Wednesday Costume Designer Colleen Atwood Talks Crafting the Show’s Wardrobe

Colleen Atwood is an Oscar-winning costume designer whose most up-to-date work is designing the character’s wardrobe’s Wednesday. Her earlier credit embrace Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha. She’s additionally labored on each Tim Burton film since 1990’s Edward Scissorhands. Atwood mentioned her work on the brand new Netflix collection with Variety, similar to designing the wardrobe for lead star Jenna Ortega.

“With Wednesday, we will nail the enduring look instantly with a nod to the unique pointed collar, little print gown and modernized platform footwear, after which put her in an setting that she completely contrasts with: an American happy-time public faculty. Then you’ve got given the nod to all that is come earlier than. When we transfer to the opposite world of Nevermore, Wednesday’s in a uniform that is specifically made as a result of she is allergic to paint. I wished a grey and black stripe, however I did not actually like how they appeared on this planet. So I ended up having the stripes drawn and painted. We silkscreened all her stripes, so we bought one thing that was a softer variation on a on a stripe, which is a enjoyable course of as a designer to have the ability to do,” mentioned Atwood.

The outfits for Wednesday’s roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) had been utterly totally different as a result of she’s the title character’s complete reverse. Besides their contrasting wardrobes, their variations may be seen within the design of their room. There’s a stained glass window the place half of it’s vibrant and colourful whereas the opposite is utilitarian.

“Enid’s the epitome of the whole lot Wednesday hates: girly colour, filled with chatter. We had a lot enjoyable taking part in off that with Enid. With the onerous graphics of Wednesday’s issues, Enid’s palette with the orange and the pink and the yellow had been like a sunny distinction to her, which helped make them each look extra totally different from one another as characters.”

The Adult Cast Members

Another character that Wednesday does not precisely get together with is Principle Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie), who Atwood describes as “her personal form of misfit, in a completely totally different means.” For her wardrobe, Atwood drew inspiration from a traditional Alfred Hitchcock film that you simply should not watch you probably have ornithophobia.

“I purchased this classic poster of Tippi Hedren in The Birds. I confirmed her an image of it. I mentioned, ‘This is who I believe you might be. And she was like, ‘I find it irresistible.'”

Through her work on the present, Atwood additionally started working with Christina Ricci once more after 1999’s Sleepy Hollow. “It was a lot enjoyable to decorate her once more and see her.” Ricci, whose nice contribution to The Addams Family franchise goes with out saying, performs Marilyn Thornhill. She’s the one “normie” instructor at Nevermore Academy, the present’s setting. Her type additionally offers fairly the distinction with Weens’ buttoned-up wardrobe.

“She has a bunch of quirky classic combined with new stuff… there’s one thing form of infantile about her style and her type, however in a creepy form of means.”