Lena Dunham Is Living Her Botticelli Meets British Icon Nigella Lawson Fantasy
'I noticed Lena liked the corseted pieces that had drape work on top, one of my signature methods—each piece is one-of-one,' says Misner. 'This method helps me manipulate silhouette, adding volume to hips and accentuating a corseted waist. Originally, we were going to do a midi dress with a boned hoop, but switched to a full length to make it more red carpet-worthy. They really trusted me and let me do my own thing, so when it was finished, it was the first time they had seen what it would look like.'
Misner prioritized both Lena's comfort and support in the dress, making an internal boned base, with a hand-sewn drape put on afterwards. 'I knew she would be wearing the dress for a whole evening, and I didn't want it to feel uncomfortable or constricted, regardless of the corsetry,' she explains. As the designer does with each custom piece, she built Dunham a mannequin to match her measurements and then worked directly off it as a body double.
'Together they made possible the most striking Botticelli fantasy; a little bit early Renaissance, a little Nigella Lawson—my curvy British icon,' says Dunham. 'It embraces what I love about my body, drapes in inventive ways, and makes me feel both powerful and innocent. It's such a gift to wear. Michael and Ellie are both so young and have such vision.'
Lena's custom Ellie Misner dress fitted on a mannequin made to her measurements by the designer.
'Every piece from Ellie is truly one of a kind. Her dedication to individuality and creativity—paired with an unwavering commitment to size inclusivity—is what makes Ellie herself so unique,' says Handler.
Fitting, however, had to happen digitally—with a lot of yapping and quicktime getting to know each other. Misner FaceTimed Lena, Handler, and his team in New York when the dress got to them, and a week later for her digital fitting. The dress fit perfectly, and they decided to go bolder and make a long, detachable train. Handler sourced a matching fabric and built it in New York under Misner's guidance. 'It's something that gave her that red carpet 'wow' moment,' says Handler.
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