The low-slung jeans and strappy going-out tops are pitch-perfect for the era, and costume designer Charlotte Svenson immediately immerses us in the mid-00s period with a reminder of a time when waistbands seemingly couldn’t get any lower.
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Fur Coats, Low-Rise Jeans & The Trauma Of Our Twenties: Inside The Fashion Of "Tell Me Lies"
“From low-rise jeans and Ugg boots to fur-trim jackets and going-out tops, Tell Me Lies recreates the trends of the late-aughts while also resurrecting the emotional logic of how people dressed during one of the most formative periods of their lives. It's no wonder these looks can send millennial viewers into a nostalgia-induced spiral. Behind these polarizing looks is costume designer Charlotte Svenson, who has been on the show since its first season and can be lovingly blamed for our collective flashback.”
The Fashion In Tell Me Lies Will Transport You Back To The Late 2000s
”For costume designer Charlotte Svenson, it was all about transporting the audience back to the late aughts, when the show’s core friend group — including Lucy (played by Grace Van Patten), Stephen (Jackson White), Pippa (Sonia Mena), Wrigley (Spencer House), Bree (Catherine Missal), and Evan (Branden Cook) — were in college. “For our viewers, some are millennials diving into familiar nostalgia, while others are Gen Z seeing trends come full circle,” Svenson tells TZR on a recent call. The costume designer — who has also helped with the costumes on shows like Orange Is the New Black and Russian Doll — adds that fashion is a powerful way to tap into those emotions, both for the story and the overall tone of the show.”
Tell Me Lies – Costume Design for a TV Series
“Costume design is both an art and a craft. It’s about creating layers of meaning through clothing, even if the audience doesn’t consciously notice it. It’s a job that requires creativity, and a love for storytelling – not just a love for clothes.”
PLL: Summer School’ Star Jordan Gonzalez Explains How Ash’s Evolving Style Depicts Trans Experience
”The actor also played close attention to how Ash evolved since the start of the show, adding, “I had a wonderful conversation with Charlotte [Svenson], who was the head of our costume department about how Ash in season 1 is very kind of stoic and all black. [He] usually [wears] boots, which is very James Dean-esque.”
“While working on Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, costume designer Charlotte Svenson (an Emmy winner for her work on Russian Doll) challenged herself to keep up the meta pace while also honoring how far the spinoff’s main characters (final girls Imogen, Mouse, Tabby, Noa, and Faran) have come following the traumatic events of Original Sin.”
“Every item in Lucy’s wardrobe is vintage – albeit not in the Galliano-era Dior sense. Among the items that costume designer Charlotte Svenson sourced for Van Patten via Depop? Various Coach purses, the inevitable Juicy Couture sweats, and denims via Abercrombie & Fitch. “You see how her clothes evolve as Tell Me Lies progresses,” Van Patten notes. “She’s going through this sexual awakening – and looking for power in her out-of-control relationship, too. By the finale, she’s essentially wearing a bra to school. Her insecurities flare up thanks to Stephen, and her need to impress him really starts to control her life.” If the fashion world has become enamoured with the Y2K era of late, Tell Me Lies is a cringey reminder of a sartorial moment defined, for many, by appealing to the male gaze.”
“Like most trendsetters, Grace Van Patten hopped on the low-rise jeans train long before everyone else caught on. She was filming Tell Me Lies, Hulu’s dark romantic drama which, crucially, is set in 2007—when the iPhone was in its infancy and fashion was, to put it lightly, risky. At her wardrobe fitting, the actress was met with pairs of True Religion jeans that rested far below the belly button; she felt nauseous at the sight. But as production carried on, her apprehension at the throwback wardrobe turned into appreciation.”
“The predominantly 2007 setting will no doubt tug on recent nostalgia strings. MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” is an instant mood setter, as is the focus on text messages popping up on Blackberry, Razr, and Sidekick screens. Social media is in its infancy, and no one has an iPhone yet. The low-slung jeans and strappy going-out tops are pitch-perfect for the era, and costume designer Charlotte Svenson immediately immerses us in the mid-00s period with a reminder of a time when waistbands seemingly couldn’t get any lower.”