The Most Fashionable Witches in Pop Culture: From ‘Wicked’s’ Sinuous Style to ‘The Craft’s’ Goth Aesthetic
Long since they were burned at the stake, witches have become ingrained in pop culture partially thanks to their portrayals in film and television. 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz,” taking after the children’s book by L. Frank Baum, introduced the concept of a “Good Witch” in the form of the bubbly, nurturing Glinda, while her cackling, green-skinned “Wicked Witch” counterpart became a blueprint for the typical witch archetype.
By the 1990s, movies and shows like “Bewitched,” “The Craft” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” successfully proved that not only can witches be good, they can be housewives, schoolgirls and even teen idols. Now, nearly a century after the premiere of “The Wizard of Oz,” “Wicked,” based on character’s from Baum’s universe, is enchanting audiences worldwide.
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What witches wear onscreen is also an ongoing fascination of the cultural zeitgest: the gowns of Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West are still popular Halloween costumes, while looks from “The Craft” and “Practical Magic” have become synonymous with iconic ’90s style.
Ahead, WWD looks back at the most fashionable witches from film and television with help from costume designers Deborah Everton, Dianne Kennedy and Paul Tazewell.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Costume designer Adrian Adolph Greenburg, mononymously known as Adrian, drew over 3,000 sketches for 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz.” The dresses worn by Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West are, today, still some of the most recognizable in pop culture history, with Glinda’s pink ballgown serving as the inspiration for Ariana Grande’s “bubble dress” in “Wicked” (2024).
Adrian decorated Glinda’s tulle puff-sleeve dress with starbursts of crystals, as well as bedazzled butterflies affixed to the waist and shoulder. The designer also crafted a matching crown and butterfly choker to go along with the ensemble. It’s thought that Billie Burke’s gown was repurposed from a costume used in the 1936 film “San Francisco,” but it isn’t known for certain.
In L. Frank Baum’s children’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Glinda is described as wearing a white dress. It’s possible that her dress was changed to pink in order to take advantage of Technicolor’s pioneering three-strip film, which was also the reason why Dorothy’s slippers were made red as opposed to being silver in the novel.
Meanwhile, the Wicked Witch’s all-black look features Renaissance-inspired slashed sleeves, a lace-up bodice and a small crossbody satchel, though these details are difficult to catch on screen. Similar to the ruby slippers, multiple copies of the Wicked Witch’s iconic pointed hat were made. Her wool chapeau is wrapped with tulle, which extends into a veil.
Initially, the Wicked Witch’s costume looked a lot different: before Margaret Hamilton’s casting, Gale Sondergaard was tapped to portray the villain. In early screen tests, she’s depicted in a sequined dress and hat with glamorous makeup, inspired by the Evil Queen from Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” It was later decided that the Wicked Witch character needed to appear uglier, thus her original look was scrapped.
As was customary at the time, many of the costumes from “The Wizard of Oz” weren’t preserved. Today, the location of both Glinda and the Wicked Witch’s dresses is unknown. Only accessories worn by Burke and Hamilton in the film remain, including the former’s silver shoes and prop wands. Many of these were originally sold off by MGM, the film’s production company, in the 1970s.
One of the hats worn by Hamilton was recently put on the block by Heritage Auctions for their Dec. 7 Hollywood/Entertainment Signature sale, where it has a starting bid of $100,000. An early iteration of Glinda’s star-topped scepter was auctioned off by Bonham’s 2019, fetching $400,000.
I Married A Witch (1942)
Screen siren Veronica Lake stars in 1942’s “I Married a Witch,” a romantic comedy based on the 1941 novel “The Passionate Witch.” Lake’s character, Jennifer, attempts to seduce a descendant of the family she cursed hundreds of years earlier. One of her most notable looks from the film was a sheer black dress with puff sleeves, a floral sweetheart bodice and a button-up neckline.
Costumes for “I Married a Witch” were designed by the legendary Edith Head, known for her work on old Hollywood classics like “Roman Holiday,” “All About Eve” and “Sabrina.”
Bell, Book and Candle (1958)
“Bell, Book and Candle” stars Kim Novak as a witch named Gillian Holroyd, who woos her neighbor, a publisher played by Jack Lemmon, with a love spell.
The film’s costume designer, Jean Louis, is best known for creating Marilyn Monroe’s sheer, sparkling “Happy Birthday” dress, worn by the starlet to serenade President John F. Kennedy in 1962, and later, Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala. Louis’ other film and television work included “A Star is Born” (1954), “From Here to Eternity” and the hit soap opera “Dallas.”
Throughout the film, Novak’s wardrobe mainly consists of red, black and leopard print, a possible nod to Gillian’s pet Siamese, Pyewacket, and witches’ association with cats in general. Novak also wore multiple cloaks and hoods, garments befitting of her role as a sorceress.
Bewitched (1964)
“Bewitched” follows Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, who vows — yet fails — to relinquish her magical powers when she becomes a housewife. The beloved sitcom ran for eight seasons from 1964 to 1972 and costarred Agnes Moorehead as Endora, Samantha’s mother, a powerful witch in her own right.
Costumers Vi Alford and Byron Munson styled Samantha in a wide variety of looks, including silhouettes emblematic of the retro housewife: shirtwaist dresses, lace-trimmed negligees and slim-fit trousers. Throughout the show, Samantha rewears many of her looks, giving her a more relatable appearance.
“A girl like Samantha can’t afford a new dress every time she goes out,” Montgomery said in a 1968 interview. The actress also frequently wore her own clothes to portray Samantha due to the series’ budget constraints.
As fashion trends progressed in the late 1960s, so too did Samantha’s wardrobe. In later seasons, Montgomery is frequently depicted in miniskirts, while her dresses are printed with vibrant paisley, floral and geometric patterns.
In the final season of “Bewitched,” Samantha carried multiple Louis Vuitton handbags, one of them being the Marais, a bucket-shaped silhouette. The ’70s marked a decade of growth for the house of Vuitton, which opened several new stores around the globe.
Endora’s clothing, including her memorable purple and green robe, was designed by Edith Head. Moorehead was typically dressed in brightly-colored skirt suits, patterned caftans and statement jewelry, setting her apart from the rest of the cast and emphasizing her status as a flamboyant outsider in suburban Westport, Connecticut, where the show is set.
The Craft (1996)
Costume designer Deborah Everton grounded “The Craft’s” main clique in the four elements: earth, air, fire and water, as if to reference witchcraft’s connection with nature.
“It’s far too easy to fall into the ‘They’re just teenage girls’ trap and dress them all in trendy, fashionable items,” Everton, whose other film work includes “Dick” and “Spy Kids,” told WWD. “I wanted each girl to reflect her own personality while being cohesive as a group. Sarah was earth, Bonnie was air, Nancy was fire and Rachel was water.”
“Sarah had a grounding effect on the group,” Everton explained. “I felt Bonnie was more intuitive and intellectual than the others…she often tries to become invisible, much like air. Fire is unstable, transformative and also relates to power and the ego, that pretty much sums up Nancy. Water relates to emotion and the subconscious, and more literally, Rochelle is on the swim team.”
While Everton may not have intended to embrace trends, she certainly helped pioneer them, melding elements of the goth aesthetic (read: spiked chokers, leather jackets and dark lipstick) with schoolgirl staples such as plaid skirts, button-ups and knee-high socks.
Everton was inspired by Los Angeles streetwear, specifically the subculture surrounding Melrose Avenue, then known for its selection of punk boutiques and vintage stores. Everton purchased many items from these local shops, obtaining others from a more mainstream source: the juniors department at Macy’s.
“At the time, Melrose wasn’t the upscale fashion Mecca it later became,” Everton added. “It was really sort of a grungy area filled with young people with lots of style and very little money.”
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996)
Costume designer Dianne Kennedy curated the wardrobes of ’90s teen shows like “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.”
“Doing witches is fabulous because you’re not contained by a time period,” Kennedy told WWD. “You can just do anything, so it’s really fun.”
“Sabrina,” based on the Archie Comics series, follows half-witch, half-mortal Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart), who lives with her 600-year-old aunts, witches Hilda and Zelda. The titular character got a television reboot in 2018 with Netflix’s “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” starring Kiernan Shipka.
Working on “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” Kennedy was responsible for 100 costumes each week, including guest stars such as Britney Spears, RuPaul and Raquel Welch, who played Sabrina’s other witchy aunt, Vesta.
“I had just come off ‘90210,’ so my head space for Melissa, it was all about street fashion and just making her cute and darling and beautiful,” Kennedy said. “With the aunts, because we knew that they were witches, I wanted their clothing to be a little unusual.”
Kennedy and her team constructed many costumes from scratch, but they also upcycled pieces from stores like BCBG. She even lent one of her own dresses to actress Caroline Rhea, who played Hilda.
“I’m the kind of designer that likes to use basics and then decorate around that,” Kennedy explained. “In shopping, I would buy a basic garment and then alter it to fit what I would have done in a custom design. Because in television, you don’t have the time or the budget to do everything custom.”
Accessorizing also came in handy when working with store-bought clothing.
“I would add other pieces to change the garment,” Kennedy said. “I definitely did not want them recognizable as off-the-rack items. Add boots, funky socks, things like that.”
For those seeking to recreate their own “Sabrina”-inspired looks, the costume designer recommends looking to ’90s trends like stretch mesh, chokers, camisoles layered underneath open-front blouses and finally, embroidered velvet, because “there’s nothing like velvet on witches,” according to Kennedy.
Practical Magic (1998)
The wardrobes of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in 1998’s “Practical Magic” have found a new following online thanks to Gen Z. On TikTok, users recreating looks from the film have racked up thousands of views and likes, while “90s witch” has become its own popular aesthetic on the app, also nodding to “The Craft” and “Sabrina.”
Judianna Makovsky, known for her work on “The Hunger Games” and the first “Harry Potter” film, designed the costumes in “Practical Magic.” She purposefully created distinct styles for Sally (Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Kidman) based on their opposing personalities: Sally seeks to blend in with her fellow townspeople, while the rebellious Gillian embraces her witchy genealogy.
For this reason, Sally is the only one of the Owens coven that wears jeans. Gillian’s looks take inspiration from Stevie Nicks and Marianne Faithfull, whose bohemian attire matches the character’s eccentric persona.
Makovksy used a mix of premade clothing — including pieces from Dosa and Dries Van Noten — as well as vintage fabrics that were used to create new costumes. Gillian’s green velvet minidress, still a favorite of many “Practical Magic” fans today, was based on a design by Monah Li. Makovksy deconstructed the original garment and remade it to better flatter Kidman’s figure.
American Horror Story: Coven (2013)
The third season of Ryan Murphy’s hit anthology “American Horror Story” follows a coven of witches in modern-day New Orleans. Costume designer Lou Eyrich, a longtime Murphy collaborator, put a playful, trendy spin on pilgrim-inspired attire — a reference to the Salem Witch Trials — for the witches in training at Miss Robichaux’s Academy, played by Taissa Farmiga, Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe and Jamie Brewer.
“It was fun with those big hats and the combining of the contemporary with the ’60s and ’70s,” Eyrich told The Washington Post in 2014. “We were going to Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters so it was accessible to nearly everybody and we had that for all shapes and sizes. Everybody was included in this chic look and I think that’s what struck a chord.”
Wide-brimmed chapeaus, Peter Pan collars, bow-tie blouses and shoes with buckles were recurring staples, though Eyrich also made sure to give each student their own look. Sidibe brought out her character Queenie’s tough side in studded sneakers, fedoras and leather outerwear while Roberts’ Madison Montgomery — a spoiled actress — favored sheer dresses, fur jackets and oversized eyewear.
Eyrich also dabbled in designer pieces, dressing Farmiga in the undeniably witchy designs of Commes des Gar?ons and Maison Margiela, while Jessica Lange wore items by Givenchy, Gucci, Lanvin and Prada to portray coven leader Fiona Goode.
Ancillary witches such as Lily Rabe’s Misty Day and Myrtle Snow, played by Frances Conroy, also had their own distinctive styles. Misty, a Stevie Nicks fan, favored a bohemian rocker aesthetic while Myrtle’s looks, inspired by legendary fashion editors Diana Vreeland and Grace Coddington, consisted of printed maxidresses, capes and kooky glasses.
When Myrtle is burned at the stake in episode five, she shouts “Balenciaga!” before going up in flames, though ironically, she’s actually wearing a different designer.
“The dress is from Carolina Herrera. Our key costumer found it online,” Eyrich told Entertainment Weekly in 2014. “Ryan Murphy wanted Myrtle to go out in style and asked that she be in a red gown. We wanted a dramatic dress that would really stand out in the quarry.”
The Love Witch (2016)
Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch” has the makings of a cult classic thanks in part to its groovy wardrobe. Biller, who served as the film’s director, production designer, composer, editor and costumer created a vibrant, highly-stylized universe inspired by 1970s exploitation films. Elaine, the titular character, is a seductive sorceress who enchants a series of ill-fated lovers.
Much of what Robinson wore was sewn by Biller from ’60s and ’70s patterns. She also looked to the frilly, vintage frocks of Gunne Sax for two of Elaine’s tea time looks. Long-sleeved minidresses, chiffon robes and statement pendants added to the retro witch aesthetic Biller sought to emulate.
Suspiria (2018)
The elusive witches depicted in Luca Guadagnino’s remake of “Suspiria” were dressed by costume designer Giulia Piersanti, who brought her high-fashion knowledge (she’s designed knitwear for Lanvin, Balenciaga and currently, Celine) to the big screen.
Piersanti flipped through old issues of Sibylle, an East German fashion magazine that she described as “a socialist version of Vogue,” to craft wardrobes for the dance company coven. She distinguished the new “Suspiria” from its 1970s predecessor, favoring a muted palette grounded in period realism, as the 2018 film is set in the same decade.
Piersanti created many of her fabrics from scratch, including prints inspired by the artworks of Louise Bourgeois. From afar, the geometric patterns worn by instructor Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton) and her underlings resemble funky florals, but are actually made of profiled faces, vivisected breasts and hip bones.
Blanc’s diaphanous dresses are a nod to legendary choreographers Pina Bausch and Martha Graham, whose clothing emphasized movement. For the witches’ sabbath, Blanc wears a caped red-orange gown based on a Madame Grès design — Piersanti’s chic interpretation of ceremonial garb. Participants in the ritual wear dresses made from real human hair extensions, taking inspiration from designer Martin Margiela and artist Rebecca Horn.
Dakota Johnson’s Susie Bannion and the rest of the company perform “Volk” in red knotted leotards evocative of erotic bondage, though these costumes are tied into pentagrams. Strands of rope were left dangling to resemble dripping blood.
Wicked (2024)
Costume designer Paul Tazewell combined his skills from the big screen (“West Side Story,” “Harriet”) and the Broadway stage (“Hamilton,” “The Color Purple”) to create the dazzling wardrobes of “Wicked’s” lead witches, Glinda and Elphaba.
Tazewell looked to Baum’s book, “The Wizard of Oz,” the “Wicked” novel and the hit musical for inspiration, but created his own signature styles for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. His department, which consisted of hundreds of tailors and fabricators, created everything from scratch, bringing Glinda and Elphaba’s costumes to life with staggering detail.
“The joy of designing this film was that you get to see these characters in 360,” Tazewell told WWD. “[Production designer] Nathan Crowley created this amazing campus of buildings that are clad with swirls and ivy and waterways. The clothing needed to resonate in that very real way. Every nook and cranny has design information that defines where we are.”
Tazewell used natural elements as a starting point. The peppy, effervescent Glinda, who descends into Munchkinland via bubble, represents air. Elphaba, whose dresses feature fungus-inspired micropleats and embroidered fiddlehead ferns, is earth. Several of Erivo’s looks also include felting, which Tazewell said gave them an organic quality.
Swirls, as Tazewell mentioned, were another key motif. They can be found all throughout Oz, from the beginning of the yellow brick road to the tornado that sweeps Dorothy out of Kansas.
“I realized that I was attracted to images of kaleidoscopes and swirling staircases,” Tazewell added. “This spiral imagery was something that was just pulling me in. I was looking at bisected shells, which reference the Fibonacci spiral, a formula that appears in nature.”
The Fibonacci spiral was used as the basis for the construction of Glinda’s silk organza “bubble dress.” Many of the character’s silhouettes also took inspiration from Christian Dior’s work in the 1950s, combining romanticism with classic couture structure.
Elphaba, meanwhile, has an all-black wardrobe that dates back to her childhood, when she lost her mother at a young age. As the film progresses, the heels on her shoes get higher — a detail suggested by Erivo herself.
“For Cynthia, it becomes about intent and how she can use this element to to emphasize where she is within her character,” Tazewell explained. “The change of height gave her a stronger stature where she felt more powerful, and she also appeared more mature as she was moving through time.”
Launch Gallery: All of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's 'Wicked'-Themed Looks: Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood and More [PHOTOS]
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