TL;DR
Get your wardrobe favorites delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
In an ELLE interview, War costume designer Matthew Price described how he worked with Sienna Miller to distinguish her from Carla Duval, the actor she plays in HBO’s divorce drama. Their approach combined archival designer clothing with contemporary, accessible pieces, while also concealing Miller’s pregnancy during filming.
Costume designer Matthew Price says he and Sienna Miller deliberately shaped Carla Duval’s wardrobe in HBO’s divorce drama War to separate the character from Miller’s own high-profile image. In an interview with ELLE, Price described mixing archival designer fashion with contemporary clothing, and said the team also had to conceal Miller’s pregnancy during filming.
Duval, played by Miller, is a British actor with Hollywood fame and a fashion-conscious public persona, traits that overlap with the performer’s. Price said that resemblance made the assignment appealing but required care. “As she is played by an actor such as Sienna, it is a bit meta,” he told ELLE, referring to the character’s wardrobe and the question of what clothing an actor like Duval might own.
Price and Miller discussed references from their first Zoom conversation, including magazine editor Claire Thomson-Jonville. Price said they aimed for French minimalism without locking Duval into a single silhouette. Some pieces from Chloé felt too closely associated with Miller, he said, helping the team identify where the character needed a different direction. “We didn’t even have to say it, but we both knew that they felt a little too Sienna,” Price told ELLE.
The wardrobe combines archive finds with current and more accessible labels. Price’s team, which he said numbered 30 people, sourced pieces from designers including Fendi, Stella McCartney, Dolce & Gabbana and Comme des Garçons, alongside clothing from & Other Stories, The Frankie Shop and Agolde. The archive selection includes a 2000s McQueen coat and a tasselled Comme des Garçons gown. Price said the goal was to make the clothes feel like part of Duval’s life, not like a parade of labels. Miller, he said, was willing to choose items based on fit rather than brand name.
Clothing Marks Carla’s Changing Identity
The wardrobe is doing more than establishing that Duval is wealthy or fashion-aware. The story follows her divorce from Morgan, a technology executive played by Dominic West, and Price said the clothes were designed to shift with her circumstances and preferences. That approach lets costume signal character without relying on one fixed “signature” look.
Price identified a paisley Chloé jacket and black leather boots in episode two as Duval’s revenge outfit. He described it as a softer alternative to more obvious choices such as a tight-fitting dress or a mannish suit. The example shows how the production uses fashion to suggest confidence and response to a breakup while keeping the character’s presentation grounded in the show’s world.
The distinction also matters because Miller’s real-life fashion profile could otherwise blur into the role. Price said the team avoided pieces that read as too closely tied to the actor and used archival clothing to give Duval a separate visual history. The result, as Price described it, is a “chameleon-like” wardrobe rather than one look intended to define her.
designer archive clothing for women
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Divorce Drama With a Meta Casting
War is described by ELLE as an HBO divorce drama created by George Kay, a writer on Killing Eve. Its central relationship is between Duval and Morgan, and the divorce provides the plot’s main framework. The character’s profession and public visibility make her clothing especially conspicuous within the story, while also creating the resemblance to Miller that Price had to manage.
Price told ELLE that he wanted to explore archive fashion with Miller’s support, potentially reaching back to the 1980s when a piece suited the character. Miller agreed, he said. The production also approached archive owners and collectors for loans or purchases. Price called those specialists experts in fashion history and said some became more willing to help once they learned Miller was involved and saw images of the planned looks.
Alongside the showy archive pieces, the team included modern clothing to avoid making Duval’s wardrobe feel inaccessible or overly like costume. Price said the balance between naturalism and a more theatrical, “peacocky” quality was something he and Miller discussed as they worked through the looks.
““As she is played by an actor such as Sienna, it is a bit meta.””
— Matthew Price, costume designer, speaking to ELLE
Details Beyond the Interview Remain Limited
Price’s account is an interview about the costume process, not a full production breakdown. ELLE’s report does not specify how many archive pieces were used, which garments were borrowed rather than bought, or how the wardrobe changes across every episode. It also does not describe the practical methods used to conceal Miller’s pregnancy, beyond Price’s account that the team found suitable clothing during fittings.
The report identifies an episode-two revenge outfit and a later court-scene appearance for the Comme des Garçons gown, but it does not provide a complete episode-by-episode clothing guide. Further details about the series’ release schedule and audience response are not included in the source material.
The Wardrobe Plays Out On Screen
Viewers can see how the costume choices develop as War follows Duval’s divorce, including the episode-two outfit Price identifies as her revenge look and the later court-scene appearance of the fringed Comme des Garçons gown. The interview offers Price’s explanation of the design decisions; the finished episodes provide the on-screen context for how those choices track the character’s changing circumstances.
No additional costume announcement or follow-up from the production is included in ELLE’s report. Further specifics about the archive loans, the pregnancy-concealment process or the wardrobe’s evolution would require additional production information or interviews.
Key Questions
What did War’s costume designer say about Sienna Miller’s wardrobe?
Matthew Price told ELLE that he and Miller built a varied wardrobe for Carla Duval using archival designer pieces and contemporary clothing, while avoiding items they felt looked too much like Miller’s own style.
Who is Carla Duval in War?
Carla Duval is Miller’s character in HBO’s divorce drama. ELLE describes her as a British actor with Hollywood fame whose divorce from Morgan, played by Dominic West, shapes the plot.
What is Duval’s revenge outfit?
Price identified a paisley Chloé jacket with black leather boots in episode two as the character’s revenge outfit.
Which archival pieces did the costume team use?
Price mentioned a Dolce & Gabbana pinstripe suit, a fringed Comme des Garçons gown and a 2000s McQueen coat, among other items. The interview does not give a complete wardrobe inventory.
How did the production account for Miller’s pregnancy?
Price said the team had to hide Miller’s pregnancy while keeping the clothes true to Duval. He credited Miller’s work during fittings but did not detail the methods used.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
