In an era dominated by remakes, sequels and multiverses, seeing a totally original story unravel on screen feels like a truly special occasion. Enter: 100 Nights of Hero, an exuberant historical fantasy written and directed by Julia Jackman. The film is based on a 2016 graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg, and tells a poetic tale of love, lust, friendship and trust. In it, Cherry (Maika Monroe) is left by her husband for 100 nights, in a test of their relationship with ulterior motives. During this time, she has duelling relationships, one with her maid Hero (Emma Corrin) and another with her husband’s old friend and charming rival Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine).
Without spoiling its twists, the indie British film is both illustrative and abstract in how it moves the needle on classic love-triangle plots, while also speaking to the power of storytelling and female connections. The movie is incredibly funny and moving, supported by bold performances from the wider cast, including Richard E. Grant, Felicity Jones and everyone’s favourite brat Charli xcx. The film’s costumes are another standout piece of the puzzle that makes 100 Nights of Hero so special. They were designed by Susie Coulthard, who also happens to be the mind behind the wardrobe on one of Black Mirror’s standout episodes, the Emmy-winning San Junipero. In a way, her approach to this film reflects the essence of San Junipero that connected to so many people – ambitious and rooted in history, but finally unplaceable in a specific time period.
‘As soon as I read the script, I knew exactly how it should look. I did my boards and was just hoping that the director would respond,’ Coulthard tells me in her studio, which also doubles as a film and TV costume hire named CLTHD London. ‘Luckily, they instantly recognised what I wanted to do. A lot of my references were fashion ones, rather than medieval. And for that kind of world-building moment, you have to make things from scratch because otherwise it just ends up looking like something else.’
For the film’s wardrobe, Coulthard worked with the community of London tailors on creating pieces that have a duality about them. There’s that constant interplay of contemporary interpretations of historic references that is true to the cyclical nature of fashion. One of the key looks is a black dress worn by Emma Corrin’s character, Hero. An editorial take on a maid’s uniform, the dress was inspired by a silhouette from Rei Kawakubo, an iconic Japanese designer who constantly goes against the grain of nostalgia. Yet the piece feels perfectly in place in a historic setting. This was also supported by the production design, as some of the sets included recognisable, non-accurate pieces such as tall Mackintosh chairs dated to the early 20th century.
The character of Manfred (played by Nicholas Galitzine) wore different variations of the same shirt throughout the film, reflecting elements of change over the film's 100-day plot. Starting with solids and ending up in exuberant patterns of devoré, his signature billowing blouse was based on a shirt from a menswear label that was inspired by Regency men’s shirting. His trousers, a loose velvet capri with an extra thick waistband, were in fact sourced from David’s Road, a cult avant-garde that has since closed down.
This defiance to period accuracy appears throughout the film, with many flashback scenes leaning into the fantasy world. Those parts of 100 Nights of Hero are undeniably dominated by the charisma of musician, actor and all-round IT girl Charli xcx, whose embroidered velvet smock looks miles away from her white tee, leather micro pants and fishnets uniform. “It’s a very non-contemporary look that's opposed to everything she's ever worn. But she was amazing, despite having limited time with her. She flew in from LA, got a taxi to Mill Hill Studios for a fitting looking very tired… but we smashed the fitting out in 40 minutes. It was instantly clear Charli was an actual superstar,” Coulthard says, admitting she wasn’t really aware of the Brat mania that was taking place during the film shoot. Thanks to the power of her celebrity, Charli’s wardrobe in the film included a couture piece from Elie Saab she wore with a crown of fresh flowers during her wedding scene, standing alongside her sisters played by Olivia D'Lima and Varada Sethu.
Meanwhile, the film’s protagonist, Cherry, had a closet that told a story of innocence with a colourway of pastels and neutrals. Some of her standout pieces included a coat dress in ecru linen with lacing throughout, which Maika Monroe wore with a very contemporary piece – a pair of buttery yellow Miista mules. Monroe’s striking features help root the story in the ambiguous past, even when she’s wearing a quilted, soft pink dress from Cecilie Bahnsen. But the key to pulling of her look was definitely in the statement accessories – corset belts and semi-abstract hats, for which Coulthard looked to an iconic imagery from Vogue Italia. ‘It’s a Stephen Meisel shoot styled by Edward Enninful called ‘Organised Robots’, and I had it in my head while reading the script.’ The 80-page editorial from 2006 features models Gemma Ward and Sasha Pivovarova, who share the essence of Monroe’s beauty, with heads wrapped in pieces that are a mix between 1940s nurse hats and 1800s cornettes worn by nuns. For the film, the headpieces were made by Hood London, a British milliner known for creating out-of-the-box pieces.
Against so many big-budget historic films that are coming out in 2026, including ‘Wuthering Heights’ and The Odyssey, Julia Jackman’s 100 Nights of Hero holds its own spot as an emblem of creativity and ambition. Its costumes, as eclectic and humorous as the story itself, will definitely be remembered as a major moment in British style on screen.
100 Nights of Heroes is out in UK & Irish cinemas now.
