“I don’t think I’m daunted by period pieces, I’m intrigued by them,” says J.R. Hawbaker in our recent webchat about her costume designs in David O. Russell‘s latest film “Amsterdam.” “People in history are just us in different time periods. I love finding the humanism and the character that we all are now in every period in history.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Amsterdam” stars Christian Bale, John David Washington and Margot Robbie as three friends who witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. The large ensemble includes Robert De Niro, Taylor Swift, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek and many more.
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“He thinks so artistically about so many different artistic avenues,” the costumer says of Russell. “You usually have a conversation about the art and the character first before you even have a conversation about the screenplay or the shooting elements of it. You mostly get to dive into this wonderful, texture-filled conversation with David about all sorts of things.”
One of the most impeccable designs is worn by Swift, who plays Liz Meekins, an upperclass socialite in the early 1930s. “I didn’t know it was Taylor at first,” Hawbaker admits. “I knew we were going to have some really wonderful casting coming in, but it was a little bit of a secret. I had to conceptualize the character before I knew it was Taylor. I adjusted slightly once I knew it was her for color palate, skin tone, hair color and things like that. Liz Meekins is from elite society, but she’s also playing in this wonderful cinematic tradition of the femme fatale. I wanted to present that and play in that sandbox, but without tipping our hand too hard.”
Hawbaker lights up when asked to describe 1930s fashion trends. “Every decade flows from another. Fashion is a cultural beacon for what’s going on in society at the time. The 1930s is really fun because it’s actually this breakout from the formality of a lot of earlier decades. There was a big sportswear infusion in the early 1930s and late 1920s. It was really great to be able to put that in the film. A lot of what Rami wears, which is more casual, at home, sweaters, and double pleated pants and Taylor’s sportswear, knit dress.”
“Amsterdam” was released in the United States on October 7 by 20th Century Studios and is currently available to stream on demand. Watch our full chat with Hawbaker above.
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