Wes Anderson’s films are renowned for their very distinct aesthetic and meticulously designed sets. Now, on a train departing from London’s Victoria Station, travelers can get a taste of his fantastical onscreen world as they move through the U.K. in a chic carriage designed by the director himself. Film buffs will no doubt be antsy to hop aboard Belmond’s British Pullman train for a truly unique experience.
Anderson’s redesign maintains the 1950s-built Cygnus carriage’s swan theme, with silver leaf on the car’s ceiling that creates a water-like reflection, and more direct accents like the swan-shaped champagne coolers. Guests are seated in roomy wing chairs that are upholstered in an emerald green patterned fabric and encased in sturdy wood frames. Green again appears in the custom crockery that was chosen by the director and on the ceiling of the private coupés. Gorgeously detailed marquetry preserves the carriage’s original art deco style, a wonderful fit for Anderson’s generally vintage-leaning sensibility.
“I love trains!” the Oscar-nominated director of films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Royal Tenenbaums said about the collaboration. “I have often had the chance to invent train compartments and carriages in my movies—so I was immediately pleased to say ‘yes' to this real life opportunity, and very eager to make something new while also participating in the process of preservation which accompanies all the classic Belmond train projects. They are keeping something special alive; igniting this endangered species of travel into a new golden era.”
The train’s first voyage will be on Wednesday, October 13, just ahead of the theatrical release of Wes Anderson’s latest film, The French Dispatch. Tickets begin at £400 (about $544.30) per person in the open dining car and £1800 (or about $2,449.34) for a coupé, which seats up to 4 guests.
