The Perfect Murder: The Perfect Wardrobe -Part I, The Jewelry

One of my favorite movies is the 1998 remake of 1954’s Dial M for Murder , The Perfect Murder, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Not so much for the movie itself as it is to drool at the perfection and élan with which costume designer Ellen Mirojnick managed the wardrobe for Gwyneth Paltrow’s upper East Side character, Emily Taylor. Despite the character’s evident wealth, which is a major plot point in the story, she wears the same overcoat, jewelry, watch and handbag throughout the film. Elegant simplicity in quality not quantity you know? The pieces chosen are timeless and absolutely classic and worth taking a closer look at.

For starters, let’s take a look at the jewelry used in the film; per the credits, “select” jewelry was provided by Cartier, but many of the designs are quite basic and not exclusive to the jewelry house.

For Work: A long strand of pearls doubled
For Evening: A diamond Riviera necklace and bracelet
Daily: Diamond studs, Tiffany Elsa Peretti floating diamond necklace,
Cartier Panthere watch (now replaced by the Demoiselle model) and Cathy Waterman wedding band

Let’s stop for a moment and focus on this last piece. I love the fact that her character had this delicate, yet striking wedding band instead of a huge engagement ring that one would expect from a Park Avenue princess. It was very consistent with her character’s understated elegance. While it’s possible that a band was chosen because it served as a plot point in the film, it was nonetheless a beautiful choice. Paltrow had a hand in recruiting designer Cathy Waterman to create the wedding band which is actually three of Waterman’s signature delicate floral bands that were fused together for the film. Apparently two bands were made with slightly differing designs and even Waterman herself is a bit unclear as to which one was used. Being the die-hard that I am, I slow-mo’d the film and indeed, the ring used in the film is the same design that is now a part of Waterman’s line; known aptly as “The Perfect Murder” ring. Available at www.twistonline.com

Movie Photos: Warner Bros.
Ring Photo: Twist