‘Wicked’ Movie Costume Designer Paul Tazewell Decodes His Approach to Dressing Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba
While Ariana Grande’s and Cynthia Erivo’s press tour fashion has caught the eye of “Wicked” fans prerelease, audiences are about to witness the main sartorial moment for the film’s two leads.
Costume design for the movie was led by Tony-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell, who tapped into the deep visual precedent for the characters.
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“I love fantasy work as a designer,” says Tazewell, who designed the costumes for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musicals “Hamilton” and “In the Heights,” the latter of which was adapted for the screen by “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu. “I also love period work. And this ends up being a combination of both.”
The iconic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” and musical stage production of “Wicked” both inspired Tazewell’s approach to the costume design onscreen.
“Designing the film, I also acknowledge the fact that there’s a huge fan base for the musical of ‘Wicked.’ It was important to really draw that audience in as well with what we’re doing and how I’m representing the characters,” he says of paying homage to the most popular fashion moments from the stage production. “And try to inspire the same kind of feeling when audiences see [the film],” he adds. “That said, I think it was very important for Jon [the director] and for the producers to create a new vision of what ‘Wicked’ would be.”
Glinda’s most famous look, for example — the bubble dress — appears in both the musical and “Oz” film. While the musical renders the dress in baby blue, Tazewell roots the look in pink, along with the character’s other key outfits in the film. “I’ve visually aligned Glinda with the iridescence of bubbles,” he says. “The translucent and sheer fabrics that I’m using in all of her costumes is also reflective of that. I also use a lot of butterfly imagery in her clothing as well and in her jewelry.” The “Oz” influence also extends to her footwear, in the form of a silver shoe with swirled lattice design that nods to the story’s central tornado.
“Wicked” takes place before Elphaba becomes the villain known as the Wicked Witch of the West, with the majority of the story set at Shiz University. Portrayed by Cynthia Erivo in the film, the green-hued character wears clothing inspired by designs found in nature, from Fibonacci patterns to the organic textures of mushrooms and tree bark.
“There is so much to pull from in nature — the organic-ness of texture, how color plays through, the movement of texture and pattern,” Tazewell says. “It’s something that is rooted in what exists, without human input.” He adds that the design choice also keeps the outfits familiar without being overly reflective of modern fashion. The natural influence also serves the character by keeping Elphaba grounded and connected to nature, a major theme within the story as Elphaba emerges as an animal advocate.
In contrast to Glinda’s pink and candy-hued color palette, Elphaba’s clothing is done in black and with dark purples and grays.
“I like the austerity of the black to start. First off, because it’s reflective of the Wicked Witch of the West from the film,” Tazewell says. “And then it speaks to Elphaba’s mourning of her mother early in age. It speaks to her being closed off and ostracized from the rest of this beautiful world or community of Oz. But then even within that, when you look closely at her clothing, it’s covered in interesting texture and pattern and, as much as I could, very thoughtful detail that makes her in some ways more interesting than those that are surrounding her.”
The film follows the character over the course of a full school year, and Tazewell developed full wardrobes for each character and their various activities: attending class, running through the forest, hanging out with friends. There are multiple versions of their Shiz uniforms, which evolve “as they shift and change and mature into young women, before they head off to Emerald City,” Tazewell says.
Other characters in the film include Shiz headmistress Madame Morrible, portrayed by Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz — who plays a larger presence in the second part of the film, set to be released next year — love interest Fiyero, Elphaba’s wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose and Shiz classmates like munchkin Boq.
Audiences will get introduced to all of the characters, and their whimsical world, with the film’s much-anticipated theatrical release this week.
“I was so very moved,” Tazewell says of watching the final film for the first time. “I broke down a little bit. There are scenes that are emotionally moving. But I’m a huge critic of my own work,” he adds. “With this, I was absolutely blown away. I think that what Jon has created as a film is a spectacular and joyous ride — and I’m so proud that we can now share it with everybody.”
‘Wicked’ New York City Premiere: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and More Celebrity Style [PHOTOS]
Launch Gallery: A Closer Look at 'Wicked' Costume Designer Paul Tazewell's Sartorial Approach
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