When it comes to period dramas, the image in our minds is always wrapped in the stage setting. A setting is an interesting moment in a historical or imaginary time, separate from our own time, but a setting is also thing Initialization; that’s what everyone looks like. It can also mean swords, armor, and dragons, visually highlighting the martial and fantastical nature of “Game of Thrones.”

But even when chain mail isn’t involved, it’s the look of the costume that makes it look closer to past characters or more striking and distant. “Bridgerton” is not a costumed show. Costumes are a show in many ways.

Other works by IndieWire

Costumes also provide the most subtle and visceral differences in characters. The cut of Hans and Isaac’s coat in “Pachinko” tells us everything we need to know about how they move through the world. It’s fun.

‘The Great’ has gold-plated and detailed clothing appropriate for the palatial setting. This is Russia, after all. But they also tell the different approaches the characters take in trying to seize and hold onto the power of the Empire. Makes sense. Costumes for “The Great” Her designer, Sharon Long, helps visually convey the series’ power structure among the imperial couple. For Katherine’s coronation dress, Elle Fanning was gilded all in gold, a deliberate nod to the Russian icon. [so that we could] Let’s lift her up, let’s make her taller, let’s make Peter less impressive,” Long told IndieWire.

story continues

Courtesy of Hulu

Catherine’s attempts to propagate her values ​​in court, and her relative position within it, are what the show’s costumes always abbreviate. And she still has a beautiful personality. [in her look] “She didn’t wear anything, which was actually very good at keeping her really young in Season 1.” device, so we did a little [more in Season 2]It’s really increasing little by little. ”

It’s always traceable for ‘The Great’, who more or less secures their place depending on how the environment fits in with their style choices. , like Gillian Anderson does when Catherine’s mother Johanna appears, there are moments when the costumes visually show the characters are on another level and can bend the world to their will. , easily let it unfold around her.

“Her skirt size was an interesting device to use,” Long said of her character’s costume choices. We moved inside and took up space.”

In Peter’s case, in heels throughout the season (and he wears at least a few heels in more formal situations), the happily exiled emperor wears less clothing the less he is moored. He stumbles on a fair amount of nightshirts and the Russian equivalent of a bathrobe, and dresses very sober given the ghosts of his mother and father and moments of true connection with Katherine throughout the season. There is a trend. This is impressive for a man who wears a skirt to his wife’s baby shower.

“He’s very masculine, and he doesn’t care if he’s wearing a pink shirt, or a front-opening shirt, or wearing lace,” Long said. “I felt like I pushed him a little bit and tried to pull him away from Grigor a little bit. [played by Gwilym Lee], sometimes just in color. Grigor is a little more bluesy and animal print is less prevalent. So they were best friends and emulated each other, [Grigor and Peter] began to develop [different styles]”

Courtesy of Hulu

The ability to slowly track a character’s growth through costume, even while staying on a baseline of gorgeous complexity, has a long history in stories about Catherine the Great. The audience sees the characters for what they are in court, judges them by the personas they present, and how strongly those ideas are expressed in fashion. In doing so, Long and her team bring out the best power moves historical fiction has as a weapon.

best of indiewire

Sign up for Indiewire’s newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news.

Click here to read the full article.