Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series
Lisa Padovani and John Dunn
Photo: HBO.
Boardwalk Empire
Dunn: The ascendancy of jazz clubs and the New Negro Renaissance in the mid-twenties were what were most exciting to explore in season four of Boardwalk Empire. The opportunities for African-Americans to become leaders of American culture and the arts were beyond anything that occurred in prior history. These were powerful first steps toward the real equality in American society. Researching the music, the stage costumes, and the performers in Harlem and Parisian clubs (Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, and “Snake Hips” Tucker) brought home for me the profound influence these artists had on the ever-evolving national psyche. Padovani: This season we addressed a variety of social and economic worlds. Inspiration isn’t necessarily just drawn from what most people consider “art.” It would be easy to say that the character of Daughter Maitlin or the dancing girls of the Onyx Club were the most inspirational and exciting of the costumes, and in many ways they are, but I was most inspired by the common man. There is a riot scene at a factory in which Frank Capone is assassinated. We had hundreds of extras to dress as blue-collar workers. I enjoyed creating subtle nuances between each costume based on who was cast. I pictured what their particular job was at the factory, and dressed them accordingly, while considering a distressed, worn-out palette. This contrasted well with the slickness of the gangsters, and of course, the redness of the blood to help create an exciting and dynamic scene. ACD Maria Zamansky
Gabriella Pescucci The Borgias
Photo: Showtime.
The inspiration for the costumes on The Borgias came from many sources. The rich and varied work of Italian painters from the end of the 15th century and various biographies of the Borgia family, Lucrezia and Pope Alexander VI, really helped me with historical detail about fabrics and materials. They also provided a wealth of general information about the period, which aided me greatly in creating the appropriate design for the general population of Rome and the other regions of Italy featured in the series. In one battle scene, the director asked for soldiers, the enemies of Caterina Sforza approaching her castle, to be camouflaged, like the autumn woods that surround the fortress. We designed a net with fake leaves attached and put it on top of the soldiers’ armour. My inspiration for that came from troops in Vietnam, who adopted similar camouflage in the jungle. Sometimes inspiration comes from unusual places. In one episode, directed by Neil Jordan, I found inspiration from the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. We made garlands and hairstyles with leaves and berries and light transparent veils to help give a dreamlike feeling to the scene. Creating the world of The Borgias entails long hours and hard work, but is such a stimulating and fascinating period in which to work. I am also surrounded by a marvelous team, and I consider myself very fortunate to have worked with them. They make each day a pleasure. ACD Giovanni Lipari
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The Costume Designer Winter 2014