For costume designers, the craft extends far beyond merely selecting the outfits for actors; it’s about the intricate details, including accessorizing, that enhance and ground their performances. The right accessories can transform a character and make their portrayal more authentic and relatable to the audience.
Janie Bryant, the costume designer for “1923,” shares her passion, stating, “I love jewelry. I collect a lot of it, and I love to use it for the accents to really define the characters.” This highlights how accessories play a pivotal role in character development and storytelling in film and television.
Similarly, Tsigie White Robinson, the costume designer for “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” confesses her own obsession with jewelry, revealing, “I tend to buy jewelry first before I buy anything else.” Her approach underscores the importance of jewelry in creating a visually compelling narrative and enriching the character’s backstory.
Robinson and Bryant were joined by fellow costume designers Renée Ehrlich Kalfus (“Another Simple Favor”) and Natalie Humphries (“The Day of the Jackal”) for Variety’s Artisans Exchange panel, facilitated by senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay. The panelists provided valuable insights into the creative nuances of storytelling through their craft, illustrating how costume design influences audience perception and character depth. The Creative Collaborators segment featured production designer Kave Quinn (“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”), cinematographer Ksenia Sereda (“The Last of Us”), and “Yellowjackets” production designer Margot Ready, who illuminated the collaborative process and discussed aspects ranging from world-building to dynamic camera movement.
Exploring Costume Design in Peacock’s “The Day of the Jackal”
In her approach to Peacock’s “The Day of the Jackal,” Natalie Humphries aimed to pay tribute to the classic 1973 film directed by Fred Zinnemann. Through discussions with the show’s lead, Eddie Redmayne, they reflected on how Edward Fox’s portrayal of the Jackal character was that of a “highly groomed, tailored assassin,” which was a quality Humphries sought to infuse into the contemporary character. “We leaned into British tailoring,” Humphries explains. However, as the character journeyed across Europe, she incorporated various European labels to create a narrative that reflected his experiences of acquiring clothing along the way, showcasing the character’s evolution through fashion.
The essence of the Jackal’s character was that he needed to navigate his surroundings without drawing attention to himself, which is why Humphries avoided bright pops of color in his wardrobe. His color palette consisted of muted tones such as “tans, brown, navy, and grey,” aptly described as being “straight out of the espionage playbook.” These choices not only enhance the character’s stealth but also create a strong visual identity that resonates with the themes of secrecy and intrigue.
Renée Kalfus had never worked on a sequel before taking on “Another Simple Favor,” which sees Blake Lively reprising her role as Emily and Anna Kendrick as Stephanie. This time, Stephanie finds herself agreeing to be the maid of honor at Emily’s wedding. Kalfus seized this unique opportunity to elevate Emily’s character further, utilizing larger silhouettes to amplify her intimidating presence on screen.
Kalfus crafted a striking wedding look for Emily, featuring a custom white latex bustier. While in Rome, she collaborated with local artisans to create an opulent silver satin skirt. “The 40-foot veil took up the entire block,” Kalfus remarks. “It was dyed and dripped in blood red, then encrusted with pink crystals to foreshadow potential conflicts that were about to unfold.” This attention to detail not only enhances the visual appeal but also adds layers of meaning to the character’s journey.
Throughout her time on “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” Robinson has crafted looks steeped in ‘90s hip-hop nostalgia, yet with a contemporary twist. “I source from all over the world,” she states. “Other times, I’m sourcing materials and collaborating with my tailoring team to recreate the authentic urban wear seen on the show.” This dedication to authenticity ensures that the costumes resonate with both the era and the characters’ backgrounds, creating a rich visual narrative.
The costume designers also emphasized the critical importance of accessorizing in character representation. Bryant’s fascination with watch fobs plays a significant role in her designs for Taylor Sheridan’s show, noting their importance for the male characters. In stark contrast, Cara Dutton, the matriarch portrayed by Helen Mirren, is styled in jewelry from a different era, reflecting her traditional values. “She has a pair of old-fashioned earrings, and the brooches she wears are of an earlier time,” Bryant explains. “This really sets her in period and creates a strong contrast with the other women in the show.” This thoughtful accessorizing enhances the storytelling and deepens the audience’s understanding of each character’s background and personality.
Robinson highlighted the cultural significance of jewelry from both aesthetic and social perspectives. Incorporating elements like nameplate necklaces, three-finger rings, and nugget rings, she emphasized, “there was a way to tell that story without making it feel like a caricature. I leaned into how my grandfather and his friends dressed and the way they wore their jewelry.” This personal connection to her designs adds authenticity and depth to the characters’ narratives, making them more relatable to the audience.
Regarding “The Day of the Jackal,” one specific outfit features a suede jacket. “We tried every type of suede jacket in the UK and the USA, and we looked at European ones,” Humphries recalls. Ultimately, she discovered the perfect look on London’s Saville Row. “It’s from Drake’s,” she confirms, showcasing the meticulous attention to detail that goes into the costume design process.
The costume designers also addressed the pressing issue of pay equity within their industry. Last year, after decades of advocacy, the guild achieved pay equity and secured a salary increase of over 40%, aligning their compensation with that of other creative peers. This milestone reflects the growing recognition of the vital role that costume designers play in the entertainment industry.
Humphries emphasizes the crucial role of the costume designer as a department head, stating, “We are often one of the first people to meet an actor. You can be given so little time that you meet an actor, they fly in the day before they shoot, so that becomes a really, really pressured situation.” This highlights the importance of their role in shaping the actor’s performance and ensuring that the costumes align with the character’s narrative.
Kalfus adds, “It’s a massive undertaking. You start with the director, you have producers, everyone wants something. Then you are the first line of communication with an actor. You’re saying, ‘Well, here’s the character. I’m going to tell you what it is. Look at this.’ You’re instrumental in getting them on camera.” This underscores the collaborative nature of the filmmaking process and the integral role that costume designers play in bringing characters to life.
Insights from the Creative Collaborators Panel
During the Artisans Exchange: Creative Collaborators panel, Quinn, Sereda, and Ready discussed the significance of collaboration and how it aligns with the vision of the showrunners. Ready explains, “The showrunners steer the ship for the season,” indicating the essential role they play in guiding the overall creative direction of a project.
Sereda, who returned to “The Last of Us,” collaborated with showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann to narrate the visual story for the new season. “There were a lot of new colors, storylines, and characters, but it begins with a creative collaboration with the showrunners, and in our case, both are directing too, which brings you closer to the source material,” Sereda states, referring to the video game that inspired the series.
Sereda aimed to maintain the handheld aesthetic of the show while transitioning from Season 1 to Season 2. The key difference was that the camera work became more grounded. “Even though it’s about this post-apocalyptic world and infection, it’s still very much attached to the characters, and we’re so close to them,” she observes, emphasizing the emotional connection established through the cinematography.
Quinn expressed her desire to illustrate the evolution of Renee Zellweger’s character, Bridget Jones. To convey Bridget’s domestic life, Quinn needed to tell a story through the set design that also reflected elements of Mark. “She’s been living in this house for a while on her own with her children,” Quinn explains. The bright yellow kitchen was designed to encapsulate Bridget’s personality. “It was fun. It was bright,” Quinn elaborates, indicating how color plays a vital role in character representation and storytelling.
Pulling from personal experience, Quinn filled the set with nostalgic elements. “I have three grown-up children, and there were little nods to them. Some of the things my kids made for me were in the set, such as Mother’s Day cards and things like that. I have boxes of artwork that my kids have done. So I used a lot of that.” This personal touch adds authenticity and relatability to the set, enhancing the overall storytelling experience.
In terms of kitchen design, one of Ready’s notable sets was Melissa’s kitchen in the third season of “Yellowjackets.”
Ready’s design approach served as a counterpoint, reflecting the character’s psychological state. In the show, Melissa is one of the survivors of a plane crash and has created a false identity while faking her own death. Ready explains, “Her home is intentionally a mix of clean and artificially over-decorated,” which visually represents the dissonance in Melissa’s life and her struggle with trauma.
Staying within a neutral color palette, Ready emphasizes, “We meticulously curated everything to be extremely, impossibly tidy.” This meant that drawings were precisely taped to the walls, and jars were lined up in the pantry. “We feel this is Melissa’s response to her trauma,” highlighting how set design can reflect deeper psychological themes within the character’s arc.
The sign reading “Kitchen Is the Heart of the Family” was an item Ready discovered online, but it carries profound significance. “There is no heart to this family because she is living a lie. Yet, of course, it also nods to their consumption of one another and their consumption of their hearts,” illustrating the complex layers of meaning embedded within the set design and how it contributes to character development.
