#Susan Hilferty

[taylorswiftstyle]

"I Can See You" music video | July 7, 2023

Susan Hilferty custom dress (Speak Now Tour)

Reem Acra custom dress (Speak Now Tour)

Susan Hilferty custom dress (Speak Now Tour)

Colette Dinnigan dress (Speak Now Tour)

Jenny Packham dress (Speak Now Tour)

Marchesa custom gown (Speak Now Tour)

Mandalay dress (Speak Now Tour)

Alice + Olivia custom dress (Speak Now Tour)

J. Mendel dress (2011 People’s Choice Awards)

Temperley London dress (Speak Now album photoshoot for “Mean”) 

Lulu’s dress (“Mine” music video)

Valentino gown (Speak Now Tour)

Reem Acra gown (2011 American Music Awards)

This is not the first time that I've had to make a post like this. If you've been around long enough, you'll recall the masterpost I made of all the archival outfits seen on past Taylor's in the "LWYMMD" music video.

This was such a lovely trip down memory lane!

[thecommoncurator]

chill day ✨

[willstafford]

It's not easy being green

WICKED Birmingham Hippodrome, Wednesday 6th March, 2024 One of the most successful musicals of all time is on the road again and it’s a real treat to be able to catch it during its stay at Birmingham’s Hippodrome.  If you’ve seen it before, you’ll recall the emotional highs and lows of the story, and the green-faced one belting out ‘Defying Gravity’, but perhaps like me you’ll be reminded just…

[ashleyslorens]

WICKED

Costume Design from Stage to Screen

↳ part 1 / part 2

— by Susan Hilferty — by Paul Tazewell

[atalana]

actually you know what, while this isn't something i had an issue with in the movie (and honestly the costume designers for wicked did an incredible job), i do wanna talk about elphaba's stage dress bc i think the tumblr lesbians will have fun with it!

so like i made a post a bit ago about how i literally only have one gripe with the wicked movie and it's that every glinda outfit was pink (probably for marketing purposes, but stage glinda is incredibly varied in her colours, and she only has one pink dress, alongside a white, a yellow, a green, and two blue dresses)

but i didn't really go into how elphaba is, in her own way, just as colourful!

because if you read interviews with susan hilferty, the original costume designer for wicked, she talks about how the primary thing she wanted to play with was the idea of these two as earth and sky

glinda comes from the sky, both literally in terms of her first scene being in the bubble, but also that is who she is as a person, bright, airy, expansive. she gets so many colours because she represents the rainbow, and whenever her and elphie are put in contrast, she gets the light side as is fitting for the show

(i did mention this in my glinda post too, but in the show the school colours for shiz are blue and white, which they do conform to, but while every other student is wearing blue and white stripes, glinda is dressed entirely in white and elphie entirely in blue)

but to the point of this post! you then get elphaba as earth. i've seen posts around about how elphie's magic is so strong because she's more connected to the world around her, and that's not only true but something worked into her costume design! hilferty talks about mica and geodes being an inspiration here, elphaba comes from the earth and is an intrinsic part of it, she may not look like much from the outside but she holds an incredible beauty inside

and so her dress is designed to look black from a distance, but it's actually not! it's dozens of layers of different dark colours, that shine and catch the light in different ways

(these dresses are also all slightly different because she mentions they made each dress for the actress who would wear it, each one is unique to fit how that person plays elphaba)

it also to me represents her public vs private image, people like glinda who've seen those layers to her knows she's a beautiful person inside and out, know how she could be seen and loved and appreciated for her complexity and depth, but no one looks that closely. they see from a distance, and they see what they want to see - a wicked witch in a black dress

(especially poignant given how colourful oz is and how no one else, no one 'good', ever wears black)

and i genuinely do love the details put into elphie's movie design, i'm a big fan of victorian style costuming and she's got a lot of those elements (plus the amount of detail and complexity put into dresses that are entirely black should be commended)

but i wanna show off her coloured dress too, because it means the world to me

[where-fading-princesses-live]

Thoughts on WICKED (2024)

So I finally saw WICKED after procrastinating after its opening weekend. I wanted to wait a bit longer (as excited as I was to see it) because I knew the theaters were going to be packed (they were) and my friend and I got tickets at the last minute before they sold out for that day’s showing. I’ve been a fan of the musical since childhood and I loved the books as a teen and I knew they were making a movie (or talking about it) since I was in middle school. Well it was worth the wait.

I admit the first teaser trailer did not impress me (it looked too much like a spectacle and some of the CGI effects looked over the top and corny). I was going to see it anyway but my initial expectations were low. but the later trailers were better and I was getting more excited to see it. Well the movie did not disappoint. Though I’m a big fan of WICKED, the movie was better than I expected. I definitely want to see it again (preferably at home with less people even tho the movie was made for the big screen, especially with all the tiny details I didn’t notice before when viewing TV spots and clips on my phone and laptop… ) I’d rather watch it on the big screen BUT.

My enjoyment of the movie was almost completely ruined because of the people… no one sang along, thank God, but there were so many distractions and now I remember why I haven’t been to a movie theatre in years. not only did so many people come in late and have to climb over you to get to their seats, but the person sitting next to me whipped out their phone in the middle of the movie and started texting, plus their bright ass screen was so distracting (rude much?). Worst of all, one person thought it was a good idea to drag along their noisy toddlers who kept asking over and over ‘’when’s the movie going to start’’ during the previews, and even when the movie DID start, the kids could not sit still throughout the movie and kept loudly asking their parents for ‘’skittles’’ like I wanted to turn around and tell them to keep their kids quiet or leave. FINALLY they got up and left for good before the Emerald city part, like goddamn if your kids aren’t mature enough to sit through a 2 ½ movie, don’t ruin it for the rest of us. >_<

That being said, I still enjoyed the movie, and you bet your sweet Oz there was a round of applause after it was over, I mean it was THAT good. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a movie where the audience clapped at the end. I think maybe ‘’The Artist’’ back in 2011… which won Best Picture at the Oscars that year. That was a damn good movie, prolly the last one I saw in theaters. I knew WICKED was going to be a big; it’s one of the longest-running shows on Broadway with almost daily record box office sales; its fan base is like Harry Potter-levels huge, so I guess it’s impact was long overdue. Better late than never.

here’s some quick thoughts (I literally have not stopped thinking about it and I saw it about a week ago… suffice to say, I’m obsessed):

The Costumes!!!

So at first I hated Glinda’s bubble dress. I thought it looked cheap compared to the Broadway costume (my dream dress btw) but overtime the design grew on me…

I have no issues with the dress being pink (after all, the non-replica Brazil production did a pink gown).

I still think the Broadway bubble dress is prettier (esp. the way it sparkles and glitters in the stage lighting and I love the blue color… Susan Hilferty was very original with her designs) but I do like the movie costume being a slight nod to the 1939 Wizard of Oz, plus it looks like a quinceañera dress.

I would’ve preferred the dress with puff sleeves, or off the shoulder cap sleeves for modesty, but one detail I really love that is not noticeable unless you’re watching on the big screen is that Glinda has butterfly gems on her shoulders (literally the first time I noticed it was in the movie theatre).

It’s such a nice detail because butterflies seem to be her theme, as a nod to the butterfly choker necklace Billie Burke wears as Glinda.

I actually do like Paul Tazewell as a costume designer. He also did the costumes for ‘’Death Becomes Her’’ on Broadway; his designs are very unusual and elaborate and I loved his visions for Oz.

That being said, I pretty much love Galinda’s whole wardrobe at Shiz (some people complained that they ‘’Barbie-fied Galinda’’ because her style lacks variety esp. when she wears the same color scheme throughout the whole movie) and tho it’s true I’d like to see her in different colors (we will in PART 2), I do think the pink was a nice symbolism. Her Ozdust ballroom dress is esp. unique. (I do like how the dress in the stage show was originally blue to hint at her becoming Glinda the Good Witch; basically she and Elphaba looked like mini versions of their future Witches counterparts… then they changed the dress to pink, so the symbolism was lost).

and it was nice the movie went back to that. So now it makes sense that the bubble dress is pink.

My only complaint is Elphaba’s costumes. Don’t get me wrong—they’re gorgeous—but I’m not sure the designs really reflect her character arc. Costumes aren’t just meant to be pretty… they are literally telling a story, and illustrating the growth of a character. Sometimes characters have to be dressed in something more appropriate for the purpose of the setting and where they’re at in the narrative even if it isn’t the prettiest garment off the rack… it’s not just about looking their best, and I think Paul Tazwell missed this mark. He clearly wanted Elphaba to be a fashion queen—but that’s not her character.

In the musical, Elphaba appears semi-frumpy on purpose. She’s beautiful but insecure due to her skin color and so she covers up in a bulky blazer, she braids her long hair, and wears a cap over her head, as though she is attempting to draw the least bit of attention to herself.

No one recognizes her inner beauty because she lacks the self-confidence to be herself. In the movie, she first appears to us in a beautiful black corset dress with puff sleeves and buttons (Cynthia is absolutely stunning and kills this look) but I’m not sure if Elphaba should look so drop-dead gorgeous when we first meet her (plus she’s fixing her hair in the first shot and it seems so OOC for her… I know Cynthia’s version is softer and more vulnerable than the Broadway version, who’s a bit bold and sarcastic and self-defensive… but Elphie fixing her braid? Not that it’s vain but her hair is the least of her worries in the stage show). And the dress… like I said… much too pretty. I do love her glasses tho.. and I do like the Gothic fashion... it reminds me of A Series of Unfortunate Events... the first dress is just too pretty for a character introduction. I'd like to see her wear this later in the film...

Maybe it wasn’t the intent… the dress is old-fashioned and could be ‘’spinsterish’’ to some, but she looks far from frumpy. Elphaba is already naturally beautiful, but in the stage version she doesn’t undergo an outward physical transformation until after the Ozdust ballroom scene. In the movie, she’s dressed fashionably all the time… and looks beautiful outside and inside. her Shiz uniforms are not Galinda, oh, sure, but she looks incredible in these form-fitting pinstripe suits with these flamboyant shoulder pads, and I feel it doesn’t match Elphaba’s story at all… she’s supposed to be hiding at the beginning of the story (I don’t think you’d catch Broadway Elphaba dead in pinstripes and shoulder pads). Galinda in the show helps bring her out of her shell. But even her Ozdust dress in the movie is a knock out… with the black lace and everything. In the musical, she just wears her plain uniform frock to the dance because she has nothing else.

The movie doesn’t have to copy the stage show exactly, but yeah… I wanted to see Elphaba go through a transformation in her fashions. I wanted to see her start dressing prettier towards the end of the movie, after ‘’Popular’’… like, see, her inner beauty was always there, and it makes her beautiful on the outside too! but she was already dressing pretty and fashionable before that, so it lessens the impact it’s supposed to have as the other students slowly begin to accept her. and after ‘’Popular’’, Elphaba is seen wearing this outfit she wears earlier in the film. Only difference being her hair is not braided, so she really doesn’t look ‘’Galinda-fied’’ to me as the line suggests (she was already ''Galinda-fied'').

In the musical it’s more apparent when she goes to looking like this (something she’s never worn before and doesn’t fit her typical style):

Again, it’s just a minor gripe I had. They probably wanted Elphie’s ‘’make over’’ to be more subtle which is fine… like Elphaba is ALWAYS beautiful… but still.

Nessarose’s Ozdust dress was actually one of my faves in the whole movie. She truly looked like the Belle of the Ball. I love that she’s wearing a poppy necklace…

And those big doe eye of hers... I'M DEAD

If Galinda is butterflies, Nessa’s whole theme seems to be poppies. AND THESE SHOES ARE FIRE I want them and I want the dress. There I said it.

Also her dance with Boq is my favorite scene in the whole movie. It was always my favorite part in ''Dancing Through Life'' and it's so wholesome... knowing how tragic this ends for them both (the rehearsal footage was admittedly better but they both ate and left no crumbs)... give the choreographer all the awards.

As for the other characters, I like the Shiz uniforms and that they maintained the variety and individualisms from the stage show. I kind of wish Fiyero was dressed in something that stood out more. He doesn’t wear his Shiz uniform until after ‘’Popular’’ in the stage version. We first meet him in a riding outfit (he kind of wears a riding outfit when he runs into Elphaba in the movie… but not a bold red one… and red seems to be Fiyero’s color… it fits him better than blue but that's just my opinion).

If it was my choice, I would’ve dressed all the main characters in different outfits and/or colors that stand out from the rest. In the stage version, Galinda and Elphie are technically still dressed in uniforms, but they wear a solid color—Galinda in all cream/ white and Elphie in all navy blue—so they stand out.

I like that they kept this in the movie (only Galinda being in pastel pink tones and Elphie in all black).

Fiyero, Boq, and Nessa should’ve been color coded too. Yes, Boq and Nessa in the stage show wear similar uniforms to everyone else, but they have little details that make them stand out (for instance, Nessa has this headband, and Boq has this little red hat that later productions added… it didn’t exist in the original production, but the costumes kind of evolved over time). I still like Boq’s uniform in the movie (esp. the shoes). I do kind of miss his white boots from the stage show, tho (RIP Boq’s cute white boots).

Unfortunately in the movie they had so many people dressed like Boq that he disappeared into the background, but maybe that was for a reason? Boq is a wallflower; we're not supposed to notice him. I get it. He still should've had something to signify him... a hat, maybe. These sweater vests are sick tho... where can I get one?

The Cast!!!

Ariana and Cynthia of course nailed it. I was skeptical of the casting when it was first announced but they proved me wrong and they were the perfect choices. No one could have played Galinda and Elphaba better. I usually don’t like pop stars in musical movies… I prefer classically trained theatre actors, but since Ari does have a musical theatre background, she ended up surprising me more than anyone else in the cast (esp. where it concerns her operatic notes. I say that because tho I’m familiar with her on 13! the musical, she was terribly miscast as Penny in Hairspray Live! She did not disappear into the role… she was basically playing herself) and I was deathly afraid she would popify the hell out of Galinda. Well, she understood the assignment, she really became Galinda. So props to her.

Not gonna lie. The whole cast was phenomenal but Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage) was my favorite part in the whole movie. I love the scene where Elphaba takes him by the hoof. She was so compassionate and you really feel her heartbreak when he's arrested. Yeah the CGI goat was the best actor I just loved him.

😭😭😭

Fiyero is the Arjiki prince (who was a very minor character in the book and, in my humble opinion, is the least interesting character in the book and the musical), made that much worse when he's traditionally whitewashed… because he was a dark-skinned black man in the book… sure some black actors have played him on stage but I had a feeling they’d cast a white actor in the movie… part of me wished they casted a black actor... well, at least he gets a cool song. HOWEVER I really did love Jonathan Bailey’s portrayal. He wasn’t bland like some of the other actors who’ve played him, and though he’s prince charming good looking, he’s also incredibly funny. I was not expecting to laugh so much at his entrance. Yeah, I liked Fiyero more in the movie. He’s still not my favorite character but hopefully he gets a big meaty part in PART 2. Is it wrong I never shipped Fiyero/ Elphaba? I always thought their chemistry was so boring and forced. Wicked was always a love story between two women anyway. I totally ship Elphaba and Galinda (it’s canon in the book anyway). I loved the scene where Galinda and Elphaba run out of the ozdust ballroom together hand-in-hand and literally leave Fiyero biting the dust.

----

(SPOILER ALERT: That’s how the story should have ended. Who needs a man right? Let the witches be lesbians… a house falls on Nessa, so Boq could end up with Fiyero (since the women they love are in love with each other) let Fiyero be bisexual (Jonathan’s Fiyero already radiates bisexual energy because all the women AND men were falling in love with him). Let him be bi and hit on Boq (Tincrow fans come get your food… you can’t convince me they’re straight). Elphie and Glinda get their happy ending. Problem solved. Everyone’s happy.)

--

Nessa was awesome. She’s a character everyone loves to hate, but yeah, I wish she was in the movie more. Marissa Bode ATE

---

(SPOILER ALERT: In Part 2, she will becomes more Wicked when she assumes the position of the tyrannical Eminence of Munchkinland. Owing to her brutal religious persecution, we'll do well to remember her as the infamous ''Wicked Witch of the East.'' I love me a badass female villain).

---

Speaking of badass female villains, Michelle Yeoh absolutely COOKED as Madame Morrible, and her costumes were more beautiful on the big screen. Part of me wanted Kristin Chenoweth to play Madame Morrible… she slayed as Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray Live! Her rendition of ‘’(The Legend Of) Miss Baltimore Crabs’’ was seriously gas. She plays a very convincing villain, but then they’d have to write her a villain song (not that I’m complaining). Michelle may not be a singer, but she was so quietly sinister as Madame Morrible… I loved her.

I personally wanted more Bowen Yang in the supporting cast (specifically flirting with Fiyero).

Despite the haters (and say what you will), but Ethan Slater was perfectly cast as Boq Woodsman aka the Munchkin Boy. Despite unpopular opinion, I wish he was in the movie more. When I read the book, he looks almost exactly like how I pictured him (mop of curly hair, freckles…). Boq was blonde in the book if I remember correctly, and he wore glasses… so my vision of him was a blonde Daniel Radcliffe… but honestly, the red hair works so well (even better than blonde). And I love that they ended up basing the Munchkins’ look off of Ethan. They all had red curly hair. That was a cool detail.

Boq the Munchkin Boy was actually a major character in the book but the musical shifts Boq's prominence to Fiyero for some reason and this always bothered me. Yeah, Fiyero unapologetically steals Boq's thunder (and I will never forgive the musical for that unnecessary change...) and apparently the movie was going to flesh him out more and make him friends with Elphaba like in the book… they were really close friends and Boq actually played a bigger role than Galinda... in fact, Galinda was very minor in the book compared to her role in the musical.

You wish your squad was this dope.

It seemed like they were going to add more things from the book. Unfortunately, a lot of his scenes got axed (I would watch a full five hours with all the deleted scenes). But Ethan Slater was still good with what he had to work with. Okay, maybe they had to delete his scenes with Elphaba. But I personally wanted more scenes with him and Fiyero… it seems like something was going on between them in ‘’Dancing Through Life’’ (not in that way; Ethan explained in interviews his Boq looked up to Fiyero and tried to emulate him and that makes sense) like a parallel storyline to Elphie and Galinda’s budding friendship. Boq seemed to come out of his shell more around Fiyero, kind of like Elphie gaining confidence around Galinda. I would’ve have minded a scene with Fiyero rooming with Boq and seeing the boys get ready for the dance.

In fact, we just needed more scenes with the Charmed Circle hanging out together in general. They teased us with these scenes for months leading up to the film’s release… only to delete them!!! WE WERE ROBBED

A two-part movie and they still had to sacrifice so much for time constraints.

That was my only other gripe with the film. The lack of development in the friendships of the characters…

This is why the movie really needed to be a TV series spanning multiple seasons, and they could have added so much from the books. Everyone would watch the living crap out of it, and we could have had more character development and world building. Someday I’d love to see an animated tv series based on the books (minus the smex). With all the lovely fanart coming out of this fanbase, think of the cool possibilities for character designs. Yeah a tv series based on the books are in order. (Probably couldn’t get the movie cast but I think Ethan Slater should reprise his role as Boq because he just sounded so much like how I pictured him from the book… he probably fits my vision the most out of everyone who was casted.)

A funny thing happened after the movie… my friend said, ''Why is Boq taller than Glinda?'' And I was like, ''out of the whole 2 1/2 hour movie THAT'S what you got out of it???'' (Anyway most of the actors who played Boq on stage were taller than Glinda by a head or two. He's a ''tall munchkin'' and they should've kept this line in the movie so people wouldn't be confusified.)

Anyway, yeah, despite the minor things, the movie is a solid 11/ 10 stars for me.

They had ONE job. And they nailed it.

[lynpheasmagix]

The Winx and the Wicked Movie

Bloom, being Bloom, is definitely a theatre kid and when it was announced, she was cautiously excited. She's seen the show a bunch of times on tour, on Broadway, surfing the high seas of the internet if you know what I mean. This was meant for her.

Leading up to it, Bloom led an Oz Deep Dive powerpoint night where she autistically breaks down the Ozian timeline. She gently forces her friends to watch the 1939 movie, and listen to the OBC album. At 3 am, her belting Defying Gravity can be heard throughout the dorm.

When the release date came closer and closer, she was immediately planning a group trip to Gardenia to see the movie at her local movie theatre. She, the Winx, and the Specialists end up seeing it opening night.

The people who cried multiple times include: Bloom, Stella, Flora, Brandon, Sky, and Riven. Riven cried at I'm Not That Girl, yes it was hilarious, and of course he denies it if he's asked about it. Tecna teared up during the Ozdust ballroom scene.

After the movie, everyone was hooked. Those who wanted to know what happens in act 2 watched a bootleg of the show. Needless to say, those who watched said bootleg were absolutely shooketh.

Tecna and Timmy took one for the team and read the original book and, while they weren't exactly traumatized, they were just like "what in the absolute fuck was that? Bloom, have you read this? What is wrong with you?"

Bloom has read the original Wicked book when she was 10. That explains a lot.

Stella absolutely loves the costumes in both the movie and the musical. Shortly after, she went down a rabbit hole of Wicked costumes and how they enhance the character arcs. The Ozian costumes of Paul Tazewell (Movie costume designer) and Susan Hilferty (Musical costume designer) gave her ideas.

Tecna and Musa created remixes based on the songs.

Stella made Fiyero's Tight White Pants for Brandon

Aisha loved the additions to the choreography. She thought the revolving bookcases in Dancing Through Life were a genius idea and lowkey gets ideas for library parkour

Bloom showed the group the Bubble Doug video and they quote it constantly

[finding-w0nd3rland]

Concept art to finished costume comparison of the Courtier costume for the original run found on the Wonderland on Broadway site

(Art made by Susan Hilferty)

[flurryheaven]

2023 Tony Awards Nominations - Best Costume Design of a Musical

Some Like it Hot - Gregg Barnes Parade - Susan Hilferty Lerner & Loewe's Camelot - Jennifer Moeller KPOP - Clint Ramos and Sophia Choi & Juliet - Paloma Young New York, New York - Donna Zakowska

Updated: Congratulations to Gregg Barnes.

[patina-millers-biceps]

I do not need the special Wicked themed dresses from Hill House Home I do not need the special Wicked themed dresses designed with Susan Hilferty I do not need THEM

[princesssarisa]

What are the clothing styles of Elphaba and Glinda?

Even though I've only seen this musical once onstage so far, I've been looking through production photos and articles on the costuming just so I can answer this question well.

Elphaba clearly favors plain, conservative, dark-colored clothes at every stage in her life. But as she goes through her journey of becoming "wicked," her aesthetic changes from "drab, nerdy schoolgirl" into "sleek, sophisticated lady."

When she first appears in college, she wears a simple dark blue turtleneck sweater, calf-length skirt, blazer jacket, and knitted cap, with tall brown boots. The school colors of Shiz University are dark blue and white, so make Elphaba and Glinda stand out and highlight the contrast between them, Glinda wears all white, while Elphaba wears all blue. When she attends her first party at the Ozdust Ballroom, she wears a stark, sleeveless dark blue party dress, and the pointy black hat Glinda gave her which becomes her signature hat from then on. Back at school, after her makeover by Glinda, she replaces her heavy blue blazer with a form-fitting white jacket. When she first visits the Emerald City, she wears a high-necked, ankle-length, button-down black dress in an Edwardian design, very similar to the dress worn by Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West. In "Defying Gravity," Glinda puts a black cloak around her to warm her, which completes the classic "Witch of the West" look. Throughout Act II, however, when she fully becomes the Witch of the West, she wears her most iconic dress. Black, floor-length, high-necked, long-sleeved, and still in a conservative Edwardian style, but much more glamorous than any of her earlier costumes, with a subtle yet wide assortment of patterns, textures, and colors woven into it (chiefly purple, red, and teal). The costume designer Susan Hilferty wrote that she meant for this dress to evoke the earth – raw, jagged, rocky earth, but with gemstones shining through it. At the very end, though, she wears a simple, low-cut, floor-length black dress when she leaves Oz with Fiyero after faking her death.

Glinda's costumes are just the opposite of Elphaba's – light, frilly, flouncy, and bubbly. Although one similarity (possibly symbolic?) is that in Act II, she favors the color blue like Elphaba did in Act I, just in a much lighter shade. Her aesthetic also changes from girlish and cute in Act I to more glamorous and womanly in Act II.

Her schoolgirl outfit is a short-sleeved white blouse and vest, a lacy knee-length white skirt, and white buckled high heels (she loves high heels), with a white travel jacket and white tam o'shanter hat at the beginning. To the Ozdust Ballroom party and in "Popular," she wears a frilly, sleeveless, knee-length pink dress and pink heels. In her first trip to the Emerald City, she wears a similar sleeveless, knee-length dress, but in yellow. Then in Act II, her costumes upgrade to reflect her new, high-status public role. Her "Thank Goodness" costume is an elegant yet conservative (although still slightly quirky and Oz-like) suit dress of ice blue and mint green silk, with a tiny white hat, inspired by the 1940s fashions worn by Eva Peron to evoke Glinda's similarity to Eva as a political figurehead. To her engagement ball, she wears a sleeveless, sequined, pale green ballgown with a full, 17th century-inspired skirt that looks like flower petals, and a silver tiara with a flower design. Finally, she wears her iconic, elaborate "bubble dress": a short-sleeved, bare-shouldered, large-skirted ice blue gown like that of a classic fairy princess, all covered in tiny crystal sequins, with another petal-like design for the skirt, and with a silver tiara shaped like glittering stars on her head.

The differences in Elphaba and Glinda's costumes is mirrored by the design of their college dorm room too, with Elphaba's plain patched-quilt bed and shelves of books vs. Glinda's frilly purple bed and shelves of designer shoes. By the way, that dorm room set reminds me of the difference between Margaret Hamilton's dressing room and Billie Burke's on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Allegedly, the studio treated them almost as if they really were the Witch of the West and Glinda; Billie Burke had a beautiful pink and blue dressing room, while Margaret Hamilton was just given a plain, ugly canvas tent.

[festivating]

These are such cool additions! I REALLY love the contrast in their school uniforms, especially since later on Elphaba wears one of Glinda's white jackets after they become friends :)

The bit about One Short Day is so interesting because those roles change in act 2. The bubble dress is very puffy and airy and cloud-like and Glinda is the one giving the vibe she's from the sky, but Elphaba's act 2 dress looks like parts of the earth put together, she's the one that's grounded. They are once again opposites, but Glinda wears blue (one of Elphaba's colors) and Elphaba wears the hat and cape Glinda gave her, so this time even as opposites they are present in each other's costumes.

Here is the amazing Susan Hilferty talking about it, very cool insight into her thought process for designing the costumes!

i do mourn glinda's wardrobe more than anything else the movies could possibly change. every one of her costumes in the musical is so deliberate and there's so much visual storytelling done with them. her skirts get progressively longer as the show goes on because she's growing up. she goes from warm colors to cool colors because she shifts from naive and sunny to melancholic and serious. her accessories go from little purses to actual jewelry and her wand and tiara as her "public persona" solidifies. green and blue are incorporated to signify her relationship with elphaba. you can trace her whole character arc with just the way she dresses.

in the movie she just wears pink. all the time. the same shade of it. a bit of lavender if we're lucky :/

[ashleyslorens]

WICKED Costume Design from Stage to Screen ↳ part 2 / part 1

— by Susan Hilferty — by Paul Tazewell

[mwalt3034]

FAS3003 - BLOG

For the final project of my fashion and textiles foundation year we have been tasked with creating either a sketchbook or 1xA3 folder containing research, samples, development ideas with a final range of ideas or large scale outcome. We have been asked to choose any topic of which we have a passionate personal interest. 

I started by brainstorming potential topics that I am interested in, including film, fairy tales, nature, flowers and theatre. I then narrowed it down to film and theatre costume with an interpretive period theme and mind mapped some of my favourite pieces to get an idea of the type of samples and outcome I would like to create. Some of these included the costumes from films such as ‘Mirror Mirror’ (2012) by designer Eiko Ishioka, ‘Cinderella’ (2015) by designer Sandy Powell, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (2010) by designer Colleen Atwood and ‘Emma’ (2020) by designer Alexandra Byrne. I also gathered some images from theatre productions and movie musicals such as ‘Moulin Rouge’ (2001) by designers Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie, ‘Wicked’ theatre costumes by designer Susan Hilferty and ‘Six’ theatre costumes by designer Gabriella Slade. 

After some consideration I decided to focus on ‘Moulin Rouge’ due to my strong interest in set and costume in both film and theatre. I particularly like the use of materials, fabrics, embroidery, patterns and colour palette that are a strong element of all Moulin Rouge productions as well as the real Parisian location itself. I would also like to look into the history of the Moulin Rouge to gain a better understanding of how it has changed over time, and how it has become what it is today.