Helen Huang On the Stylish Costumes Behind the Rage for ‘Beef’

Emotions run high throughout Netflix’s limited series contender, Beef, but that doesn’t mean the clothes can’t be just as extravagant. Contemporary costume design should not be overlooked or thought to be merely styling, and designer Helen Huang gives each character a specific viewpoint and perspective. Behind the rage, anger, ans frustration is a costume journey full of elegance and meaning.

One of my favorite bits of costuming was a happy accident. The glasses worn by Ali Wong’s Amy Lau were the first thing I noticed not just because the Lead Actress nominee is known for her specs. The shape of Amy’s glasses reminded me of a stop sign, so the road rage incident that kicks off the series is on Amy’s face the entire time.

“There was a lot of back and forth about making her less like Ali,” Huang reveals. “We thought about maybe putting her in contacts, but because Ali often wears angular glasses, we wanted to put her in softer frames. We wanted to put Ali in something to make her look wide-eyed even though the character is anything but that.”

Huang was quick to point out that just because Amy sells her company, it doesn’t mean she is going to change everything about her look or persona. Amy is a character who could walk into a boutique, scan the vibe of the store and know if there is anything on the racks that fits her personal wardrobe.

“With Ali, she definitely wanted to wear more current silhouettes, and we wanted to present a more calm, Zen-like person,” she says. “At the beginning, we looked at brands that made sense for that. Even though Ali is smaller, she can really pull off those exaggerated silhouettes. For me, it was important that as she evolves, we don’t change her shape too much. There were a few moments where we had to make the clothes fit tighter, but that was because of story purposes like the cutout dress later on so she could show off her tattoo. When she wore black, after her company is bought, that was on purpose to show the shift in the hair and comment on the severity of that. When she is in something more form-fitting, it was still about consistency. My personal view is that I don’t like when female characters drastically change their appearance in a series–I find that insulting to women in general as if they don’t have their own identity. Amy has a brand that she fought for and she understands that branding on herself. Even if we change the colors, it remains within the brands that she chooses from.”

When speaking about Steven Yeun’s Danny Choi on Instagram, Huang gave a lovely tribute to men in her life that she recognizes. “In many ways, Danny’s looks are the most intimate, personal costumes that I’ve ever designed. He reminds me of the Asian men that I grew up with. The Asian men that I see everyday, negotiating for their own space in American culture,” her caption reads. It’s refreshing and vital to see a costume designer representing people and a culture that isn’t represented on screen enough.

“When I read the script, I definitely knew Danny was,” Huang says. “One of the reasons that I really wanted to be a part of this project is that it showed so many regional differences between Asian people. Where you grew up is very important to an Asian identity and also your economic level. I feel like there was a vacuum for showing the economic bracket that Danny is from. It’s very personal for me. I remember what my dad and my brothers wore growing up, and I wanted to show people something that connects to the audience who may not know the cultural aspect to Asian American identity. But it’s also about connecting to the Asian American audience who has never seen themselves on screen in this way. Since Danny is a central character, he has an arc to where I could take this. Steven [Yeun] wore a lot of rented and Goodwill clothes–everything was designed with the idea that Danny stopped shopping for clothes around 2010. We were looking for clothes that were older that didn’t move, and I wanted to show that Danny was part of a subculture group since he skates. The world might not accept you, but you might have this group that you move around in. It was such a joy to find these pieces. We all knew where our dads bought their Liz Claiborne jacket or their slippers from. Those are nuances from childhood memory that we let Danny embody.”

If you look at the clothes worn by Danny versus his younger brother, Paul (played by Young Mazino), you will see clear differences. Paul is always scrolling through social media, and he definitely wants to present a certain look to the world. Him and Amy are clearly in different moments in their lives, but both of the characters are active shoppers.

“We wanted him to feel very “mall,” she says. “If Amy is extremely stylish and she’s up on current trends, we wanted Young’s character to be more aware of things than Danny is. All of his references are bought with the idea that he’s really hip. He’s not wearing thrifted clothes, but he definitely shops at Pac Sun. The amount of thought that goes into what these people wear is no different than if I was designing for a sci-fi show or a period film. With contemporary shows, you want to show them a reality that they haven’t thought about in such a long time.”

Joseph Lee’s George is a character who doesn’t realize how much weight his words carry. In his first scene with Amy, George (played by Joseph Lee) recommends that his wife calm down after her road rage moment, and he doesn’t even realize how condescending he is being. George has known money all of his life, and Huang points out that he would take more risks with designers and colors than the other men in Beef.

“With every project, I like to think what the costumes are contributing in terms of the conversation,” Huang says thoughtfully. :Men don’t talk about how or why they dress, because that’s not a masculine ideal in our society. Also, there is a difference American men and men who might have a more international upbringing. Asian men in different places like Shanghai, Seoul, or Japan love to dress up and they love curating their clothes. I wanted that element of George to come across. Because we knew who Amy was, I wanted him to feel very cohesive with her, because, sometimes, partners mimic each other in terms of their aesthetics. We even brought that into the clothes for Junie. She doesn’t dress herself, so she will look like a unit with her parents. We were looking for George to look soft, creative, and high-end.”

With so many aspirational duds throughout Beef, it would be hard for Huang to steal just one garment. I would want to steal George’s coveted sweater collection as well as his green suit that he wears to the exhibition early in the season. Huang has some ideas of her own.

“I really love Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake, so I would steal from Fumi. We bought a lot of ’80s Issey Miyake for her, so I would take a lot of pieces from her. Amy and I dress similarly, but I would take the Lemaire dress that she wears to Jordan’s party. Also, Danny’s Spring shirt. We made those, and I have a real connection with it.”

Beef is streaming now on Netflix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFPIMHBzGDs