Costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne delves into the style that defines ‘Imperfect Women’ on Apple TV …
Tiffany Hasbourne is an acclaimed costume designer whose latest project, the limited series Imperfect Women on Apple TV, has become a talking point for fashion. The eight-part series sees Kate Mara, Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington star in a compulsive drama which explores the impact of a murder on a group of life-long female friends. The women’s decades-long bond is put under the microscope when an investigation reveals some unexpected truths.
What was your process like with Imperfect Women?
A lot of it was sourcing fabrics and different designers, and making Los Angeles a part of the costume story. Elisabeth Moss was very intentional for Mary’s character to have Clare V bags, which worked well since it’s a staple brand in L.A. For Nancy, it was the background of her being a ballerina, her work with helping different foundations and being the perfect wife for her husband. She has married into money, so she always has to feel like she puts on this facade to fit in with people who have it.
Tell us about the use of colour in the show.
I used colour to help tell a story about each of the main characters and how they see each other. Eleanor is somebody who wants to be hidden, and she comes from money. She’s always had eyes on her, but she has very much chosen to do charity. So a lot of her colours are strong but dark to make her disappear into the crowd and keep the focus on her work. On the other hand, Nancy is trying to play the perfect wife, so she wears a lot of pastels. Then Mary’s colour palette is floral to give more of a maternal vibe until she turns over a new leaf, and then you see her in more powerful shades. As much as you want to say these three women aren’t friends because of their secrets they are in their own way and, at their cores, they truly love each other.
Costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne with Kate Mara who plays Nancy on the Apple TV limited series. Image: Instagram @tiffthestylist.
How did you distinguish the personalities of the three female leads?
It was a tricky balance because I thought of it as not only building their individuality, but also showing their influence on each other. It was important for me to do that because I think you see that in real friendships. There is individuality, but once you have been friends with someone for so long, you start to influence each other.
For example, we had a lot of ballet references for Nancy, and Eleanor has a lot of ballet flats, but they are so different from Nancy, who wears a lot of heels. So for Eleanor, it was more of a funky vibe of streetwear mixed with high-end brands to kind of collaborate her world of being in the office and playing cornhole.
For Nancy, everything had to be perfect. So a lot of her dresses – her Schiaparelli New Year’s dress, her Marc Jacobs dress when she was working at the ballet – and a lot of sweaters were tasked with covering the scars on her shoulder. When we got to Mary, we used brands like Dôen to show a softness, via eyelet-details and florals, that make her wardrobe functional when she is picking up laundry or getting groceries from the store.
Which designers do you like to work with?
On this project, there were a lot of designers who jumped in to really help us. Dior gave us Nancy’s bag which was exclusive to its Dubai location. Chanel was generous enough to give us scarves for Eleanor. We wanted to make her look interchangeable for her long days around the town, so we achieved that by giving her a high-end accessory to go with her workout clothes. Balenciaga offered us a lot of their great accessories to use for the ladies. For example, Eleanor wears an oversized Balenciaga bag when she gets on the jet to go see her mother in the final episode.
Did things like socio-economic class come into the costuming for the characters in terms of their clothing choices?
Absolutely! In the first episode, the audience doesn’t know that Eleanor actually comes from money, but it is very much shown that she owns a business, she runs an office, she’s the boss, and she has a beautiful apartment. When she has an interview in the office, she’s in a Prada dress, socks and sandals, but they are all things that have an element of function. Once you find out who she is, she has a Birkin bag and she’s in a designer suit. Everything becomes more distinctive and more powerful. Then, when we got into Mary, it was showing her repeating outfits, or interchanging them for different scenes, because she may not have a closet as extensive as a Nancy or an Eleanor, and her day consists of more everyday tasks.
Costuming in prestige TV is as much of a talking point as the plot – what were you hoping to convey with the fashion on Imperfect Women?
I was hoping to convey versatility. I was hoping that there was a world for every woman to watch this show and see a piece of herself or a friend of hers. I think I had the most pressure with Kerry Washington because whenever fashion as a character comes up there will always be a nod to her being Olivia Pope [from hit TV show Scandal]. I wanted to ensure I was creating a unique character style so she could become Eleanor. If you can get lost in the storytelling of Eleanor, Nancy and Mary in each of their episodes then I have done my job properly.
What was the one item of clothing you were most excited to get for the show – and how did it feed into the story?
There were some pieces I knew I needed as soon as I read the script. For example, the Kisslock bag by Coach. I knew that Eleanor needed this bag and they sent us one in every colour, including a one-of-a-kind graffiti style. It was funky and a nod to her east coast roots. These kinds of pieces played a key part in helping us tell a story of the elevation and the access that these women had.
Which part of the costuming have you been most excited for audiences to see?
I think the most exciting part was being able to do custom work and having a contemporary show that very much had a world you could build – and shop. One of my favorite costumes was Eleanor’s ballet outfit early on in the season. We were looking for that liquid fabric. We custom-made the dress, but it was missing fine details. So we added custom gloves with drops that emulated water drops or tears that represented her sadness for Nancy. When the idea of the gloves came up, I had found some simple sheer gloves, but I wanted a bit more drama so my team reached out to a designer in Europe, C’est Jeanne. I remember bringing them to Kerry and overthinking if they were too much but being the fashion icon she is she put them on and it was magic.
We custom-made all the ballet costumes for every time they went to a ballet. It was such a long process that included finding the material and running back and forth to set in order to get sketches approved before we put them into production. We worked in collaboration with a ballet expert who would tell us what they would wear, what would be comfortable, and how they would dance a particular routine.
What’s been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
I don’t know if I have a most memorable moment of my career. I was told by a mentor that it’s always your next job. I feel like every time I think I’ve reached that moment, something else happens that moves the bar a little bit more, but it never gets old to see my name in the credits of shows or movies. I came from music where a music video happens, and it could go viral and be everywhere, but your name isn’t actually attached to it. With film and TV, it’s seeing your name and being acknowledged for your work that makes it memorable each time.
Images throughout: Apple TV. Watch ‘Imperfect Women’ on Apple TV now.
