CMU School of Drama


Thursday, October 05, 2023

Only Murders in the Building costume designer Dana Covarrubias

www.stylist.co.uk: The third season of Only Murders In The Building, which comes to an end with today’s finale, has elevated Hulu’s murder mystery comedy to new heights. There’s a mystery filled with endless twists and turns, dozens of musical theatre Easter eggs, and a look that remains as timeless and distinctive as ever.

4 comments:

Allie Blaylock said...

Something that stuck out to me in this article was the line, “...after all, she’s on the cusp of 30, and what does she have to show for it?” There is such a large pressure on turning 30 in our society that does not need to be there. As much as it is joked about, turning 30 has become the mile marker indicating the end of your youth, creating this unnecessary pressure to have lived life to the fullest and be the most successful you can be before the dreaded day comes. In reality, our lives go on as normal and we still figure life out day-by-day. I think that portraying this idea that 30 is the end of youth in entertainment only cements it as the norm, when I believe we should be completely moving past the idea. I do like that in the third season of this show, when Mabel is facing the next decade of her life, she is given a fresher and updated wardrobe that feels more sophisticated. That can help contribute to the view that 30 is actually when we grow up and come into our own.

Julia Adilman said...


As a fan of Only Murders in the Building, this was really exciting for me to read. I love how costume designers really analyze their characters that they are working on. Everything has meaning and connects back to the story. I love how much clothes, style, and accessories can really tell a story. If done in the right way, it just makes everything ten times better. To be honest, while watching the show, the costumes weren’t really something that I focused on or paid much attention to. But, this article really helped me to take the time to really appreciate the costume design and all the thought put into it. I feel like it would be so exciting to work on a show like this and have the opportunity to design it. It seems like the type of story where designers are able to experiment a little bit more with their work. I like how the costume designer was able to touch on this idea and share how she developed her designs throughout the show.

Reigh Wilson said...

Only Murders in The Building is a very good show and I have really been enjoying watching it. I have only seen the first season though, and although I greatly enjoyed it I have not gotten around to watching the rest of the show, much to the dismay of my mother and some friends. It is really fun to see this as both a theater person and someone who watches a lot of true crime documentaries and movies, this show feels very tailored to me. The costumes for the show are really amazing and it was so informative reading this article about the designer's process and feelings around the shows and the characters she is creating through clothing. While I do not know much about Covarrubias’s work but she did work on the second Amazing Spider Man movie and Quantico, both pieces of media I have greatly enjoyed in part due to their costuming, and it is a testament to her talent.

Luna said...

Only murders in the building is one of my favorite tv shows to watch right now, so I was very excited to read about the costumes! This season has been my favorite because the plot revolves around a murder that happens on the opening night of a Broadway play. So much of the show takes place during rehearsals and most of the characters are actors, stage managers, assistants, etc. so it felt like a cool crossover into the world I’m most familiar with. As an aspiring costume designer, there was a lot that I could learn from this interview with her. I think that the transformation in Mabel’s style really did reflect the changes in her characters and I thought the way they chose to display this through her silhouettes and color palettes. I thought it was really fun that Meryl Streep’s character was inspired by Streep herself in the 70s. There is something so meta about that which is really fun because of all the high profile celebrities in this season and even Matthew Broderick playing himself in the show. The costumes for the musical inside the show really intrigued me, so it was interesting to learn more about her design process for them.