• About Us
  • Advertising on Awards Daily
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
Awardsdaily
  • Home
  • Good As Gold
  • AD TV
  • Podcasts
  • Interviews
  • Follow us on Twitter
    • Awards Daily
    • Sasha Stone
    • Ryan Adams
    • Clarence Moye
    • Mark Johnson
  • All News
  • Home
  • Good As Gold
  • AD TV
  • Podcasts
  • Interviews
  • Follow us on Twitter
    • Awards Daily
    • Sasha Stone
    • Ryan Adams
    • Clarence Moye
    • Mark Johnson
  • All News
No Result
View All Result
Awardsdaily
No Result
View All Result

‘West Side Story’ Costume Designer Paul Tazewell On Deciding Colors and Fabrics for the Jets and the Sharks

by Joey Moser
January 28, 2022
in Interviews
0
‘West Side Story’ Costume Designer Paul Tazewell On Deciding Colors and Fabrics for the Jets and the Sharks

(Photo: Niko Tavernise/Twentieth Century Studios/Amblin Entertainment)

I admit that I am a little obsessed with the costuming of West Side Story. Costume designer Paul Tazewell hails from Broadway, so he knows how to lead a character’s arc through the clothes they put on their body. He won a Tony Award for Hamilton, but he also created duds for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, Memphis, In the Heights, and A Raisin in the Sun. The clothes worn by Maria, Anita, and all of the characters of Spielberg’s film are are created by a master.

When you look at the costumes of the Sharks and the Jets side by side, you may notice that they are blocked in two specific colors. The Sharks lean more towards fiery reds and crimsons, but the Jets are cooled down in blues and lighter greys. It’s not a uniform or a requirement to be in these gangs, but Tazewell wanted to show the allegiance in just the selection of colors that these boys wore. Since Riff probably doesn’t have the time or energy to always wash his clothes, he wears a lot of dirty undershirts where the sleeves are rolled up or there is a dark stain on them.

And then there are the show-stopping musical numbers. Tazewell didn’t try to recreate Rita Moreno’s iconic purple dress from “America,” but he dresses her in a sunburst yellow. Steven Spielberg wanted Tony’s first glimpse of Maria to be when she was wearing a different kind of white dress. The sleeves are capped and the closer you get to it, the more you see the youthful lace detail.

Every outfit that Tazewell designed isn’t flashy for flashy sake. They are gorgeous, yes, but they are all steeped in the characters’ choices and backgrounds. Every item belongs in these characters’ closets.

West Side Story is in theaters now.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • Print
Tags: Costumespaul tazewellWest Side Story
Joey Moser

Joey Moser

Joey is a writer currently living in Columbus, OH. He is a proud member of GALECA, and he is a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic. If you would like to talk to Joey about cheese or Julianne Moore, follow him on Twitter or Instagram.

Next Post
Directors Léo Berne and Raphaël Rodriguez On the Dreamy Landscape of ‘Censor of Dreams’

Exclusive: Short Contender 'Censor of Dreams' On Creating a World While We Sleep

Sign up for Awards Daily's Breaking News

* indicates required
  1. FeelingBlue2018 on The Academy, ABC Announce Key Dates for 95th Oscars®May 18, 2022

    Wishful thinking...

  2. Jesus Alonso on Cannes Dispatch – Final CutMay 18, 2022

    "One Cut of the Dead" is essential viewing for anyone interested in filmmaking. It is excellent and mindblowing at many…

  3. dadelcz . on The Academy, ABC Announce Key Dates for 95th Oscars®May 18, 2022

    Lol, you forgot Lightyear

  4. Ashwin Pinto on The Academy, ABC Announce Key Dates for 95th Oscars®May 18, 2022

    And film critics?

  5. Ashwin Pinto on The Academy, ABC Announce Key Dates for 95th Oscars®May 18, 2022

    Because she had earlier won a Screenplay Oscar for 'The Piano'

  • Rank This! The Ten Best Westerns of the 21st Century

    Rank This! The Ten Best Westerns of the 21st Century

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Academy, ABC Announce Key Dates for 95th Oscars®

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Wonderful and Rascally Fred Ward

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Avatar: The Way of Water Teaser

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ Really Makes the Grade

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

AwardsDaily Crew

  • About Us
  • Sasha Stone
  • Editor Ryan Adams
  • Editor Clarence Moye
  • Editor Mark Johnson
  • Contact Us

ADTV Crew

  • ADTV Home
  • Megan McLachlan, Editor
  • Joey Moser, Editor
  • Clarence Moye, Editor
  • Jalal Haddad, Senior Contributor
  • Shadan Larki
  • Ben Morris
  • David Phillips
  • Advertising on Awards Daily
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Oscar Podcast
  • AwardsDailyTV

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Good As Gold
  • AD TV
  • Podcasts
  • Interviews
  • Follow us on Twitter
    • Awards Daily
    • Sasha Stone
    • Ryan Adams
    • Clarence Moye
    • Mark Johnson
  • All News

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In