Fifty Shades Freed, Dakota Johnson aka Anastasia's wedding dress breakdown by the designer

There are barely any movie franchises that leave a mark on the audiences after being adapted from books. However, the Fifty Shades series falls under the ‘successful’ bracket. Post Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker, the third part is all set to release this Valentine’s Day. Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey’s romance will further escalate as they’ll be taking the plunge and will soon become Mr. & Mrs.Grey.

Weddings are always very important and it is usually the bride who steals away all the lime light. As soon as the trailer of the movie released last September, fans couldn’t stop raving about Anastasia's wedding outfit. In a tell-all conversation with a leading online website, designer Monique Lhuillier who is famous for blending traditional silhouettes with modernity spilled the beans on what went behind designing the much-discussed wedding outfit for the to-be Mrs Grey.

What was the process and what went behind designing the wedding gown for Anastasia Steele? How did Shay Cunliffe, the costume designer of the movie brief you about the look? How did the concept of the outfit come into being?

ML: I had previously designed the masquerade ball outfit for Ana in Fifty Shades Freed and the outfit was an instant hit. It is an amazing experience working with this team. I was very happy to be on board once again and be designing for the final chapter of this series and also for such an important sequence. The production house, Universal approached me as my design aesthetics matched with the way they visualised the gown. I presented them with three outfit sketches and it was Dakota who finally picked her favourite one.

What was the design inspiration for this gown?

ML: Ana’s character is extremely unguarded, vulnerable and is strikingly beautiful. We wanted to create a classic piece for her which was an amalgamation of both traditions and modernity. My brand invokes magical and surreal elements which have a modern and elite layering.

Anastasia’s most striking quality is that she is a submissive. Did you at any point wanted to make her look powerful and strong?

ML: No, we weren’t looking at transforming her. We wanted her to be her simple, girl-next-door self. We just wanted to make her look and feel extremely beautiful as it was the biggest day of her life.

Tell us in detail about the wedding gown

ML: The outfit is an ivory white off-shoulder Chantilly lace and tulle sheath gown with long sleeves and a lace deep lace with lace buttons running through the spine. The iconic veil was made out of tulle with Chantilly lace appliques to give it a more grand appeal when she makes an entrance. The outfit is a classic example of how a Monique Lhuillier gown would be as it reflects her personality and the silhouette, cuts and design can easily be called timeless.

Can real life brides purchase the gown?

ML: Absolutely, brides can specially order it from our flagship stores. It’s called the ‘Grey Gown’.

If you could describe Anastasia Steele as a bride, how would you explain it?

ML: Anastasia is a modern bride who likes to portray herself how she is. She is feminine, delicate, innocent, sensuous and also classic. The timeless body-hugging lace gown makes her look both elegant and extremely desirable.

Who else did you design for in the movie?

ML: To name a few, it’ll be Ana’s best friend - Kate, Christian’s mother. I basically designed for her entire bridal party.

Fifty Shades Freed is the climactic chapter in the three-part series. Dakota Johnson plays the lead as Anastasia Steele and is paired opposite Jamie Dornan who plays Christian Grey. The movie is slated to release this Valentine’s Day.