Handmaid's Tale Womens Fancy Dress Costume

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Spencer: It’s such an incredible achievement, we are so happy for you! My first question I always love to ask my guests is how you came into your life as a costume designer, and how did you end up taking on a role on The Handmaid’s Tale? Spencer: I mean how can you not read the script! I would feel the same way (Laughs). Sounds like you made the right choice. So you’ve been on the show since the very beginning – how has your connection to the costumes and story evolved over the years? Natalie: No actually, not at all. It’s just a way of rethinking the obvious and rejigging it for the characters to convey the storyline. I had to get very inventive which is interesting because I absolutely love taking objects of regular use and giving them a whole new meaning or usefulness. Keep collections to yourself or inspire other shoppers! Keep in mind that anyone can view public collections—they may also appear in recommendations and other places. Spencer: Speaking of strict parameters, because of Gilead’s very strict way of life, do you ever feel restricted when it comes to navigating the costume journey?

One of the most distinct costume pieces in the entire series has got to be June's red sweatshirt. It's a piece that is featured in a lot of different scenes and seems to be of particular importance to June. And it seems that way because it is.

Natalie: Actually, I did not have to even turn the TV on to pull any symbolism from it because all the symbolism has been around before. Women have been covered up since ancient Greek times, in various cycles of dress and undress in terms of covering their bodies and their hair and their faces. My inspiration often comes from oil paintings, literature, historical stories I’ve read, archeology, sculpture, and just a human existence on this planet in its various cycles. Outside of the color spectrum, Crabtree applied her design expertise to small subtleties that may go unnoticed by most viewers. “I gave the Handmaids lace-up boots that were modeled after a pair I have, but then I took away their laces so that they can’t even consider killing themselves,” she says; that move is also a reference to Atwood’s original novel, in which many Handmaids attempted self-harm to escape their warped reality. “We sewed the grommets down, and then on top of that we did a boot cover, so they can’t even be reminded that they used to have laces. It’s just a sleek cover. That was a way of oppressing them mentally.”

Spencer: For the first two seasons of the show you served as the costume supervisor. Now for season 3 you have taken on the role of designer. For those looking at a career in costume design, what do these different titles mean in terms of responsibilities? Colour became an intense obsession, Crabtree tells us. “In Atwood’s simplified universe, everyone was divided into controlled groups depending on their role. Each sub sector needed a uniform to overthrow any individuality, so colour was a very tribal way to identify this.” Within the handmaids’ uniform, Miller tasked Crabtree with creating individuality. “Uniformed prisoners often use their hair to show personality, but the handmaids’ hair is covered by the white “wings” that shield their faces. Moss worked with Crabtree to develop a storyline, which is not showed in the series, to aid individual costume development. Spencer: You spoke a little about research which is what I wanted to ask you about next. Research plays such an important role in costume design, so what type of research does this show entail? The thing that makes this show so horrific sometimes is that I can imagine a lot of inspiration probably comes from just turning on the news at some point. Sunday nights have taken a rather chilling turn since Bruce Miller’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale has filled the primetime TV slot. Helping realise Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future is costume designer Ane Crabtree, whose CV includes Westworld and The Sopranos. Vogue caught up with Crabtree to find out how she imagined the handmaids’ conservative dress, the role colour played in characterisation and why a pair of old boots became the surprising hit on set in Toronto.

If the deep red of the handmaids’ dresses is what makes initial impact on-screen, the fluidity of the swing silhouettes is second. “The dress shape came from a knit dress that everyone was wearing when I was at school in the Eighties, but the fluidity was inspired by a priest I sketched in the Duomo di Milano in 2001. The Handmaids Tale Blessed Be the Fight, Pro Choice Shirt, Under His Eye Tee, Feminist Shirt, Reproductive Rights Tee

Natalie: Every colour has a meaning, a symbolism worldwide. When we look at something, it is the very first thing we register in our senses. Colours evoke emotion instantaneously. From fiery reds to dark navys. Everything has a meaning and assemble. From across the room you can see where everyone comes from or belongs to in a particular society. The interesting thing about this show was having to think a little outside the box with very strict parameters, which was an incredibly interesting way to work.Handmaids Tale Inspired Costume - Sent SAME DAY from NYC - Handmaid's Tale Dress - doesn't include cape or bonnet Making your own Handmaid's Tale Costume can be a fun and creative DIY project. You need a red dress, a white bonnet, and a tote bag. Cut off the collar and sleeves of the dress, find or make a white bonnet with ribbons, find or make a white tote bag, and wear brown boots or shoes. When the dystopian world was created, everyone had to give their red clothing to the red centres, where the handmaids were housed, as no one else was permitted to wear that colour. Upon a handmaid’s initiation she was allowed to choose one item to have as her own individual property, a sad gift from the aunts.” Moss’s character, Offred, chooses a red sweater that allows her to style her uniform differently, but brings the “past, present and future” together on one outfit. Keep collections to yourself or inspire other shoppers! Keep in mind that anyone can view public collections - they may also appear in recommendations and other places.