Speaking to Disney Style, Mirojnick explained how Maleficent's wings informed every aspect of her costumes in "Mistress of Evil." In the first film, a de-winged Maleficent wears heavy fabrics that imitate her animated look, but she gets her wings back near the end of that film. "Her wings enable her to take great flight," Mirojnick said. "How we work in terms of the design, given that she has wings, is that all of the costumes that Maleficent wears have great fluidity. She doesn't wear garments made of leather or velvet, because leather and velvet don't fly."
Maleficent's battle outfit is also quite airy, especially for combat. Maleficent's combat look is almost painted on, which was intentional. Mirojnick took inspiration for the Moors battle costume on "early tribes of different regions," perhaps referring to ancient Briton tribes. "They didn't wear armour, but instead painted their bodies," Mirojnick said. Celtic tribes often painted themselves for battle in woad, as depicted (inaccurately) in films like "Braveheart" and 2004's "King Arthur."
Mirojnick took inspiration from the idea of painted warriors and made a dress for Maleficent that mixes painted elements with the airy fabrics she'd been wearing all movie. "[W]e hoped to create a design that would best tell the story of where she came from," she said, "and that with that dress, she was being true to herself and her tribe." Mission accomplished for the entire costume design team, and it's now tough to imagine Maleficent looking any other way.
