Nifty '50s

In Far From Heaven, Julianne Moore's Cathy Whitaker is a flawless homemaker burdened by the social constraints of the 1950s. To create her lavish wardrobe, costume designer Sandy Powell ran with writer-director Todd Haynes' initial inspiration: a vision of Moore in a lilac scarf (1). The resulting attire subtly traced Cathy's journey from repression to awareness. For early scenes, Moore wore full, rich-toned skirts like the lace and taffeta cocktail dress (2), which was ''charming without being overtly sexy.'' ''For that period, you could go two ways,'' says Powell. ''One is the long, lean shape, and the other is the full skirt, which I knew would suit Julianne'' (and hide her real-life pregnancy). But for Cathy's final train-station scene, Powell opted for a vintage tweed suit with a straight skirt (3). ''She's having to start a new life and move forward. It felt symbolically right.''