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Inside the World of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Costumes
The Brooklyn warehouse served as a filming location for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. The warehouse had various designer costumes, and the visuals showed the director’s and costume designer Donna Zakowska’s hard work.
Donna Zakowska, an Emmy-winning costume designer, has dressed over 50,000 actors and extras for the hit show. During the shooting of the latest season, in October, she gave marching orders to her team to convey the emotions and aesthetic tones of various scenes.
Zakowska discussed her process behind creating costumes for each character. She used the “Maisel map” to maintain Rachel Brosnahan’s signature look and color palettes from previous seasons. Before filming a scene, each player was given a once-over to ensure everything looked perfect. Zakowska also studied this map when seeking inspiration.
When asked about her character, Midge, Brosnahan replied, “Without geniuses like Donna, crafting this character and helping me understand where she was, emotionally, scene to scene, I don’t think we would be here.”
The attention to detail regarding the characters and costumes was immense. Zakowska often equated the color of the costume with the character’s mood. In earlier seasons, Midge wore pastel-colored suits uptown while performing in clubs downtown dressed in a black dress. This contrast shows her character’s empowerment.
Many of the actors, such as Alex Borstein, who plays Susie, collaborated with Zakowska to develop their characters’ costumes. Reid Scott, who plays a late-night host on the show, transformed into his 1961 character with Zakowska’s tailored suits, vintage cardigans, and bespoke waistcoats.
Zakowska was pleased with how the fans responded to her costumes. Women worldwide dressed like Midge for Halloween, and Zakowska attributes this to the character giving women a vocabulary, among other things.
The cast has always praised the work of the costume designer. As the show enters its final season, the actors still have a hard time saying goodbye to their characters and trust Zakowska’s vision and attention to detail that brought them to life.
