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For Oscar-, Emmy-, and two-time Tony Award–winning designer, Paul Tazewell, he built on the characters he outfitted in Wicked to showcase their evolution in the sequel, Wicked: For Good. “For Glinda, we realize how she has become kind of a bird in a cage,” Tazewell said. “She’s become a propagandist figure of good, albeit dressed impeccably in an elegant kind of Hollywood glamour.”
When it came to designing the costume for Cynthia Erivo’s character, Elphaba, Tazewell took inspiration from the original 1939 character, the Wicked Witch of the West, with a twist. “I’ve taken that as an idea or as a silhouette, and I’ve reformed that into one that is more of a power figure,” Tazewell said.
For the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Tazewell shares how he designed the costumes for the sequel, where he took inspiration from, and more.
For excerpts from their conversation, scroll below.
In Wicked: For Good, you were building off of the characters in the universe that you had already outfitted in Wicked. Of course, a lot has changed since then, and Elphaba and Glinda have gone through a bit of a journey and grown quite a bit. How did you start to think about approaching that change and how it would be reflected in their costumes?
When we pick up with Wicked: For Good, we are about a year after leaving them, which is when Elphaba jumps through the window on her broom, with cape and hat in hand, and sings “Defying Gravity.” When we open up to Wicked: For Good, we see that she has evolved into this heroic figure. It’s represented by a sweeping coat and trousers that we had set up as part of her silhouette in Wicked Part 1, in Shiz.
For Glinda, we realize how she has become kind of a bird in a cage. She’s become a propagandist figure of good, albeit dressed impeccably in an elegant kind of Hollywood glamour. You see this high contrast between these two characters that we’ve left in the first film, and how they then have realized themselves.
That’s informed by their choices and how they’re living with those consequences as they walk through life or as they fly through life.
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
Elphaba is perceived as evil, obviously, despite wanting to actually help the people of Oz, and she’s wearing all black and her typical witch garb. As you mentioned, her sweeping coat and trousers were supposed to be kind of empowering. I’d love to hear a little bit more about, for you, the design process of striking that balance of representing both who she actually is, but then also how others perceive her.
I would say that the strongest point of view that’s in operation is how the silhouette that I put Elphaba in for Wicked: For Good is reflective or nostalgic of the original Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 film.
That archetype is what we kind of popularly hold onto as our idea of what a witch is. I’ve taken that as an idea or as a silhouette, and I’ve reformed that into one that is more of a power figure.
I think that because we’ve got a coat that has texture, that feels organic, which aligns her with nature and also with the animals that she’s advocating for. There’s something that is more badass about her look as opposed to just being a turn-of-the-century dress in black. I’m giving her a feeling of empowerment.
The coat is slightly reflective, because it’s made out of a waxed linen. It’s a fabric that’s kind of like a raincoat, which again, thematically, this idea of water and how water is supposed to melt her, just kind of infuses as much as possible the Easter eggs or just themes that carry us back to the original idea of what her story is.
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
As you said, [Glinda’s] kind of like this bird in a cage. Obviously, there’s a very calculated sense of perfection to the way that she presents herself and puts herself together. I would love to hear a little bit, too, about what kind of details you used to ensure that her outfits had that almost too perfect sheen to them.
For so many of Glinda’s looks, I was tapping into an idea of Hollywood glamour that you see represented in films of Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly. Just the fragile nature of how femininity was presented in that period. Really tapping into what those ideas are within that silhouette. With a sweeping skirt. The tonality of pink and lavender, and blue, and then sparkle.
Those are all qualities that give you this magical sense of beauty, of romanticism, of femininity. That’s kind of Glinda’s superpower. That’s her secret sauce is that she presents a persona that’s very enticing for the Ozians. I’m using those silhouettes in a very intentional way in order to create that kind of persona for Ariana Grande as Glinda.
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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