#so much so that I have a homemade version! On a more superficial level that’s one of the niches Archie fills <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

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save me mages with long hair and self-esteem issues.. save me

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How the Costumes and Makeup of 'Promising Young Woman' Shape Perception

Mild spoilers for Promising Young Woman below.

If the pen is mightier than the sword, then in Promising Young Woman, the ink’s been replaced by lipstick. As Cassie (Carey Mulligan) channels her anger, grief, and guilt over the death of her best friend into a one-woman mission to punish men (and women) complicit in rape culture, the gulf between appearance and motivation is vast. In contrast to a spy who dresses to blend in, Cassie’s undercover attire is a flashing beacon that lures in her prey, and her ability to shapeshift through the local nightlife scene is made possible by the clothes, makeup, and hairstyles she adopts to appeal to her targets. Each undone button and crinkle is part of the overall ruse, and Cassie’s revolving closet is as purposeful as her imperfectly applied eyeliner.

Courtesy

Costume and makeup are essential to every production, but writer-director Emerald Fennell’s debut feature puts a premium on surface-level perceptions that a so-called “hot mess” projects. From the first pulpy poster image—which featured an illustrated Mulligan lying in an oversized mouth, lip color dripping like blood—the emphasis is placed on the trappings of femininity. Cassie is counting on superficial snap judgments as she walks a very dangerous path with little protection beyond a strapless bodycon dress and high heels.

ELLE.com spoke to costume designer Nancy Steiner (The Virgin Suicides, Twin Peaks: The Return) and makeup department head Angie Wells (Sylvie’s Love, Mudbound) about creating distinctive looks to support Fennell’s vision. “The makeup itself [and] these disguises were their own character,” Wells says. “[Cassie’s] using it in a way that’s very controlled.”

Business Casual

Brian Valenzuela/Courtesy

“She is dressed as a business chick,” Steiner explains of the movie’s opening scene, which sees Cassie slumped in a red booth, feigning intoxication to attract the attention of businessmen gathered for post-work drinks. Fennell specified each location for Cassie’s hunt in the script, which provided Steiner with a wealth of costume inspiration. It’s notable that we only see Cassie wear each “disguise” once: Steiner estimates Mulligan had approximately 35 changes in total.

On the makeup side, smudges and a clammy complexion all point to Cassie’s “inebriated” state. “I love doing imperfect things like that,” says Wells. Using techniques we try to avoid IRL, the makeup artist made Mulligan apply the mascara herself. “While it was wet, I said, ‘please close your eyes really tightly,’ which makes a mess.” Wells used a damp brush to smear the mascara around her eyes. To get the flushed, blotchy skin effect, she changed her brush technique: “I stippled the blush on in a spotty way, so it’s not this smooth-skin look.”

Daytime Cassie

Brian Valenzuela/Courtesy

When not hunting her prey, Cassie masks her pain in saccharine pastels. Steiner’s own resume is filled with girlish references that suggest a happy facade while concealing the film’s major themes; in an interview with Little White Lies, Fennell referenced Steiner’s “beguiling” work in The Virgin Suicides and the daytime aesthetic she envisioned for her own heroine: “Cassie’s clothes are very tactile: soft; pink; inviting.” For Steiner, “It was a lot about the color palette of that pastel. A little bit of contemporary shopping, costume house, a little thrift, and then put it together.” Even though the story is contemporary, Steiner mixed and matched influences from the 1960s onward for Cassie’s daytime wardrobe. Her collection of cheery gingham, floral, and delicate prints are a disguise. “It’s her, ‘I’m happy, don’t look at me’ [look],” Steiner says. “It’s a barrier as well.”

And her makeup is much more subtle. “I wanted there to be a real difference between Cassie in her regular, everyday life and who she became when she would go out and do these disguises,” Wells says. With a “very natural, very clean” face, the artist didn’t want viewers to notice the makeup. This blank canvas offered plenty of room for experimentation with the bold nighttime looks.

“Homemade Kardashian”

Brian Valenzuela/Courtesy

“I call it the ‘Douchey Eurotrash’ look, and that is the strapless dress and high heels where she transforms into somebody really different,” Steiner says of this particular nightclub attire. The “Homemade Kardashian” nickname came about as Wells read the script: she immediately thought of the famous family’s signature contouring. “I didn’t want it to look like a professional makeup artist had done it,” she says. “I wanted it to look like she had done it herself, so I didn’t blend the contour perfectly.”

The Smeared Lipstick

Cassie’s application of her cosmetic war paint follows a relatable endeavor: turning to the internet for techniques. Watching a “blowjob lips” tutorial—Fennell cameos as the beauty vlogger—Cassie nails the bold look before dramatically smearing the dark shade across her face. This was a “collaboration between props and makeup,” Wells explains, recalling that Mulligan’s purposeful makeup misapplication took two or three takes. The film was shot in just 23 days, and time constraints meant there was a limited window for resetting the scene.

In the following scene, Fennell depicts the encounter with “nice guy” Neil (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) at his apartment rather than the trendy bar where he met Cassie. This particular costume is not in focus—Steiner points out that “you don’t really see much of what she’s wearing there”—and the makeup choice is darker than the opening scene, a reflection of Cassie’s state of mind. “She’s starting to spiral down a little bit: she’s getting sadder, she’s getting heavier, it’s getting deeper,” Wells says. “The look was getting a little bit dark.” The deeper red isn’t the only cosmetic choice for this underlying despair. “I even turned her eyeliner down to kind of pull her eyes down,” Wells says.

The Candy-Colored Mani

Regardless of time of day or activity, Cassie is always wearing the same eye-catching manicure. This was a direct request from the director. “Emerald was very specific with the nail look she wanted,” recalls Wells. “And she wanted that to carry throughout.” Changing nail art can be a logistical nightmare, Wells says, so she was grateful the look remained the same throughout the film. “We were able to do them with gels, and they could stay on for a couple of weeks, and then Carey would go and get them redone.”

This striking nail polish choice is the unifying factor between the makeup and costume color palettes, complementing both Cassie’s daytime barista attire and all her disheveled drunk personas. Early in the process, Wells sent Fennell inspiration images, then connected with Steiner, looking at the color and shapes of each costume to coordinate the individual makeup looks. Wells also brought hair department head Daniel Curet onto the film. “It was a group effort to create [Cassie’s entire] look,” Wells says.

Drugstore Dance

Brian Valenzuela/Courtesy

Frequently switching sartorial personas means Cassie’s authentic style is hard to pin down, but Steiner explains one costume captures her essence more than any other: the “cute vintage pieces” which feature in the Paris Hilton “Stars Are Blind” sing-along. As Cassie dances down the aisles with Ryan (Bo Burnham), Promising Young Woman briefly turns into a rom-com. “That little number in the pharmacy is more her,” Steiner explains. “It’s not pastel, it’s a brighter color. I really love the little cardigan. It’s not saying anything necessarily, but it’s different from everything else.”

The thrifted knitwear also ties to Steiner’s earlier work designing for music videos during the glory days of MTV, including Nirvana’s “Come as You Are,” which features Kurt Cobain in an iconic green cardigan. But Steiner is quick to note she didn’t invent that look: “Everybody was wearing thrift store cardigans,” and Cobain “had a lot of cardigans.” While Cassie’s moment of levity in the drugstore does have a pop video sensibility, Steiner says, “I can’t say anything specifically informed me from video days” when conceiving this scene. “I think my aesthetic from my life has informed my choices.”

A Nurse’s Disguise

Brian Valenzuela/Courtesy

Cassie’s most extreme costume is, without a doubt, the stylized nursing attire that ties together her medical student past and present vengeance vocation. “We knew we wanted a hot, sexy nurse costume and I did a little research online,” says Steiner. Production needed multiple versions of the garment, so Steiner custom-built it to her exacting specifications, from the sleeve and skirt lengths to the zippered front

For Wells, rather than match the crimson hard-to-walk-in stilettos (Mulligan’s socked feet were protected with moleskin fabric for navigating the long driveway), she used the pastel wig and candy nails as inspiration. “Red is always the color if you think of femme fatale,” she says of Cassie’s edgy, sexy lipstick. “I wanted pink because red is so expected.” The makeup artist opted for an intense pink using MAC’s “Royally Flushed” pencil shade that has since been discontinued, but MAC told her a near-substitute is the lip pencil Beet. “[I] totally filled her lips in with the pencil, and then we put a little bit of lipstick [MAC’s All Fired Up] on top of it to solidify the look.”

“Once I looked at the outfit, and I realized what she was going to be doing in that scene, I thought of a blow-up doll,” Wells recalls. Dialing into the big eyes and full mouth concept, Wells exaggerated the size of Mulligan’s eyes using several techniques. “I purposely went below Carey’s natural eye-line to make her eyes look huge, then I filled in on the waterline with a flesh-colored pencil, which makes the whites of your eye appear larger,” she says. “We put lashes beneath the waterline so everything was designed with this big eye, strong lip look—because eyes and lips are the places where people look.” Cassie is nearly unrecognizable. Wells captured the transformation via makeup on a timelapse video: “As it starts out, she has such a sweet face. At the end of the video, it’s like, ‘Wow! It’s a whole different person.’”

Emma Fraser Emma Fraser is a freelance culture writer with a focus on TV, movies, and costume design.

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How the Costumes and Makeup of 'Promising Young Woman' Shape Perception

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Welcome to Everybody Hurts, CC, you’ve been accepted as our Marley Rose. Check the New Member’s checklist and send your account within the next 24 hours. We can’t wait for you to join us!

↳ OOC INFO:

Name/Alias: CC.

Age: 30.

Pronouns: She/Her.

Timezone: CST.

Activity Level: 7/10 because I do work part-time; I’m usually on daily though for the most part. I’m particularly active at night and on weekends.

Anything Else? Removed

↳ IC INFO:

Character: Marley Rose.

Age: Sixteen.

Occupation: Sophomore Student.

Sexuality: Heterosexual.

Relationship Status: Single.

Ship: Ryley, Marley/Chemistry.

Anti-Ships: Marley/No Chemistry, Marley/Females.

Positive Traits: good-natured, compassionate, benevolent.

Negative Traits: insecure, escapist, demure.

↳ IC QUESTIONNAIRE:

What’s one thing that brings you joy?

Singing. Absolutely singing. Oh, and writing music too! Pretty much anything that has to do with music is likely to make me smile. Even when it’s emotionally draining, I’m happy to work through those feelings with music. I feel like it can soothe anything. Pouring your heart out that way is… therapeutic. And being able to share it with others, sometimes in a way that not simply spoken words can say is just… magical.

If your life was a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?

Why Not? by Hilary Duff. It’s a cheesy song, but one of those that encourages you to do something out of the norm, or something you’re afraid of, because in the end, why shouldn’t you? It doesn’t hurt to try. I’m all about positive messages, and I could see that in a Marley-don’t-give-up-on-your-dreams montage.

The Tide is High - the Atomic Kitten version, and Blue October’s Into the Ocean are songs I can imagine popping up when I’m trying my hand at writing or performing, and being rejected. One is sorrowful, while the other is kick ass and sort of an anthem that I’m not going to give up so easily. They’re both repeats on my iPod, too, so it would only seem fitting they’d be in my movie soundtrack. I also can’t forget Queen Taylor Swift; Shake it Off is practically words I live by.

On the Radio, by Donna Summer, when I finally write or perform my first single and it hits the airwaves. It’s upbeat, fun, and literally defines a special celebration like that.

Interspersed throughout the movie would be snippets of Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s American Girl. I don’t know if there’s a better song for the most part, that describes the epitome of Marley Rose, and how could an inspiring film about my ups and downs be complete without some Tom Petty? (Rest in Peace, you musical genius.)

If you could switch bodies with one person for a day, who would it be?

Julie Andrews is my ultimate hero, but I’d have to say Taylor Swift. It might seem cliche or expected, but hearing the crowd roar my name– witnessing my music being loved by millions. Being an idol. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like, and yet, I wish I knew. Instead of being wallflower Marley in the background with clothes from Goodwill, I’d love to know what it’s like to be on top of the world, and glamorous. In designer everything. And adored. Even if only for one day. Plus, she has lots of cats, and I looove cats!

↳ BIOGRAPHY

From a young age, Marley Rose had always been a bleeding heart. Raised by solely her mother, Millie, Marley has remained as gentle as she has strong. Despite her initial bashfulness around people, she has no problem opening up to  someone that she’s comfortable with. Marley has always sought the advice of her mom - her best friend - and her goal to aim for a better life has never swayed. She’s never had designer clothes like all of the other girls in school, or a father to tag along with for “take your daughter to work day,” but she had enough. She was happy, mostly. Although there were times that Marley wished her mom didn’t struggle and that they weren’t living paycheck to paycheck, she never felt angry about it. They were healthy (for the most part) and had a roof over their heads, and it sufficed.

Middle school and her former high school weren’t exactly the nicest to Marley. Always friendly in every capacity, she still remained mostly on her own. There were a few friends who didn’t care about her home life, or the fact that most of her clothes were homemade, or purchased from Goodwill, and that was the small squad of people she surrounded herself with. Others, however, made fun of the way she dressed. Having her mother work in the school cafeteria didn’t help her situation. She was picked on, more often than not by the meanest girls in school, no matter how hard she tried to make peace with her peers. Millie tried her best to protect Marley; she would sew designer labels in her clothes even, to ward off superficial students in her school, but they knew better.

Marley’s escape from the daily struggles was music. She had been told many times that she had a lovely voice, and embraced that talent on a few occasions. Even if most of the school considered her the wilting wallflower that showed up in raggedy threads and a plastered smile, they appreciated her on stage. The clapping and cheers of the crowd the first time she had the guts to perform blew her away. There was an energy there, and confidence, that when off stage she lacked. Marley didn’t want to lose that feeling, so she further threw herself into her passion. Soon she didn’t focus just on singing, but writing music. It was an escape– a way to express raw emotions that had been bottled up for way too long. How she sometimes loathed those that bullied her, and even her father, whom she didn’t even have a name for. Millie refused to divulge that information and Marley didn’t blame her. He’d left them, so why should they be seeking him out?

To add on to the quirky list of the way her fellow students saw her– Marley from then on was always known to carry her special notebook. The front was decorated with glitter, quotes, and stickers… but inside were her lyrics. She never showed it to a soul, not even her mom. Maybe she would, someday. Not until she felt they were perfect enough though, and she had a lot of work to do. Those poetic words eventually grew, taking over multiple notebooks, which she still keeps hidden away in a secret place. Her ultimate dream is to be discovered, and making waves on the airwaves. Be it for her singing, her songs, or a combination of both. Marley knows it’s a pipe dream, and perhaps a little unrealistic, but if there were ever a real-life version of Cinderella, she’d don herself the embodiment. Without the evil stepmother or sisters… or the fairy godmother.

After Marley’s freshman year, Millie received a higher paying job in Lima, Ohio. It was just a trek across the state, and although no salary that most would move for, they did. The idea of moving slightly terrified Marley, but she also looked forward to it. Things couldn’t get worse than her former school, she imagined. Maybe it might offer them both a fresh start. A better start. She hoped.

McKinley, so far, is similar to her old school. However, Marley has felt a little more comfortable in her own skin, courtesy of some new friendly faces, and welcoming glee club members. That does mean there isn’t cattiness abounding, but Marley is tougher than she looks, and has put up with a lot. She’s more determined than ever to make an imprint. In the past, never had she joined an extracurricular activity, but with some nudging and new drive to make this year better than all the rest, Marley has decided to audition for the glee club. If it doesn’t work out, then she won’t be able to wonder ‘what if?’ And should she make the cut, it might bring her one step closer to touching those unreachable stars.