Romance 2007

The Green Silk Dress

Atonement · Cecilia Tallis · Keira Knightley

Cecilia Tallis's backless emerald silk gown is the beating heart of Atonement. In one long tracking shot she walks through a candlelit dinner and out into the night, the dress flowing like liquid green — the moment the whole story turns on. It is period costume at its most quietly devastating.

Styling notes

The magic is in the movement: choose a fluid silk or satin so the fabric catches the candlelight, keep the back bare and the jewellery almost invisible, and let one saturated emerald do all the talking.