The movie adaptation of Wicked: The Musical was released in the United States on Nov. 22, 2024. This highly anticipated fantasy musical is a two-part film, with the second half set to release in November 2025. Between the iconic witch hats and a famous ruffled pink dress, the costume design’s contribution to bringing the beloved story to life in such an innovative way should not be overlooked.

Paul Tazewell, NYC-based and award-winning costume designer on Broadway, was tasked with creating over 1000 costumes for the film. Tazewell had the assistance of over 70 people, all with a wide range of skill sets working in eight workshops at any given time to pull off this huge project.

According to Vogue, “On the busiest production days, Tazewell commanded a workshop of over a hundred, among them couture-level tailors and dressmakers, weavers and embroiders, hand-felters, knitters, milliners, shoemakers, armorers, and jewelry-makers, along with specialists in 3D-printing and laser manipulation.”

Tazewell creates costumes for predominantly African American and Latino productions, including  West Side Story (2021), Hamilton, and The Wiz Live! His diligent research and creative interpretation allowed him to create costumes that capture the fantastical world of Wicked. Every detail within the costumes reflects his innovative world-building and character design.

In a Forbes interview, Tazewell described the two years spent working on this movie as ‘transforming’, saying, “The sheer expansiveness of the world that we were creating provided an opportunity for me to expand creatively in a huge way.”

Inspiration

Wicked tells the backstory of the witches of Oz. The main characters Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, forge a complex multi-layered connection before and after Dorothy comes in.

The project had three main references: Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: “The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”, “The Wizard of Oz”, Victor Fleming’s 1939 film, and the Broadway show itself. Because of the devoted Broadway fanbase, Tazewell’s goal was to engage with them, not redefine what Wicked feels like. He wanted to strike a balance between fantasy and reality.

Glinda

Rather than the Broadway musical, this movie adaptation is inspired by the 1931 “The Wizard of Oz” movie. Ariana Grande’s Glinda has reverted to the pink wardrobe of Billie Burke’s Glinda. The excessive pink matches Glinda’s stereotypically feminine ideals and naivety. 

For Glinda’s iconic bubble dress, Tazewell knew it was important to nod to the original Glinda. In order to capture the “iconic” creation, Tazewell went for a softer pink and a warmer shade that became its own new design. He took visual cues from motifs both tangible (butterflies) and abstract (the Fibonacci spiral). Tazewell kept the dress translucent for a “lighter-than-air quality.” The silhouette of the dress had a structured, hand-beaded, and embroidered bodice that opened up to a bell shape. According to Variety, “He used different kinds of crinoline, tulle, and silk organza for the fabric with an ombre design so the pink got darker as it went towards her face.”

Elphaba

While imagining the evolution of Elphaba, Tazewell wanted the costumes to act as a “fashion ‘springboard’” that could have realistically led to the Wicked Witch’s (Margaret Hamilton) look from the 1939 film.

Elphaba’s hat is one of the most iconic pieces in the film, referencing the Wicked Witch of the West. Tazewell was able to give the hat a strong storytelling element. The asymmetrical hat is given more personality and carries power for Elphaba and her self-discovery. 

One of Tazewell’s favorite looks is Elphaba’s Emerald City dress. The dress contains micro-pleated chiffon applied in an undulating wave pattern, so when you are far away it looks like velvet, but as you move closer, you see it’s a textural and curvy wave pattern. The silhouette has strong shoulders, and a cinched waist, that opens up into a skirt. According to an interview for Variety, Tazewell was inspired by mushroom gills for Elphaba’s black dress, saying, “I became aware of the beauty of different kinds of mushrooms because of the texture and different colors.” He was tasked to align Elphaba with nature because of the character’s history, connection, and allyship with the animal community. 

Ensemble

Tazewell wanted Oz to feel like delight was running through every crack and crevice. In Munchkinland, the citizens wear rustic orange and brown agricultural outfits, while the people in Emerald City wear vibrant green and purple attire.

The students at Shiz University wear a variety of teal uniforms. Tazewell wanted the uniforms to be tailored to make a statement. He took the same uniform and made each one their own, reflecting how students wear uniforms now. 

In an interview with Refinery29, Tazewell says, “It was imperative that each of the citizens of [Oz] feels individual because that would give us a reality.” For the iconic heels that are given to Nessarose, Elphaba’s younger half-sister (that are later given to Dorothy), Tazewell wanted to include the “Easter egg of a swirling tornado where you see that in the heel, and then it opens up into swirls of jewels that wrap around the foot.”

Personal Favorite Costume Moments

Conclusion

Cynthia Erivo and Paul Tazewell agreed that no piece of the costumes is frivolous, and everything is meaningful.

In an interview for Playbill, Tazewell expressed his excitement for audiences to see the world they have created, saying, “We have created this playground where things can be delightful and beautiful and surprising and scary and breathtaking. We’re sweeping you into another world, and that world is so, so full of wonder. I can only hope audiences are as swept away by it as I was designing it.”

Paul Tazewell wants aspiring costume designers to know that passion comes first. It takes not just a talented but a huge and dedicated community to come together and make something happen. As Tazewell says, “I [want] to acknowledge that and honor that and that’s what is beautiful about doing what I do”

Sources

Paul Tazewell Brings Wicked Styles to the Big Screen 

‘Wicked’ Costume Designer Shares The Story Behind The Film’s Iconic Looks

Elphaba’s Dress in ‘Wicked’ Was Inspired by Mushroom Gills 

In Wicked, Costume Designer Paul Tazewell Makes Magic 

Wicked Costumes Were Inspired By The Wizard Of Oz & “Sprinkled With Magic” How Paul Tazewell Created the Costumes for the Wicked Movies (And What Happened to Glinda’s Blue Dress)