy of Linda Muir

Each character wears their own story. The female protagonist in the film, Ellen Hutter, played by Lilly Rose Depp, is a complex individual. Ellen struggles with a lustful feminine darkness that encapsulates her entire life. Nosferatu is her parallel and represents her very own shadows. She is an outsider who is constantly misunderstood and undermined. Her wardrobe completely captures her essence and her gradual surrender to her darkness. Unlike Anna's, her gowns are not very flashy, revealing her disinterest in frugality but rather her devotion to her husband Thomas. From frilly gowns to self-tying corsets, we follow her battle between power and vulnerability.

Nosferatu Skethces - Courtesy of Linda Muir

For Nosferatu, played by Bill Skarsgård, Muir crafts a costume informed by 16th-century Transylvanian nobility. His cloak envelopes his animalistic features as the character is slowly revealed. Lined with various cuts of lived-in fur, leather, pleating and layering, the grandeur of his attire embodies his long-lived existence and the eerie regality of his undead nature. Each detail in the costume speaks to centuries of wealth, blending aristocratic elegance with a sinister edge. The contrast of extravagant craftsmanship dressing a monstrous outsider reflects the obsession and parallel to Ellen. As Nosferatus's attire is revealed, Ellens is loosened.

Nosferatu Costumes – Courtesy of Linda Muir

Nosferatu is a story imbued with the beauty of the grotesque, the human desire to belong, and gothic theatricality. Linda Muir's work proves fashion to be a language for otherworldly storytelling, a medium through which the unspeakable can be both whispered and screamed.

I wish the Oscars still did a runway show for their costume design category, because I would die a dramatic Victorian death to see these looks on the catwalk. Although this a tale of the past, the costumes have a vibrant modernity to them, reflecting our current obsessions with aesthetics like ‘castlecore’ and ‘medievalcore.' I know we all dislike the categorization of styles like this but all I can say is that I would happily embrace Ellen's aesthetic...