 Luhrmann stated that since the book took place in 1922, was published in 1925, but foreshadowed the economic crash of 1929, anything within that decade was available to borrow for design purposes.This allowed Martin more room to play with trends and flattering pieces, such as her choice to dress lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio in slimmer-cut suits than what would have been typical in the beginning of the decade.For the women's clothes in the film, she erred towards the end of the decade, wanting to focus on slimmer silhouettes.