Tyranny of Style: Stranger Things, the breakout Netflix Original Series hooked audiences with its compelling storytelling and intriguing mystery, but it is the series’ impeccable recreation of the nostalgic 1980s sci-fi film genre that has made it such a monumental hit. And a critical part of that conjuring of nostalgia is the stellar costume design by Kimberly Adams (first four episodes). We recently had the opportunity to ask her about her work on the show, and gain a window into her process.
9 comments:
I loved reading this article and hearing the personal view of the costume designer and her relation to the actors. The collaborative challenge of working on Stranger Things was really emphasized and the success of good team work and careful consideration of the actors individually and in groups shows through in Adams' work. Looking at her mood boards and research images was really impressive. It helped that I'm a sucker for antiquity and nostalgia as well, and although the 80's weren't that long ago, still I can imagine the designer and her team scouring thrift stores for old yearbooks and family albums. The still shots from the show also match the research images so well, which is a testament to the skillful collaboration of all the designers and producers. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia.
I watched Stranger Things back in July and I remember falling in love with Ell's main dress and jacket combo. However I found some of the costumes to be to modern, I just couldn't identify what made some of them feel out of place. Looking at the inspiration boards the connections between the finished result and inspirations were very prominent and I enjoyed looking for them. Along with the high ratio of pictures to text the format of the article was very engaging. The structure of the article was a nice way to split up dialogue and pictures and made the read a lot more engaging. My favorite part was where she discussed the difficulties of dressing the four boys so they all maintained a different style. With male fashion treads and all even in present day it can be hard to differential between male characters and the fact that she did that while dressing for thirty years previous is so cool.
So first of all, I absolutely loved Stranger Things and luckily managed to stretch out watching it over a few months instead of binge watching it like some people (which can attest to just how popular the show became). A study shows, credit goes to Madeleine Wester, that people are coming back to styles, tech, and norms of past generations (50s,60s,70s,80s) because present-day technology is increasing faster than ever before. To be honest, even I went back to old, analog technology because I became fascinated with film and bought a film camera. My decision definitely was inspired by things like my visit to the Andy Warhol museum and watching Stranger Things. This is why I think this show is so successful--it brings people back to those times. I think it's so great that the costume designers took family photos from that time to base the characters' dress off of. The style and clothing from the time can easily strike the nostalgia cord for viewers because older audiences were wearing this same exact things merely a few decades ago.
“Stranger Things” is such an important television show and piece of art. I remember that one of my first thoughts after I finished the first episode that every aspect of design was on point. The lighting, the sound, the set, and especially the costumes. Throughout the show, it felt like lighting and sound often took center stage because they were very “out of this world” and were flashier. It was the costumes however that kept the show steady and provided a reminder no matter what part of the story we were in, what period the show was set in. It’s also fascinating to see costume renderings for television. So often we see renderings for theatre, but I never thought about the fact that you would also need them for television. The research boards that the designer created are also beautiful. I love how they cut the heads from some of the images, considering how easy it is to get bogged down by a design when looking at a face.
The 80’s (and let’s be honest, early 90’s, because that’s what I remember) nostalgia was my favorite thing about Stranger Things. The production design and execution was so exceptional in all departments, particularly costumes, and they deserve all the praise they get. It’s always nice to see a project where the production work is recognized as a truly vital element with a presence all its own. I loved that this article include all of the designer’s mood boards and research – it’s interesting to compare her prep-work with the final designs.
You don’t often see such a prime focus on “realness” in science fiction television and film, but it was, as the designer indicates, a paramount concern. If the characters and the world hadn’t seemed real, then the strangeness of the story’s events would have lacked “punch.” Monsters and telepathy seem more terrifying if they appear in a world that is familiar, particularly in a world that is familiar AND nostalgic (which is often associated with safety and warm fuzzies.)
After I finished watching Stranger Things, I felt like I had just come back from the 80s. Mind you, I wasn't even alive, but the way that the costumes interacted with the characters definitely struck a chord with me as I was watching the show. Most importantly, I was fascinated by the comfortability that the actors carried themselves in the clothes. Is that reading too much into one Netflix show? Maybe it's because I've watch so many John Hughes movies, but there was something about the costumes (and very possibly the lighting, and the set dressing, and the cinematography) that made me feel likeI remembered the 80s. No one was a caricature, not even in the slightest sense. Even Barb, the supposedly geeky girl, wasn't played up as some other shows have been known to do. What was so significant about the costumes in Stranger Things though, is that if you took one of the main characters, and put them in a crowd, they'd disappear. Nothing would make them stand out and say "I'm the protagonist!" and that takes a lot of skill.
I love the renderings and mood boards. It's interesting to see the renderings done on a computer juxtaposed with the fact that this whole article is about nostalgia. It's also interesting that a concept as simple as a mood board was this designers strategy in keeping actors and collaborators informed on where the costumes were going. There is beauty in the simplicity of everything. I like how she talked about the detailing of aging one characters clothing a little more than another because she imagined their upbringing, financial status, etc to make a really dynamic costume.
This insight to the costume designer's process is what makes this such an intriguing article for me. Something that I loved was being able learn more about the important notions taken during the design process for a television production and seeing how it differed to those from a theatrical standpoint, like when she was explaining the importance of taking notice to every possible detail when formulating the wardrobes to help build a character because of the fact that these clothes were going to be seen up close through the shots of the camera, an issue that is obviously not met often in most theatrical productions where the clothes will be seen from the audience way in the house, thus eliminating that issue. Another big theme in this was the nostalgic quality that it held. What made the characters in Stranger Things seem so real to the point that you almost forgot that they weren't real people, was that they weren't exaggerations of 80's stereotypes, making the concept of that these characters could've been actually real for that time, despite the fact that they were fighting a fictitious monster and had super powers. It was fascinating seeing the mood boards and learning how these subtleties were created in order to achieve that sense of authenticity.
I was so excited to read through Tyranny of Style’s interview with Kimberly Adam’s as I was quite a fan of her design. When I watched the series last summer, my mind was anywhere but the costumes-which I intend as a compliment! They really sank in with the characters aiding in believable story telling. I really felt present with the characters. Their wardrobe did not feel alien, or dated, but like all the actors felt perfectly at home in their ensemble, which is what I LOVE. It was great to see just how Adam went about researching the tricky period and how succinct she is with her mood boards. I loved that I could connect her research with the final product. It was also intriguing to me about how she thought about the history for the garments, I.e Eleven’s dress and where it came from (Nancy’s old dress) and the hand me down history of Will’s clothes next to his brother, Mike’s newer wardrobe. Absolutely brilliant. Two things she said that will stick with me as I venture into my own costume design career, is that even the actors that served as background went through the same careful thought and consideration because they too set the stage. This sounds simple enough, but I feel like it can be overlooked quickly. The second thing is that clear thrill Adam feels when she see’s the actor becoming the character. That’s exactly what I love about costume design.
Post a Comment