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Contrary to popular belief, contemporary design in film is not just about shopping; it involves deep storytelling and thought behind how characters are dressed.
Molly Rogers, who worked on “The Devil Wears Prada” as
an assistant costume designer and was the sequel’s costume designer, said, “When someone comes up to me and says, ‘I really want to learn and work with you. I love to shop.’ That’s an automatic exit.”
Rogers spoke at the Costume Design Roundtable at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, moderated by Variety’s Senior Artisans Editor Jazz Tangcay. Joining her were Ellen Mirojnick (“The Odyssey”), Arianne Phillips (“The Invite”), Linda Muir (“Werwulf”), Amy Roth (“I Play Rocky”) and Marci Rodgers (“Michael”).
Mirojnick, known for her work on “Wall Street,” “Basic Instinct” and “Fatal Attraction,” discussed the challenges of contemporary costume design. “In the beginning of my career, I did a lot of contemporary costume, and I loved it. I loved being able to document what New York was like at that period, because yes, it was for film, but it also documented the history of what we were like, even if it was an elevated contemporary character.” She added, “Contemporary design is very difficult and very beautiful at the same time to create.”
Rodgers recalled her first job on Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It.” Coming from Chicago, she knew New York’s style was different, so she asked Lee to sit with her during background casting. “So I could see how people are coming in here dressed.” When developing Nola Darling’s wardrobe, she learned the character’s favorite artist was Prince. “Purple is clearly going to be a thing. But it would be tidbits of purple. She wouldn’t shop at Saks.” Rodgers focused on thrift stores for Nola’s look.
On “Barbershop,” set in Chicago, she emphasized reflecting the community and fashion of the moment. Rodgers added, “A professor cautioned me that contemporary design would be the hardest thing I’d ever do. Actors will come in with an idea — or no idea — and then, after the table read, everything changes.”
Phillips, whose credits include “Nocturnal Animals,” “The Invite” and “I Want Your Sex,” noted that contemporary design is often misunderstood. “I’ve been in rooms with studio executives. Directors, writers, producers and studio executives — they’re rich. They make a lot of money. They have a relationship to shopping, someone shopping for them. They can afford what they want, and they’re experts. This happens with actors a lot, where they’ll say, ‘Oh, I know my character wore those Prada boots.’ You have to be, as Marci said, a salesperson for your character. Costume design can be disrespected so easily by people sitting behind desks moving numbers around and not giving you the support you need.”
Phillips also discussed the increasing influence of product placement in costume design as luxury brands enter the financing space. “We’re told by producers, ‘You have to use that product.’ You have to choose directors who support staying true to the story, as this is only going to get more complicated with how films are financed.”
The designers also shared insights into their latest projects.
Ellen Mirojnick crafted over 5,300 costumes for Christopher Nolan, focusing on Anne Hathaway’s Queen Penelope.
The House of Ithaca’s color theme was burned red, which was reflected in Penelope’s costumes throughout the film. Mirojnick explained, “It was very important to keep her in those tones, not to disrupt the story.”
At the climactic moment when Odysseus returns, Penelope wears a blue dress that serves as her armor. “We created a drape with fine pleats, very tight and specific to the shape of her body. It went up through her neck, paired with a golden necklace — one of the only decorative pieces she wears. It felt as if she was ready for battle, and she was going to hold her own. She had a challenge to put forth, and her gown reinforced her strength.”
Muir, who worked with Robert Eggers on “The Northman” and “Werwulf,” spoke about her meticulous research on wool, a commodity in Viking times that denoted wealth. Muir explained, “There are no wolves in the British Isles because the king ordered all of them eradicated so they wouldn’t eat the sheep.”
The wealthy bought that wool, so anyone with a lot of wool clothing was upper class. Muir strove for authenticity but said, “The challenge with these films is finding people who can create wool fabrics, hats, jewelry, buttons, belts — all the things that make the whole picture when you have so few styles and elements to work with.”
Phillips discussed her work with Olivia Wilde on “The Invite.” “It was my third time working with Olivia, so there’s a lot of trust there.”
Phillips used only one costume change to set the tone. Cruz’s costume was layered intentionally to reveal more about her as the story progressed. Wilde’s Angela is a stay-at-home artist who had lost her creativity. Phillips said, “I worked with production designer Jade Healy to make sure she blended into the walls.” She continued, “I wanted Seth’s palette to be similar, and the blues were really bothering me because they weren’t in harmony. Then I realized that was perfect because the relationship is out of sync..”
Rogers discussed the challenges of working on “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” “The first movie is so beloved, and I meditated on that for a while. It was a perfect storm — the script, the cast, the clothing. I thought, ‘OK, the curse of the sequel.’”
But she pulled it off. She even brought back the iconic cerulean sweater because Andy (Anne Hathaway) would still have it after all these years.
Rogers revealed, “Annie had scissors in her hands. I had wanted to shred it more naturally, like the sweater with holes in the elbows that you hang on to. But she chopped the sleeves off, and I realized it’s now a vest. I was trying to do menswear a little with her, so it read that way — it’s a vest.”
Amy Roth reflected on “I Play Rocky.”
She revealed the original “Rocky” film didn’t have a costume designer, so there were no references to pull from. She said, “Recreating this iconic look — not just from the film, but from my memory and everybody’s collective memory of Rocky — the hat, the leather jacket, the gloves, the bouncing ball, they were all crucial.”
Roth explained that the leather jacket was so important. “We had to make it and age it. I found the original jacket on eBay, in my actor’s size and felt relief.”
She credits actor Anthony Ippolito for elevating the work and her work. “He wanted his body to look exactly like Stallone’s. He posed like Stallone. He just embodied his body. He really wanted to do what we were doing. He would bring pictures of things he wore, and we’d recreate them for him.”
Rogers also touched upon her work on “Michael” and recreating the “Thriller” video. She said, “It was one of the last things we shot. I had a research book of 800 pages, and Deborah Landis told me something interesting. We all know the leather jacket is iconic, but she revealed that Michael’s Levi jeans were originally white and she had to dye them red.”
Levi’s collaborated with the filmmakers, sending a few pairs to recreate the look. “I had a Pantone book and recreated the beaded jacket, realizing there were two different shades of red — color value is so important,” she said.
It was all about capturing every detail, and the zombie dancers mattered just as much. “I thought, ‘That’s the woman in the pink dress. I’ve got to put the pearls right here.”
Watch the full conversation below.
