From bubble ball gowns to whimsical tailored suits, the film adaptation of the beloved musical has designed a thrillifying world of clothes.
With the arrival of Part One of the dual film’s release on November 22, 2024, I wanted to take a look at all of the beautiful clothes featured on the star-studded cast. Inspired by the long-standing Broadway musical (which has been adapted for stages worldwide in dozens of languages), Wicked brings the loveable and heart-wrenching story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch, to the silver screen. The story of two witches with linked fate acts as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, the technicolor classic starring Judy Garland.
Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu, produces a fresh take on the iconic story, with two talented leading ladies– Tony-winning Cynthia Erivo and Grammy-winning Ariana Grande. The costume design is headed by Paul Tazewell, who has previously worked on blockbuster films like West Side Story and In The Heights, as well as Broadway musicals like The Color Purple and Hamilton, for which he won a Tony award for costume design.
Tazewell got his start in costume design as a teen when he created costumes for his high school’s production of The Wiz. Growing up in Akron, Ohio, there wasn’t much room for Tazewell to flex his creative muscles. He ended up at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, which would teach him the skills he needed to become the talented designer he is today.
When approaching the costuming for Wicked, Tazewell says he was inspired by nature. For shapes, Tazewell felt that the Fibonacci spiral “felt very magical,” in a New York Times interview. The Fibonacci spiral is a “mathematical sequence that can be used to create the shape of a spiral,” and can be found in art across many genres and time periods.
Tazewell used this spiral shape to inspire him to create Glinda’s wonderfully pink ball gown. The ball gown is made of nylon crinoline, carefully manipulated to create folds and swirls. The crinoline helped to structure the organza, printed with iridescent bubbles, to create a more dynamic twist on the traditional ball gown. Adorned with sequins and paillettes, the ball gown comes to life in a shimmering, swirling cascade of light. The ballgown catches the sunlight, making Grande a vision in pink.
As for the bodice, it is estimated that 20,000 beads were sewn onto the bodice alone. Tazewell leaned into pink as a hallmark for Glinda’s identity. Although Glinda wears blues, greens, and yellow in the original Broadway show, pink remained the primary color for Glinda, accented only by light blue and white. The happy color separates her from the serious contrast of Elphaba, seen mostly in black and dark blues.
The more headstrong of the duo, Erivo’s version of Elphaba is sincere and wary– rightfully so, seeing as the color of her skin creates a metaphoric green bubble around her. She is guarded but learns to open up to Fiyero as her friendship with Glinda deepens.
Known for her iconic asymmetrical hat, the pointy headpiece is an iconic part of Elphaba’s costume and often works as a storytelling element. Glinda gifts Elphaba the hat, which she later wears to dance at the Ozdust Ballroom. The scene where the two women begin to dance as onlookers laugh and mock Elphaba for her skin and hat. Even in a world as whimsical as Oz, Elphaba is still ridiculed for who she is.
The hat was carefully created with buckram using micro pleating, continuing the pattern of dynamic textures seen throughout Elphaba’s costuming. Its shape is architectural, similar to that of a mountain. When Elphaba dons the hat, she gains confidence she didn’t have before. The buckram is stiff and rigid, much like Elphaba’s defensive exterior. The hat has different sections stacked and then stitched together to create a perfectly asymmetrical point at the top of Cynthia Erivo’s head. When Elphaba arrives at the Ozdust Ballroom, the hat creates a beautiful silhouette against the light, pairing perfectly with the exaggerated shoulder on her dress.
As for the primary love interest, Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero is charismatic and carefree, dancing through Oz and stealing both Glinda’s and Elphaba’s hearts. Because Fiyero comes from royalty, his clothing reflects the expectations he faces (that he chooses not to entertain). Tribal and geometric shapes are embroidered throughout the suit jacket on the suit that Fiyero wears to the Ozdust Ballroom. For this look, Tazewell drew inspiration from Spanish equestrian costume, as well as military apparel from Southern Spain and North Africa.
Last but not least, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz himself. For Jeff Goldblum’s charismatic iteration of the Wizard, Tazewell wanted to lean into the carnival origin story and implement it into his three-piece suit. The Wizard’s costume is detailed with chains and little fobs to give his suits more life and whimsy. Some of the fobs include a hot air balloon, and the chains have emerald-shaped clasps and links. The two buttons placed on the back vent of the Wizard’s suit have a swirling design, perhaps a reference to the tornado that brings Dorothy to Oz. Finally, gold embroidery adorns the jacket of the suit, most notably around the jetted pocket. The waistcoat has a spiral shape that draws attention to the green eyeball broach in the middle in place of a traditional tie.
This article was written and edited by Alyssa Guevara.
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