SPOTLIGHT ON - The Alienist - Costumes Michael Kaplan
I know, I know, I have mentioned this show and its costumes previously, but I really must come back to them, as I am completely enamoured by them.
The rich details, fabrication and cut are on point - and the variation from character to character really allows you to believe the time and the characters.
Often watching a show or film the costumes may be good but lacking something; this show wants for nothing in regards to its costumes. They fully immerse you in a different time - 1986 New York.
“Conveying class differences was a big part of my attraction to the project…There are so many different strata in 1896 New York society. But it was like doing 10 movies at once. We were doing dozens of fittings a day, every day, like five days a week, sometimes seven. It was crazy. But I wanted to take the time and the care with each performer. It just meant longer hours and longer weeks.
I didn’t have to struggle to dress the actors because they were so well cast for their parts.”
“Dakota had such a period face that it was a joy making costumes for her. Her character comes from money, but I didn’t want that to be an excuse for doing beautiful clothes.
More important was that she was working in a man’s world and didn’t want to stand out. We put a lot of suits together for her and women wearing ties was popular in that period. So I used that as a look for her work outfit.
When we see her at Delmonico’s, she wears a jade green, silk dress with black velvet trim. And she puts on a black cape when she goes out. The one she wears at the end is a mauve-colored summer gown. She also wears a black-and-white stripped suit. The jacket is white with black stripes and the skirt is the reverse… But you never see her in anything over the top. She’s pretty sedate and muted.”
- Michael Kaplan
“Luke, I thought, was perfect as the bon vivant. And he has an artistic side. All the men wore beautiful brocade vests, but his were a little bit more over the top. And there were more detailed and more interesting combinations of fabrics. For instance, flowery print waist coats.
For him, there were grays, blues, lavenders, pink, and peach. There’s a realistic sense about what he’s wearing. I joked with Luke about his sittings taking longer than anyone else. He would just love putting on the hats and the waist coats and coats, and layering them, and changing the layers. He said many times how his wardrobe helped him with his character.”
- Michael Kaplan
Bruhl’s Kreizler had a European darker feel, Kaplan evoking this with dark greens and black colours.
“He also wore beautiful textures and fabrics,” Kaplan said. “When you’re doing something so dark, it’s always good to have texture so the camera can see something instead of just black holes. I put him in wools, silks, moires, and taffetas for his ties. He also wore beautiful coats with Persian lamb collars and faux fur, so I didn’t have to kill animals.”
- Michael Kaplan
Images from
https://www.vanityfair.com/london/photos/2018/04/exclusive-sketches-costume-designs-alienist#19