Posted in: Netflix, Stranger Things, TV | Tagged: stranger things

Stranger Things 5 Costume Designer on Vecna, Mr. Whatsit, Tide & More

Stranger Things 5 costume designer Amy Parris spoke to us about evolving Vecna's look for this season, Mr. Whatsit, the cast, Tide, and more.

Costume specialist Amy Parris has been active in Hollywood for the better part of 17 years, working on some of the biggest franchises and TV shows on in wardrobe, costuming, and as a costume designer for shows like Showtime's Yellowjackets and Masters of Sex, FX's Justified, CBS's 2 Broke Girls, Warner Bros' Her (2013), NBC's Ironside, HBO's Westworld, Disney's A Wrinkle in Time (2018). While promoting her work with Tide, Parris spoke to Bleeding Cool about her run as costume designer on Netflix's Stranger Things, how she's grown in her role since joining in season three, how the Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) design has been updated for season five, designing his latest human form alter ego Mr. Whatsit (another alias of Henry Creel), how the main core characters have changed with the latest season, and how Tide comes in handy between the series' most intense sequences and stunts.

Stranger Things 5 Costume Designer Amy Parris on Vecna, Mr. Whatsit, Dustin, Eleven, Will, Lucas, and More

What went into developing the look for Vecna in season five? How has it changed from season four, working with (makeup head) Barrie Gower and (concept artist) Michael Maher?

Barrie and Michael are treasures. They're such a gift, and we tried to help Jamie by adding lifts to the shoes for Vecna and putting extra muscle under his arms so his gait would be bigger. He's now taller, more powerful, and scarier this season. It was making sure the outfit was comfortable for Jamie to wear, and then we let Michael and the VFX team do the rest. There wasn't much involvement because Barry did such a great job. I didn't have to change anything. I just helped add to it.

What went into the design of Mr. Whatsit? Did Jamie Campbell Bower have any input into the design and what he would wear?

Yes. The design was based on a bit of your classic 50s suit, like Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), but I also wanted him to feel friendly and warm because if he's able to lure kids towards him, I felt like a warm color, like a nice warm brown, felt better than a cold gray. He also, as we know from season four, was influenced by Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine), right? Early in the 70s, we see Brenner in a brown suit, so it felt like how behavior is learned, like he learned how to lure kids just like Brenner did. It's a mix of Gregory Peck meets Brenner influence, and then Jamie had a great idea of adding the glasses. We weren't planning on having eyewear for him. We knew he would wear a hat while outside, but I think the glasses also help because when he really locks in to be that evil Mr. Whatsit, the glasses are gone. When he's friendly and with the kids, and more approachable, the glasses are on. That's a nice little addition that Jamie added.

As the young cast grows with each season and their characters, are there any changes or subtle shifts that reflect each character beyond just increasing their measurements due to their growth into adulthood?

Yeah. We see Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) becoming more serious this season. He's like in mourning (over losing Eddie Munson), so we see his growth in that he's in a very somber moment of his life. He's mourning the loss of a best friend. His clothing is a little bit darker, and he is wearing rings as an influence of Eddie (Joseph Quinn). His hair is longer. We see that Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) is a little bit more athletic, and it shows in his body shape as well as showing off his muscles, because he's training to protect Max, so we wanted to show that off.

With Will (Noah Schnapp), he's younger, or he still feels very young, and he has been less mature than the other boys, so I kept him in stripes and more juvenile colors that feel very youthful. With Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), she's in training mode, so this is another phase of her life as she's trying to figure out who she is, what her ultimate goal is in life. This is another completely different, bizarre look for her; it's also very true to an 80s-like fashion trend.

How quickly did you adjust to the Duffer style when you joined Stranger Things in season three? How do you feel you've grown from your time there? What was also your most significant challenge going into and preparing for the final season?

I feel like working with the Duffers and the entire crew in general has made me a better costume designer. Not that I wouldn't ever want to give 110%, but every department head is stellar at their job. We all aim and strive for authenticity, and so I want to be as good as the rest of the team. I want to make sure that I'm telling the story the way the Duffers intend. I feel like I've grown as a costume designer, and to be able to be a part of the influence of the show is really exciting.

The biggest challenge was that we had to prepare to not only have so many multiples for the cast, but it is such a messy show. It's so messy, and keeping all of our pieces in rotation and keeping everything clean, we use Tide, and we use the liquid formula because it helps keep the clothes brighter, fresher, and it keeps our continuity intact. If we have a stain that shows, it's going to throw the audience off. I don't know why this is harder for me because I know it.

As far as the final season goes, it's darker and more serious. They're fighting for their lives in this town, so making sure that we were prepared as far as they look, but then when they look the way we ultimately want them to look, do we have enough of it? Do we have enough fabric? Do we have principals? Is it clean? Is it ready to go back on camera? Keeping Tide around at any moment allowed us to repair clothing from dirty stains, goo, ice cream, or whatever was going to get on them. It's so messy on purpose. It's meant to be a show that really shows real people in real-life situations. That translates well to the consumer who would buy Tide, because you can see that if I can use it for like the big TV shows that are super messy, then obviously the average consumer can also use it for their messes. It was special to get to work with them this season.

Season five, part one of Stranger Things, which also stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Brett Gelman, Priah Ferguson, Cara Buono, and Linda Hamilton, is available on Netflix. Part two premieres on Christmas, and the finale on New Year's Eve.

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