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

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.