My adoration for The Idea of You, which has taken the internet by storm since its May 2 release on Amazon Prime, is three-fold: I came for the much-hyped, much-delivered promise of a fun, silly time watching Anne Hathaway portray a hot single mom (Solène Marchand) and fall in love with Nicholas Galitzine as the Harry Styles-coded boyband heartthrob, Hayes Campbell. I stayed for the surprisingly resonant feminist messaging. And I was positively blown away by the fashion—particularly the scene-stealing pieces Solène lounges in while watching TV alone on her couch, watching August Moon music videos in bed, or generally traipsing around looking jaw-droppingly hot. My favorite of this ensemble is the light blue silk camisole Solène dons while all on her lonesome, smiling, reading some unabashedly thirsty texts from Hayes. If Solène's shift dresses and pajama sets took up 99% of film's the budget, I would find that incredibly appropriate—and a societal good, to be honest. I told this to Jacqueline Demeterio, the Idea of You costume designer who miraculously found at least one of Solène’s most iconic looks (the vintage Chanel dress she’s wearing at her gallery when Hayes shows up to buy all the art, for instance) at a RealReal consignment store in Atlanta, where they filmed. Throughout the movie (possibly the best of 2024, IMO!) Hathaway’s Solène pulls off what feels like the impossible as a female lead, or as a woman in general: She’s stunningly beautiful while emitting an air of realness. It's a tough balance to strike, and you wouldn't expect it from a movie portraying a woman 40 or older—most on-screen depictions of this demographic feature dowdy moms in matronly clothes, a la The Stepford Wives. Solène is... anything but that. "I watch The Idea of You for the plot." The plot: pic.twitter.com/daxpC3rekW — Cinetariz (@TarizSolis) May 6, 2024 Watching The Idea of You, there’s a visceral feeling that Anne Hathaway is a woman just like you or me trying to put herself out there and dress hot for a guy she's into. According to Demeterio, who styled Hathaway on two previous projects (The Intern and We Crashed), Hathaway played an active role in curating Solène’s aesthetic, as an art seller, a businesswoman, and also a bohemian Silverlake type, with nods to her French background. The finished product is an array of effortlessly sexy and timeless looks that also radiate maturity and realness. One look that embodies this, which Demeterio regards as one of her favorites: Solène’s vintage Fendi cream dress over lingerie from Kiki de Montparnasse, all beneath a Dior trench coat, when she goes to Hayes' hotel in New York City for the first time. “To me, that was a very standout look because it was just a very seductive, sexy look, but not overtly—what’s hottest about it is you can feel that she feels hot in it,” Demeterio explained. However, I had to ask Demeterio what went into the specific choice of styling Solène in vintage designer shift dresses while she just hangs out on the couch, as opposed to the oversized t-shirts the rest of us mortal women wear. Actually, Demeterio explained, the goal was to convey some of Solène’s relatability through her undeniably sexy loungewear: “It was important to show that she had this curated style, which I feel like we all kind of do—we all have these pieces in our wardrobe that we go back to, pieces we’ve been wearing for, like, 10 years and still wear, even when we're alone, that make us feel sexy.” Each of the night dresses Hathaway wears as Solène is a vintage designer…
