If you’re not familiar with Jacobean dress, it’s time to become aware. As costume designer Annie Symons explains to us when discussing her work on the new miniseries Mary & George (available now on Now TV), the period when James I jointly ruled both England and Scotland from 1603 to 1625 was hardly It is not a common period. represented in film or television, but full of sartorial delights. Hats, ruffles, jewels and fabrics: this was the period when English court fashion was at its most flamboyant.
So flamboyant, in fact, that the fashion at Mary & George actually has a character of its own. Based on Benjamin Woolley’s 2017 history book The King’s Assassin, the series follows the rise of mother Mary (played by Julianne Moore) and son George Villiers (Nicholas Galitzine) at James’s court; George eventually seduces the king and his personal men. favorite. In this story, dressing the part literally becomes a matter of life and death.
Mary & George is a psychosexual court drama full of intrigue and strange insinuations, and Symons’ costumes provide just the right amount of camp. We caught up with the costume designer to learn more about the one color Julianne Moore wishes she wouldn’t wear, and to find out how maybe—just maybe—ruffles could be back in fashion.
I think it’s hard to find new ways to make period pieces look different. How did you achieve this with Mary & George?
“Well, here’s the thing: we haven’t seen this period before because it’s rarely done. In the UK we’ve seen plenty of Jacobean tragedies on stage, but very little representation on television, so it was exciting to venture into new territory. James was on the throne for a short time but defined a truly unique style and fashion. There was nothing available in the rental houses in terms of costumes, so we had to do everything ourselves. We [rented] a bit of an Elizabethan stock.”
How does Jacobean costume differ from Elizabethan?
“The shapes are different. Jacobean is all about these falling frills and jewels and hairstyles. In Elizabethan times there were these enormous farthingales [underneath skirts to give them their shape]but in Jacobean things begin to soften and become more wearable.
This show, in a very simple sense, is all about social climbing. How did you convey this through clothes?
“Mary uses the costume as a tool. Clothing and fabrics, as today, are signs of power, wealth and status; but then it was even more important because you actually had to fake it to get into court. Many 17th-century families are known to have gone bankrupt in their efforts to become part of a world that could afford these fashionable clothes and extraordinarily expensive lace.
How did you bring Julianne Moore’s character, Mary, to life through costume?
“Mary uses the costume as a chameleon-type calling card. Wherever he goes, he seems to fit in; except for one scene in particular where she wears a smocked purple farthingale dress with ‘whore make-up’. But this was very deliberate, and she was consciously wearing it to draw attention to herself. But when the show opens, Mary is pretty exhausted: her finances are exhausted, and her family is living in cramped conditions in this medieval house. Their clothes are good quality but I took out all the colors. We used many tones such as dried bone, lichen, dried blood to indicate that something dried and died. As she progresses, she becomes bolder and richer, marrying into money, she uses that money to dress herself and her son George and to play dressmaker.
How do we see her costumes change as she climbs the social ladder and her character develops?
“Basically, whenever there was an important moment with Mary, she would have a different colored outfit. Like a chess piece that changes color. The key was to achieve shapes and a look that truly complemented Julianne. I first met him while shooting May December in Savannah. I flew in with five bags of supplies on hand – bum rolls, hip rolls, farthingales, God knows what else – and we spent all day trying different shapes and learning what looked good on her.
“What I ended up doing was leaning a little bit into Dior’s New Look. Jacobean waists ride up, but aren’t that flattering on camera, so I kept their costumes at the natural waist. Meryem’s character is very precise and neat. She is a bit like a missile, determined to achieve her goals. We also get the idea that she is a modern woman living in a man’s world. There are elements that are very suit-like and masculine in their simplicity. “For example, when she’s in London, she wears a kind of proto-feminist leather jacket, which I think looks a bit funky and appropriate for London.”
This is so interesting that you drew inspiration from the New Look for Jacobean costume.
“What we have here is similar to the New Look that came later, and also the Elizabethan look that came before. During the Jacobean period, waist sizes were getting higher and higher; but that means a lot of volume in the camera. We also thought Julianne’s portrayal of Mary needed to be kept pretty sharp. “I learned from the past, I learned from the future.”
What’s it like to cosplay as Julianne Moore? Was he cooperative or did he let you run free?
“Julianne is extremely trusting. It’s all about how you feel in the costume, I totally get that. She wore a corset mainly to support the weight of these rather large skirts. For her character, I found myself constantly saying “Yet another costume!” Then I found it. Because in the end he had like 65 costumes. “You’re the designer, so if you like it, I like it too!” she would say. Then I would ask if he was feeling okay and he would say yes. But there was one color he didn’t want to wear…”
So what color was this?
“Trade secret! It was yellow. I wanted it to stand out like a sun emerging from a celestial blue palace. But I didn’t want to push the subject.”
Yellow is a difficult color!
“It really is! It’s all about skin tone. But you can’t blame me for trying.”
There are some really cool hats in this show.
“I’m so glad Julianne has embraced hats because they are part of the outfits. Hats can be tricky; You need to work very hard with hair experts, especially during the menstrual period. The hair supports the hat. We tried many shapes and finally landed on a variety that we thought worked. The most eye-catching dress Julianne wears is the one with giant bunny ears. “Just keep going,” the director said.
Sex really plays an important role in the script of this show. How did you make the Jacobean dress feel sexy?
“We used a lot of sheer fabric and sheer fabric. There are many scenes where George or the king is walking around in a t-shirt. We wanted it to be suggestive without being descriptive. “We used a lot of fabrics that have a certain lightness, which contributes to sensuality and freedom of movement.”
Was there anything your actors tried to steal from the set?
“There were some items that were very popular, but not really! People were very respectful. “I thought a few feathers would disappear as a souvenir, but that didn’t actually happen.”
I imagine it would be difficult for the Ruffs to sneak off the set.
“Funny enough, they fold up pretty easily!”
There are some great moves in this series. Maybe your costumes can spark a fashion trend.
“Ruffs will be big in fashion next year! But I’m not sure about farthingales.”
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