On Saturday, Feb. 19, I interviewed Marin Hinkle and Caroline Aaron, cast members of the hit series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” In conversation with Kayli Carter, a SCAD Alum and fellow actor on the show, Hinkle and Aaron discussed everything from experiencing self-doubt and always starting from square one to working with their director Amy Palladino. Both these women play the mothers of our protagonists in the show Midge and Joel Maisel for the show.
Set in a period of rapid societal changes, Mrs. Maisel often positions the duo as two sides of the same coin: the image of the “perfect” modern American woman while still being quite different. Rose’s journey from relying a lot on doing things in a way that she thinks pleases those around to standing up for herself in front of her extended family as well as assuming real control of her family’s future and setting some career goals. While Shirley, our other Mrs. Maisel, has received growing screentime embracing her kookiness throughout the seasons. But what these two characters have in common is their impeccable taste in fashion.
With three seasons under her belt and two more seasons coming up, Donna Zakowska has made feats with costume designing for the show. Zakowska has also documented her design process for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in her book, “Madly Marvelous: The Costumes of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Zakowska explained, “I wanted to revisit the New York that I had heard about from my parents. To bring to life the tales of the Greenwich Village basket houses and the Catskills hotels my father worked at as a stand-up comic.” As claimed by Amy Palladino, she was a perfectionist’s perfectionist, and each color and fabric was thought with a clear purpose. She covered all her bases, from depicting Midge’s mood through the color scape of her outfits to collecting real period prototypes.
When conversing with Hinkle and Aaron, I discovered the actors didn’t just wear the period’s garments but also undergarments. And no, they are not comfortable.
As the series moves into season 4 and into the transitional period of the 1960s, The new season’s costumes carry over many of the design elements seen in the first three seasons, with the characters dressed in bright colors, full skirts, and an ample amount of accessories that were synonymous with 1950s womenswear styles. Zakowska leverages this style and marries it with styles emerging in the 1960s, during a time she refers to as a “transitional period” for fashion. Hinkle dropped a small nugget saying we should be on the lookout for Rose tries on pants, and if you know Rose, this should be nothing short of entertaining.
Words by Rhea Gupta.
Graphics by Fai McCurdy.