Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaption of Louisa May Alcott's beloved Little Women has become a classic. Featuring wonderful performances by Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst and Trini Alvarado as the four March sisters, this adaption is still held in the highest regards.
Part of the film's everlasting charm is the impeccable costuming created by Colleen Atwood. She received BAFTA and Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design for her Little Women creations. Artwork from the Civil War era influenced the aesthetics of the film and helped Atwood create beautiful, historically accurate costumes that still captured the personalities of Little Women's main characters.
Jo's Gray Dress
Jo March is the hotheaded, outgoing protagonist of Little Women. A girl with hopes and dreams bigger than the life she currently leads in Concord, Massachusetts, Jo hopes to use her writing talents to help her family. Her wardrobe is simple and functional, including this gray dress she wears throughout the film.
The plain dress is elevated by the interesting details on the sleeves and the subtle white trim on the cuffs and collar. While it is one of the more basic outfits worn in this adaption, these details help give Jo's dress a unique beauty.
Beth's Plaid Cape with Red Trim
Unlike her three sisters, Beth March never gets the chance to experience adulthood. Selfless and caring, Beth takes over providing care to the Hummels, a German family, when Marmee leaves to care for Mr. March. On one of her visits, Beth finds many of the Hummel children sick with scarlet fever and catches the illness herself.
On this visit, Beth wears a plaid cape with wine-colored trim over a simple dress. Her long hair is tied up into double braids, reminding viewers of the compassionate girl's young age. Much like her sister Jo, Beth favors more plain everyday outfits, but this cape is a standout piece from her closet.
Jo and Beth's Red Striped Dress
In Little Women, the fiery Jo and soft-spoken Beth are an incredibly close pair. The 1994 adaption showcases this by having the two share a red striped gown, which both wear at important moments in their stories. Jo wears the gown to the New Year's Eve party where she first meets Theodore "Laurie" Laurence, the two becoming fast friends.
Beth wears the dress to Christmas after pulling through from her bout of scarlet fever. Mr. Laurence gifts the musically-inclined girl his late daughter's piano, and the two share a tearful embrace. Beth plays Christmas carols for the family and Mr. March surprises the family by returning home from the war. This shared costume highlights the bond between the two middle March sisters.
Jo's Writing Ensemble
Jo's greatest passion is her writing, with the young girl spending hundreds of sleepless nights in the attic of Orchard House jotting down every thought in her mind. Even after a jealous Amy burns her in-progress manuscript, she doesn't lose her love of storytelling. Beth's death is the only thing that makes Jo temporarily give up her beloved pastime, as her inspiration and biggest fan is suddenly gone.
In the novel, Jo wears a "scribbling suit" make up of a black pinafore and a black cap with a feather. The film's take on her writing ensemble differs in the details, but it still feels true to the character. Jo is usually seen writing in her white nightgown and always has an embroidered burgundy cap atop her head of long brown curls. This cap makes her look almost elfish, which fits the fantasy worlds she often explores in her writing.
Meg and Amy's Blue Gown
Meg and Amy are the other pair of close sisters who seem to share a closet. Meg first wears this lovely but outdated blue afternoon dress, one of the film's most memorable outfits, while attending Sally Moffat's debut. Because of her family's financial situation, Meg is unable to keep up with the trends as much as she desires and feels out of place surrounded by the more fashionable and rich girls of society.
A little while later in the film, Amy is seen wearing the same afternoon dress as she spends time refining her artistic skills. As the two March sisters who were more concerned with material things, it makes sense that Meg and Amy would share clothing, even if the garments were out of style by the time Amy could wear them.
Laurie's Floral Vest
Laurie goes from the March family's new neighbor to Jo's closest confidante throughout Little Women. As the two grow closer, he mistakes their platonic affection for romance, while Jo views Laurie as the brother she never had. After Meg weds Laurie's tutor John Brooke, the young man decides to act upon his feelings and proposes to Jo.
Looking like the perfect period piece male lead, Laurie wears the romantic combination of a puffy-sleeved shirt and floral printed vest as he pours his heart out. And even though Jo rejects his proposal, his ensemble still fits the mold of the romantic hero. He's just the hero in Amy's love story instead.
Jo's Gingham Dress
Jo leaves her beloved Concord to clear her mind of thoughts of Laurie and jealousy after Aunt March chooses Amy as her companion to Europe, something Jo dreamed of for years. She arrives at a boarding house in New York City to be a tutor for one of Marmee's friends.
Her arrival outfit, consisting of a beige and black gingham dress, black leather gloves, a simple bonnet, and a red shawl, makes Jo look like a more mature version of her younger self. Now, instead of a child fascinated with learning and becoming an author, she's a young woman in charge of teaching others as she tries to make a name for herself in the hectic world of New York publishing.
Jo's Romantic Proposal Outfit
Unlike her usual wardrobe of plain dresses in dull neutrals, Jo wears her most romantic outfit during what many would view as the most romantic moment in her life—a marriage proposal. When Laurie suggests the two wed, Jo is clad in a flowy cream dress tied at the waist by a seafoam ribbon, her unruly long hair tied back and falling in perfect, windswept curls.
This sudden change in Jo's personal aesthetic is jarring, the outspoken tomboy who favors darker earth tones looking like she just stepped out of an impressionist painting. She even has a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers in hand as Laurie proposes. While this outfit doesn't quite fit the stubborn, messy, and awkward Jo fans know and love, it's still one of the best costumes in the film.
Meg's Pale Pink Ballgown
Much like the 2019 adaption of Little Women, the ballgown one of the rich partygoers at Sally Moffat's debut lends Meg is far more fashionable than the afternoon dress she brought. During her time with the debutantes, the eldest March daughter gives into her material temptations and parades around in a beautiful pale pink gown with matching gloves. Her long hair is done up in picture-perfect ringlet curls, and Meg embraces the attention she receives because of her newly polished exterior.
But when Laurie arrives, he ruins the facade and her night. Unlike the March family, the Laurences still retain their wealth and Laurie has grown tired of the expectations of the higher class. Meg has always desired to be well-off and enjoys the finer things, so when Laurie shames her new appearance, she makes him promise not to tell Jo about how she behaved.
Amy's Embroidered White Dress
The most refined of the four March sisters, Amy always knew she'd marry rich. Unlike Jo, who provides for the family by writing and teaching, Amy thought marrying a well-off man would allow her to help her family even more.
As she accompanies Aunt March in Europe, an older Amy wears her most intricate outfits. The best is a white dress featuring an array of embroidered flora and fringe details along the shoulders, cuffs, and waist. She finished off the look with lace gloves, a straw hat with a white ribbon and short veil, and a parasol. This expensive, beautiful ensemble shows that Amy finally became the cultured young woman she hoped she'd be.