Costume design is a vital part of any TV show, but it’s hard to think of many where it’s more important than “The Beauty.” Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson’s satirical body horror saga about the production of a drug that increases physical attractiveness with deadly consequences takes place in the rarified worlds of high fashion in a world that’s somehow even more image obsessed than our own. That meant that costume designer Sarah Evelyn had her work cut out for her.
During IndieWire’s recent Craft Roundtables, Evelyn broke down her process for creating the hyper-stylized, symbolism-laden world of the show. She explained that Murphy gave her a series of classic films to pull from, including works from visual masters like Luchino Visconti and Bernardo Bertolucci. But the colors of those films were mere starting points, and frequent revisions left “The Beauty” with an aesthetic that was uniquely its own.
“The references were ‘The Leopard,’ ‘Passengers,’ ‘Last Tango in Paris,’ Evelyn said. “He started with those three references, but then other things would creep in and you’d add it and subtract something else. For example, in the beginning we were going to do a lot of oxblood and fluorescent green, but fluorescent green ended up falling off, and peach and purple came into play.”
Evelyn went on to add that nothing in the visual language of “The Beauty” was accidental. She explained that the elaborate color coordination all served artistic ends, with each small choice amplifying the effects of other ones to create a unified look.
“You can only say so much with color if it’s coordinated,” she said. “I do feel that makes the frame look so much better.”
This conversation is presented in partnership with FX.
“IndieWire Craft Roundtables” will premiere on PBS SoCal on Thursday, June 11 with subsequent re-airings scheduled throughout the weekend.
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