Stephanie Collie, the UK costume designer who created the iconic fashion look on the first season of Peaky Blinders, has died at the age of 60.
Collie died on October 26 at St Christopher’s Hospice in London, following a terminal cancer diagnosis six months previously.
Collie based the look for Tommy Shelby and his early 20th century Birmingham street gang on criminal mugshots of the period. Her costume choices had significant influence on British fashion, and their effect continues to be felt 10 years after the show premiered.
Following a degree from the London College of Fashion, Collie worked in the sewing room at the BBC, where costume designer Susan Coates introduced her to David Parfitt of Renaissance Theatre Company.
Collie then worked as a wardrobe assistant to Kenneth Branagh on Much Ado About Nothing, produced by Parfitt; and received her first costume designer credit on Branagh’s Peter’s Friends, starring Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton and Branagh.
Her work on Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels brought her work to the mainstream, and united her with producer Matthew Vaughn. Collie collaborated with Vaughn for 30 years across seven films, including designing the look for Daniel Craig in his pre-James Bond crime role in Vaughn’s 2004 Layer Cake.
Collie’s further credits included the London Has Fallen series starring Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman; and The Hitman’s Bodyguard series with Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds and Salma Hayek.
More recently, she designed costumes for Coky Giedroyc’s How To Build A Girl and Vaughn’s Argylle starring Henry Cavill.
Her final project, Damien Walters’ Stunt Nuts: The Movie, is currently in post-production, produced by Vaughn.
Collie’s husband, director of photography Hubert Taczanowski, died in June this year; both were clients of Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.
“Stephanie was responsible for so much of the look and feel of Layer Cake,” said Craig in a tribute. “She was a joy to work with and she will be deeply missed.”
“Stephanie was always a beacon of good taste and positivity; and no matter how hard the task, she would never give up until it was accomplished to perfection,” added Vaughn, while Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy described her as “a ferocious talent.”
Collie is survived by three siblings, Fiona, Alison and Nicola; her stepdaughter Julia, from Taczanowski’s first marriage; and her nieces and nephews Holly, Lucy, Amy, Sam, Connor and Ethan.
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