With four Oscars, five BAFTAs, and a Tony Award to her name, Catherine Martin is among the most prolific designers in Hollywood. She works in the theater, film, and interiors, and she frequently collaborates with her husband, the producer, director, and writer Baz Luhrmann. “CM,” as she’s known, has designed memorable costumes for The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge!, and Romeo + Juliet, and this month she tackles the aesthetic legacy of an American musical legend with Elvis. To create the costumes for Elvis and Priscilla Presley, as played by Austin Butler and Olivia DeJonge, Martin collaborated with Prada and Miu Miu designer Miuccia Prada on a collection of looks that are guaranteed to bring the Swinging 60s—and 70s—back into the forefront of fashion. Herewith, Martin shares her key components to the good life. —Ashley Baker
Airline: Qantas.
Airport: Any airport, as long as I’m traveling.
Alibi: “I was at work.”
App: Instagram.
Appetizer: Oysters.
Bedtime: Early.
Bike: Brompton.
Birthdays: Mine, because it’s also my wedding anniversary, and also the day my children were born.
Boyfriend: Baz Luhrmann.
Breakfast, weekday: Smoked salmon and poached eggs.
Breakfast, weekend: Smoked salmon and poached eggs.
Cocktail: Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne.
Couple: My husband and I.
Date: Dinner and a long walk.
Diet: Everything in moderation.
Dinner, weekday: Steak and vegetables.
Dinner, weekend: A great restaurant.
Disguise:
An N95 mask.
Dress: A custom-made Prada dress I wore to the Oscars in 2014 for The Great Gatsby.
Drive: From the airport in Paris to wherever I’m staying.
Enemy: Time.
Escape: Paris.
First Lady and first man: Michelle and Barack Obama.
Hideaway: My bedroom.
Hotel: Always an apartment, if possible.
Insult: “What an idiot.”
Jacket: The printed, custom-made, Miu Miu orange tweed jacket that Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge) wears during the ’68 Comeback Special.
Pet: Bartholomew Claude, my mini–fox terrier.
Piece of advice: “It’s never too late.”
Podcast: The Daily, from The New York Times.
RESTAURANT: Labart, in Burleigh Heads, or Chateaubriand.
Singer: Elvis.
Writing implement: Montblanc fountain pen.
Catherine’s Essentials
