You can listen to an audio version of this post in a dialogue form (generated using NotebookLM) at this link: Download Haute Couture in Wicked_ Costume Design and Fashion
The red carpet has long served as the intersection of film and contemporary fashion, a stage where actors showcase modern Haute Couture (though some occasionally dazzle in vintage pieces…). It's where we fall for the colors of a gown, the silhouette of a dress, or the elegance of makeup and hairstyles, often sparking new trends in the process.
In recent years, the phenomenon of method dressing has become the rule, with actors embodying the essence of their on-screen characters in their red carpet appearances. Margot Robbie, for instance, mastered this approach during the promotion of Greta Gerwig's Barbie, frequently stepping out in designs that evoked Barbie's iconic style or dresses. Similarly, since the 96th Academy Awards, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have been seen in candy-pink and emerald-green gowns, respectively, channeling their roles as Glinda and Elphaba from Jon M. Chu's adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical Wicked.
This growing interplay between fashion and costume design highlights how inseparable the two disciplines have become. From ballets to musicals and theatrical productions, there is often a connection between fashion and costume design.
For example, Susan Hilferty's pale blue gown for Glinda in the Broadway production of Wicked features a skirt reminiscent of Dior's iconic Junon dress (View this photo), combining costume and couture.
In Jon M. Chu's Wicked, featuring costumes by Paul Tazewell, the Shiz University uniforms subtly echo Thom Browne's aesthetic. In a way, there are links between school uniforms in general and Browne's designs, but here the resemblance is undeniable: an early sketch of Elphaba in her uniform as conceptualized by illustrator Sophia Lee Johnson, for example, with her feet turned outwards, wouldn't feel out of place in one of Browne's lookbooks.
The uniforms often incorporate striped motifs, which are cleverly reimagined, broken into zig-zagging or diagonal patterns to introduce variation and disrupt the monotony of linearity. These design choices not only add visual interest, but can also serve as symbolic elements.
In early films like Robert Wiene's Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) and Anton Giulio Bragaglia's Thaïs (1916), distorted patterns reflected the fractured human psyche or the turmoil of the soul. Similarly, in Wicked, these broken stripes may hint at duplicity or reflect individuality and nonconformity, particularly in Elphaba's case. Indeed, her green skin and natural magic abilities set her apart as both an outcast and a rebel, making her the perfect embodiment of this visual metaphor.
The stripes in the uniforms take on a three-dimensional quality when transformed into pleats in different costumes. Pleats add depth and dynamism to the costumes, they peek out from skirts, as seen in Glinda's uniform and those of other students, but they play a more pivotal role in Elphaba's iconic black Oz attire. Here, the pleats evolve, becoming integral to her character's transformation and narrative arc.
The inspiration for the pleats in Wicked's costumes came from an unexpected yet thoroughly modern source, as highlighted on Tazewell's Instagram page: mushrooms. In recent years, mushrooms and mycelium have taken center stage in installations, experimental projects, fashion collections, interior design, and art. Costume designer Paul Tazewell drew from this trend after watching a documentary on mushrooms, inspired by the intricate textures and varying colors of mushroom gills.
The pleated fabrics in Elphaba's costume were crafted from felted textiles, gauze, and chiffon. Each piece was pleated by hand by Ciment Pleating, a historic pleating house in the UK. According to Ciment Pleating's Instagram account, achieving the final result required extensive experimentation, exploring techniques like "pleating, ruching, crinkle, and draping." The company worked with a green form during production to mimic Elphaba's skin tone, ensuring the costume harmonized with her skin.
Established in 1925, Ciment Pleating is the oldest pleating company in the UK, a rare survivor in a craft that has dwindled in other countries. The company offers its services to fashion designers, interior designers, home dressmakers, fashion schools, theatrical costumiers, and milliners. Their impressive client list includes renowned fashion houses like Viktor & Rolf, Alexander McQueen, JW Anderson, Erdem, and Chopova Lowena.
They've also collaborated with artists such as Yinka Shonibare (pleating the fabric for his sculptures) and provided pleated creations for productions like Wednesday, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and multiple Disney titles (the striking pleated fabrics employed for Cleopatra's design in a black and white BBC production - View this photo - were also crafted by Ciment Pleating).
The pleating in Wicked carries a deeply natural inspiration, a fitting choice given Elphaba's profound connection to nature and animals. The swirling patterns hint at the dynamic forces of magic and nature, besides, much like mushrooms that flourish unseen in the shadows of the woods, Elphaba is a marginalized figure whose unique beauty goes unrecognized by others. This connection between nature and costume is subtly woven throughout the production.
For instance, nature-inspired motifs extend beyond pleating: the tornado heel, spirals (nods to the 1939 film Wizard of Oz film), and the wave details in the silver shoes allowing Nessarose, Elphaba's wheelchair-bound sister, to walk, evoke organic forms (View this photo). The silver shoes, crafted by New York-based costume designer and artisan Miodrag Guberinic, were inspired by the Boucheron Wave Tiara and constructed through 3D printing before being adorned with crystals (Guberinic also created Glinda's crown, further elevating the fantastical elements of the costumes).
Spirals and nature are themes in the film, so try to spot them also in Madame Morrible's costumes, while a variation of the spiral was applied to Glinda's classic bubble dress that was reinvented through a Fibonacci sequence-inspired design that allowed Tazewell to create spiralling cones instead of ruffles (View this photo).
So, if you're a fashion design student, when you go and watch Wicked do not just think about costume design and fashion, but check out all these connections and focus on how Haute Couture techniques can help theatrical storytelling. In this case, indeed, the use of hand-pleated designs by Ciment Pleating transforms the costumes into elevated works of art. Issey Miyake's famous line may be called "Pleats Please", but, in this case, it's more a matter of "Cinematic Pleats, Please".
Wicked has so far inspired countless collections in collaborations with various companies - from Target to H&M, Crocs and Marks & Spencer - but you can’t help but wonder if Tazewell, whose illustrious career spans Broadway (Hamilton, Suffs), television (The Wiz!), and film (Harriet, West Side Story), might follow in the footsteps of Milena Canonero. The legendary costume designer was once tapped to create a menswear collection for Norman Hilton inspired by her Chariots of Fire designs, a collaboration that earned her the Coty Award. Perhaps a similar fashion venture awaits Tazewell, maybe after Wicked or Wicked: Part 2 (slated to come out in 2025)?
Comments