How have you learnt easy methods to costume somebody when that particular person technically doesn’t exist? This inane but real query burned in my thoughts once I sat all the way down to interview Natasha Newman-Thomas, an award-winning costume designer. Newman-Thomas is the sartorial mastermind behind TV exhibits together with HBO’s “The Idol” and Infantile Gambino’s iconic “This Is America” music video (which garnered her a Costume Designers Guild award). Identified for her character-driven strategy and extremely distinctive, vintage-inflected eye, Newman-Thomas explains to me that costume design requires not solely a deep understanding, ardour, and technical proficiency for clothes design and style styling: it additionally requires a capability to conjure after which examine a fictionalized character’s psychological make-up. The reply to my query, briefly, is that you must consider in an phantasm with the intention to make it a plausible actuality.
While you see an actor or musician in a dressing up designed by Newman-Thomas, the outfit appears to be like genuine in a manner that’s nearly unnoticeable — and that is the purpose. The choice and styling of the garments seem so pure and distinctive to the character that it appears as if they confirmed as much as set sporting it. Her newest topics are Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz within the upcoming movie “Consequence,” directed by Jonah Hill. Whereas Newman-Thomas couldn’t get into the main points of these characters but, she shared the peculiar and engaging particulars of her artwork with me and made the case for why flying helicopters is extra fascinating than sitting via a bunch critique in artwork college.
Natasha wears Comme des Garçons Autumn/Winter 2007 costume courtesy of Aralda Classic, Fendi boots, Gabriella Kiss earrings.
Costumes are the primary place the place you get to start storytelling with out truly realizing somebody.
— Natasha Newman-Thomas
Eugenie Dalland: My Gen-Z cousin had by no means seen “The Matrix” earlier than, so I not too long ago watched it together with her. I noticed how essential all these latex and black leather-based costumes have been to the tone of the movie. Why are costumes so essential?
Natasha Newman-Thomas: Costumes are the primary place the place you get to start storytelling with out truly realizing somebody. It’s essential on display since you need to know as a lot a few character as you possibly can, immediately, with the intention to get the viewer concerned and on board. When you’re in a dystopian future like “The Matrix,” the costumes pull you in and make you consider in that world and within the story on a floor degree.
ED: I’m curious concerning the nuts and bolts of making these characters, what you’ve known as the “sociological exploration” concerned in constructing them. Who’s concerned on this course of?
NNT: It is dependent upon the mission. Typically I’ve one preliminary dialog with the director, after which they flip the entire thing over to me and let me do my factor. Different instances, the director is tremendous concerned and we get into the nitty-gritty about each character. After which I’ve been on initiatives the place I try this with the actors, which I like doing as a result of it’s a part of the character improvement for them. It’s tremendous informative for each of us to have these conversations and work out why a personality behaves a sure manner, the issues that inform who they’re, their pathologies.
ED: Procuring is an enormous a part of costume design. What sort of mindset are you in while you’re shopping for garments for a personality? I think about it’s kind of meditative.
NNT: It’s undoubtedly meditative! I’m nearly attempting to place myself of their psychological state, after which think about how they’d purchase clothes. The place would they store? Or would their character solely put on hand-me-downs? In that case, the place would these come from? Somebody from their church, a sibling?
ED: I really feel like this psychological strategy is why your costumes at all times really feel so customized and distinctive. It makes the characters extra plausible as precise people. You’re not throwing them into no matter is stylish.
NNT: There’s completely one thing to be mentioned for capturing a second in historical past with [trendy costumes], however usually I attempt to make one thing timeless. I attempt to make issues as distinctive to the characters as doable.
ED: I’ve at all times wished to ask you concerning the outfit Infantile Gambino wears for the “This Is America” music video, which you costumed. It’s very minimal — classic pants, no shirt, gold chains — however he appears to be like so f—ing cool and furthermore, completely pure, genuine. I nearly questioned if he confirmed as much as set sporting that look.
NNT: It’s humorous you say he appears to be like actually pure and embodies the outfit nicely, as a result of up till 20 minutes earlier than the shoot, Donald [Glover] and I have been going forwards and backwards about it. He was like, “I’m not snug in that, it inhibits my efficiency, I simply need to put on sweats.” I used to be like, “no manner, sweats are a totally completely different message, it’s actually essential that these are the pants you put on. If it’s inhibiting your motion, I’ll sew in a gusset.” I used to be actually stitching a gusset into these pants up till 30 seconds earlier than we shot! I simply did one other mission with Donald a number of months in the past and he was like, “by the way in which, you have been proper concerning the pants.”
Natasha wears classic John Galliano 2008 runway costume courtesy of Aralda Classic. Reverse web page: Natasha wears Christian Lacroix jacket, Wolford tights, KNWLS sneakers Vivienne Westwood necklace, Gabriella Kiss earrings.
Natasha wears Helmut Lang go well with, classic Frank Zappa shirt from Zappa’s private assortment, Rejina Pyo sneakers, Bottega Veneta earrings, Mondo Mondo ring.
ED: What have been you aiming for together with his costume?
NNT: We referenced some Fela Kuti photos, but additionally the concept of somebody who acquires garments after which actually makes them their very own. Somebody who finds a pair of pants and makes them look sick by styling them in a particular manner. That was so essential as a result of we didn’t need it to look or really feel new, typical, or stylish.
ED: How did you get into costume design?
NNT: I went to the College of the Artwork Institute of Chicago as a result of they didn’t make you select between style and superb artwork, you could possibly do each, which is what I wished. However ultimately I had the impolite awakening that you just actually couldn’t do each. I took each style class I may with out committing to being within the style design program there. A number of years in, I noticed I didn’t need to sit via a critique and listen to folks bulls— about “juxtaposition” ever once more. I made a decision to drop out and transfer again to L.A. and go to helicopter college to be a pilot.
ED: Wait, what?
NNT: There’s a nonprofit program on the Compton Airport. It’s wonderful. I’d love to return and end my flight hours and get my license. Anyway, whereas I used to be there, an previous professor good friend of mine from the Artwork Institute known as and mentioned, “I’m transferring to L.A. to do costumes on this present, I’d love so that you can attempt aiding me.” My first day on set I used to be like, “that is actually made for me, it combines all my pursuits.” The pacing, the artistic drawback fixing, the garments, the character improvement, all of it. That was it. Day One. I really feel very blessed that I discovered a job the place I can earn cash and do what I really like.
ED: What are some films that made a powerful impression on you by way of costume design?
NNT: There’s so many. I truly simply did a symposium about [Jean Paul] Gaultier’s costumes for “The Fifth Component.” I additionally love his work on “The Cook dinner, the Thief, His Spouse & Her Lover.” The costume design actually blends with the manufacturing design, it’s so suave.
ED: What’s an sudden buying tip you inform folks?
NNT: That is so tacky: Be garments minded, not closed minded. [laughter] I really like to enter a buying expertise with the concept you could actually type something to make it fascinating. A recreation I’ll play with my finest good friend is we’ll ship one another photos of issues and ask, “how would you make this cool?” Like “how would you make a pair of Toms cool?” I really like a great problem.
ED: How do you make a pair of Toms cool?
NNT: The way in which I’d do it’s to forged a Toms shoe in a block of resin, after which put one other Toms shoe on high of it. So it’s a platform shoe with the Toms contained in the platform after which the opposite one on high.
ED: Please make this shoe.
NNT: Our first query after we begin something is what’s not cool proper now, what’s nobody doing, and the way can we use that to our benefit? We did an Yves Tumor music video and I used to be like, “nobody is doing indie sleaze proper now, I’m going to cowl a pair of denims within the Strokes patches, that’ll be so bizarre!” Two years later, the Strokes have been taking part in the Celine present. It’s enjoyable to attempt to get forward of the cycle. It’s getting more durable to do as a result of with the web, all the things strikes a lot sooner now, folks simply gobble up tendencies. Nevertheless it’s creating an fascinating place for designers to be pressured to give you new issues that nobody’s seen earlier than, that aren’t referential. I believe it may very well be actually thrilling. Fingers crossed.
Hair & Make-up Paige Wishart
Lighting Director David Lopez
Styling Assistants Margaux Solano, Tommy Petroni
Natasha wears Christian Lacroix jacket, Wolford tights, KNWLS sneakers Vivienne Westwood necklace, Gabriella Kiss earrings.
