‘Palm Royale’ vintage designer fashion will make you swoon

NEW YORK (AP) – Kristen Wiig steps out of a vintage Rolls Royce in the opening scene of Season 2. “Palm Royale” She wears a tall yellow fringed hat, gold platform sandals, and beaming bell bottoms, fabric petals swaying with every determined step. This is the first clue to the outfit. female led comedy occupies center stage.

The Apple TV show made waves in its first season with its star cast, high production values, and ubiquitous grasshopper cocktail. Wiig’s Maxine clashes with her co-star in 1969 as she tries to break into Palm Beach’s social scene. carol burnettAllison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Laura Dern. But vintage designer dresses that reflect their respective characters also take center stage.

For Season 2, which premiered this week, Emmy Award-winning costume designer Alix Friedberg said she and her team coordinated “thousands” of looks that reflected the characters’ jet-setting style. She says 50 to 60 percent of the brightly colored and graphic print costumes are vintage, original designer pieces sourced from shoppers and costume designers.

Kaia Gerber, who plays Mitzi, told The Associated Press in a recent interview, “The look is so iconic. Sometimes when Kristen comes in wearing something, it brings tears to my eyes.”

The creative process requires more than shopping

Friedberg’s team creates costumes even if they are not original vintage. If a character needs to wear a costume for multiple scenes or a large dance number, the team may create duplicates to maintain continuity. Friedberg says she’s been lucky to find many vendors of vintage designer pieces in great condition.

“[Biv’s character]Dinah wears some Oscar de la Renta original pieces that are really perfect. Bill Blass was a big one, Oleg Cassini,” Friedberg says. “There’s a dress that[Janny’s character]Evelyn wears, and it’s this all emerald green jersey. It’s an original Halston, and it’s very appealing to her and really evokes what would come in the ’70s.”

Janney called Friedberg “amazing” and marveled at her ability to find pieces that resemble works of art. Some of her favorites were her character’s apres-ski look in the Swiss Alps. However, she finds it difficult to choose her ultimate favorite.

“Everything makes me feel divine. And the hair is a masterpiece, and the make-up all comes together to create Evelyn, so I don’t have to do much at all,” Janie says.

costumes could be interesting

Costumes also help heighten the comedy. Friedberg says Evelyn’s stoic, expressionless personality makes for laughs with her over-the-top costumes.

“She delivers this line in, like, seven wigs,” Friedberg says. “This absurdity really comes through in the way they express themselves over and over again. … It was so much fun to be able to laugh and wink at the audience.”

Burnett said she had “a lot of fun” fitting costumes on the show and said it helped her discover her character, the snarky Norma. “I work from the outside in. I have to know what I look like,” she says.

Norma’s signature turban began as a practical idea for Barnett to save time on hair and makeup. “The first time she put on a turban, we both thought, ‘Oh, that’s really cool.’ Every time she appeared as Norma without a turban, it was really nostalgic,” Friedberg says. “Every time I made a dress for her, I always had to think about what the turban would be. Then my thinking changed and I started designing the turban before the dress.”

Many looks are deeper than sparkling sequins

Costumes also help set the tone for the female empowerment theme that permeates this season. “Evelyn wore more pants, which seems silly to say now, but back then it was a real power move,” Friedberg says.

Viv had an idea to show how Dinah would evolve from her trophy wife persona. “We knew this season was going to be the story of her finding her wealth without a man…and what that was like. I was always obsessed with Sharon Stone in ‘Casino,'” says Bibb – so they “stole” part of that look. “When Dinah actually wears a pantsuit, it gives her a different feel and she’s really becoming her most modern self.”

Friedberg also conveyed the privilege and naivety of the rich through their clothing in the series. Douglas, played by Josh Lucas, has had some disappointments this season, and his costume reflects that.

“What if we approached Douglas, who has always been dressed by women in his life? He’s always been dressed by other people. He’s never gone shopping,” Lucas says of posing with Friedberg (who happens to be his sister-in-law in real life). “And for the first time, he only has three Hawaiian shirts with holes because (his wife’s) personality won’t do it.”

In fact, Friedberg points out, he’s a rare character who repeats his costumes. “As the series progresses, you see them getting a little rougher,” she says.

Gerber’s character will undergo a major makeover this season after acquiring a large sum of money. As Mitzi realizes Friedberg’s “femininity and power,” the actor speaks passionately about Friedberg’s intentional design.

“It was so much fun to wear expensive gowns and jewelry and do hair and makeup. It really parallels Mitzi’s inner journey,” she says.

While the costumes may be eye candy, Friedberg says each costume also has a deeper meaning.

“This dress that Maxine is wearing was an original Oscar de la Renta dress,” Friedberg says. “It’s exactly what Norma would wear, and it’s telling the audience, without saying to the audience, that she has arrived, that her time has come, that it is her time to rule.”