From Classic To Contemporary – Cinderella’s Modern Makeover

All of us know the story of Cinderella— one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time, that has had many on and off-screen adaptations. Once, every few years, we are presented with modern interpretations of the classic tale. This Camila Cabello starrer orphan-turned-princess fairytale, however, is different. The forthcoming Amazon Prime Video movie takes a feminist turn, adding a fresh and relevant spin to the modern day Cinderella. She has dreams and ambitions and wants to save herself, rather than having anyone do it for her. The rather new retelling of the story seeks to promote female empowerment and individuality. This Cinderella has a life to make for herself— “I have dreams that I have to chase”— much like the women of today. 

What makes this adaptation different is the relevance of modern Cinderella in today’s world. The younger generation is ambitious— one that would not settle for a life they haven’t built for themselves. Providing a huge opportunity for such young and budding enthusiasts, Amazon Prime Video held a contest with Pearl Academy, where students were challenged to reinterpret Cinderella’s iconic ball gown to suit the modern woman— and they didn’t disappoint. As a part of the panel of judges for the contest, ELLE, along with Amazon Prime Video and Pearl Academy selected the top three contending teams who brought to life the magic of Cinderella through their designs. Looking at the silhouettes from the lens of young minds gave fashion’s favourite fairytale an unconventional spin. It was interesting to see the detailed elements that were then culminated into the final outfit. While all their design approaches were refreshingly different, the idea of representing a modern cinderella who is comfortable in her own skin came through in all their creative visions. “We decided to create a convertible outfit that can be worn for multiple occasions. The idea was to make it chic, yet comfortable and practical for the hardworking woman of today who doesn’t have the time to change her outfit a gazillion times,” shared Disha Gupta and Nishita Singhal on The Asteria Dress

The participants were asked to retain the outfit colour from the poster of the film, yet represent strength, fearlessness and comfort in their garment, and style it with a shoe for the Cinderella of today. Taking inspiration from the movie, the students came up with marvellous creations that spoke a lot about the character. Androgynous silhouettes were combined with flowy fabrics for a feminine touch. Practicality drove the essence of their designs with detachable sleeves, a briefcase, pockets (yes, please!) and attached shoes— because, what if Cinderella never lost her glass slipper? “Our outfits featured flowy fabrics to portray yin and structured detailing to convey yan. Combining the two, we created an ensemble for the Cinderella we believe in today—she’s strong and forges her own destiny,” added Mahak Bhatia, Manvi Goel and Harshit Sharma on Yin Yang Fantasy

Much like the modern Cinderella, this generation is changing the narrative of what it means to be a woman in today’s world— strong, fierce and independent. “Our garment is for the woman who’s ambitious and powerful. Reimagining Cinderella to have a life of her own,  she now wants to shine. Mixing the two silhouettes, a gown and pantsuit, we created a velvet-panelled sheer bodysuit with fierce details like a corset, padded blazers and voluminous sleeves but ensured there’s an extravaganza with a chiffon cape featuring ruffles,” said Rohit Mane and Sanskriti Jha on Avyanna, their creation.  With the movie set to release on 3rd September, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories, we’re all surely in for a ride— a magical, feminist one at that.