The powerful colors of the 70s and the darkness and creepy atmosphere of the orphanage are brilliantly reflected in the costumes created by two-time Oscar-nominated costume designer Paco Delgado. For the world in the orphanage with the nuns and the orphan girls, he wanted everything to have a sort of gothic feeling. “From day one, Kasha (Arkasha Stevenson) said she wanted to have these figures sort of floating through the hallways,” says Delgado. “So, we designed the costumes with light materials. They look heavy, but in fact, they are really light, and they move with the wind.” Delgado continues, “Then for the girls, we knew that we were in an orphanage in the seventies, but we wanted a specific ambience, so the girls were dressed in uniforms and clothes that were made in the forties or fifties.” Margaret’s look, however, was completely different. “We wanted to create an outfit that reflected the fact that she was almost a novice. But at the same time, she was out in the world. So for her costume, I looked back at what Yves Saint Laurent was doing in the seventies, when he did these amazing outfits. They looked really severe, but at the same time, they had a sense of glamour and style.” In discussing Delgado’s craft, Stevenson says, “The details on all of Paco’s costumes were so magnificent. The nun habits are so unique: they had this unusual pleating, which became the common thread between everything in the orphanage. [x]
THE FIRST OMEN (2024)
Dir. Arkasha Stevenson
