Nina: Costume Designer

Nina is a rising senior at Fordham LC. She is very involved in fashion, social media, and designing. She recently was the costume designer for the Splinter Group Production of Legally Blonde. Through this interview process Nina and I became friends and have a lot in common. I sat down and asked her a few questions to better understand the designing process.

1. What message were you hoping to share through the choices you made?
The message and vision I had in mind for the Legally Blond costumes was one of nostalgia. I wanted the audience to be transported to the Y2K era Elle Woods lived and breathed. I wanted to keep her aesthetic somewhere between Barbie and Beverly Hills/Paris Hilton. Every other character had their own message and I wanted their costumes to support their stories. Pauline had to be eccentric and the sorority girls had to be clones of one another (lol).

2. Was there a particular theme in the costumes? Did color, texture, design, etc, represent anything?
All the details, patterns, accessories tied back into the 2000s nostalgia aesthetic.

3. How do you think the costume choices influenced the audiences interpretation of character?
I think my costume choices reaffirmed the audiences memories of watching the Legally Blonde movies. I think the costume choices strengthened the connection between audience and characters because it gave them visual representations of the character’s personalities.

4. Where did you draw inspiration in order to get your message across?
 I drew inspiration from the movie itself as well as looking through 90s and 2000s music videos, magazines and tv shows/movies. Also looking at law school culture and “uniforms.”

5. Which character was the most fun to dress?
Pauline and the UPS guys! 

Thank you Nina for answering questions and providing insight into the design process!