Gravity was certainly not the only thing defied in the recent hit “Wicked” movie starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda. Costume designer, Paul Tazewell, pushed fashion limits to make creations that are whimsical, extravagant, and perfectly represent the clashing personalities of the two main characters.
Tazewell is no stranger to designing for theater and movies. His previous projects consist of “Hamilton,” which he received a Tony, and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” With “Wicked,” Tazewell took his designs to a whole new level. He was tasked with designing over 1000 costumes for “Wicked” parts one and two combined. He took inspiration from previous films and novels in the “Wicked” universe to objects that can be found in nature. This included mushroom caps and bisected seashells. He also made sure to add his own personal touch.
This is evident in both Elphaba and Galinda’s costumes. For Elphaba, Tazewell told Teen Vogue, “I decided to use black as her defining color, some of which it is from the original ‘Wizard of Oz’ film, but then some of it makes sense for what her personality is and who she is within her story.” The jet-black color of her signature dress and witch hat brilliantly highlights her mysterious yet intriguing persona. He also incorporated Erivo and Grande’s own personal preferences when making the outfits. Erivo shared to Vogue, “I said to [Paul], ‘I would love for the heel of my boot to get higher as we move on in her story.’”
Source: Forbes
As for Galinda, her look represents a certain effervescence and friendliness. Tazewell was excited by the thought of creating the iconic bubble dress. He explained,“Our top layer was silk organza, but then when you open it up, it’s almost like a Charles James evening gown where there’s structurally a hoop skirt underneath.” Charles James was one of the most influential couture designers of the 1940s-50s, and his influence is evident in Galinda’s gown. The gown was made possible by the hard work of a 70 person team, equipped with “wide ranges of skill sets working in eight workshops at any given time.”
Source: Teen Vogue
Following the release of “Wicked,” Tazewell not only hopes that audiences enjoy the fun, dramatic costumes, but he also wants to encourage and inspire young people interested in costume design. To close off his Teen Vogue interview he shared, “Hold your passion. If you are a person who is passionate about clothing, performance, theater or film or television, and you find that you have abilities that are adjacent to that, there’s a great gift to be able to give and support performances and productions.”
Source: Elle
