How Justine Seymour Gave Us a Glimmer of Couture During Wartime for ‘Transatlantic’

When I saw the trailer for Anna Winger’s Transatlantic, the first thing that I notice was the costume design. Set at the beginning of the 1940’s France, the limited series tells the little explored history of American Emergency Rescue Committee operatives Mary Jane Gold and Varian Fry aiding refugees as Nazi persecution threatens to take hold. The visual storytelling of Transatlantic is astonishing, and Justine Seymour’s costume design impresses more and more with every passing episode.

Since there are so many wonderful period pieces within Transatlantic, Seymour and I dove into conversations about character. This limited series has a huge ensemble cast, but she never loses sight about their background or point of view when designing their garments.

Gillian Jacobs’ Mary Jane comes from a comfortable, affluent world, and she becomes the main bank account for their fight. When she is spending a quiet night with everyone at the Villa-Bel, she might be dressed down, but she dons spectacular patterns and hats when she is out making an impression or trying to seduce Corey Stoll’s Graham Patterson. The scale of her wardrobe alone will blow your mind. Cory Michael Smith’s Fry is almost always seen in a beautifully tailored suit, and it reinforces how he is hiding a part of himself in a time that would put his life in danger.

Thomas Lovegrove, played by Amit Rahav, is allowed to be worldly but theatrical by wearing fabrics and silhouettes that other men wouldn’t have the guts to put on. I want every single item in his closet. One of the best scenes of the entire season is set at a party where everyone creates a costume from household items. It’s a parade of paper hats and homemade fascinators. That alone should secure Seymour a nomination.

Seymour’s designs are apt to character and bring a level of sophistication that only elevates Winger’s series. Every piece feels like an artifact. Each button and every necktie honors a real-life fight by steeping it in history.

Transatlantic is streaming now on Netflix.