Wicked’s Costume Designer on How to Tell Stories with Clothes | Paul Tazewell | TED

Quick Overview

Costume designer Paul Tazewell argues that clothing is a powerful, non-neutral storytelling language that shapes perception by conveying character, history, and emotion, demonstrating this through costume choices in productions like "Wicked," "Hamilton," and "West Side Story" to show how attire communicates inherent goodness or wickedness, historical context, and modern relevance.

Key Points: Costume designer Paul Tazewell asserts that clothing is a form of storytelling that shapes perception before a word is spoken, influencing whether an audience views a character as a hero or villain. Tazewell specifically analyzes character costuming from "Wicked" (e.g., Elphaba's green skin and black attire versus Glinda's sparkling pink dress) to illustrate how color and texture immediately establish moral alignment. He discusses the costuming in "Hamilton," contrasting the vibrant colors worn by the American founders with the muted, regal tones of King George III, to show how attire communicates historical context and power dynamics. For the two gangs in "West Side Story," Tazewell used specific textures and colors (e.g., denim/earth tones for Jets vs. vibrant florals/reds for Sharks) to highlight cultural and conflict lines, even when the underlying story theme is shared humanity. Tazewell emphasizes that costume design is never neutral; it is a subconscious language that carries memory, aspirations, and biases, such as using denim for the Jets and vibrant textiles for the Sharks. He concludes that good costume design helps the audience relate to characters, even those who embody historical antagonists, by allowing them to see the shared humanity beneath the surface differences.

Context: Paul Tazewell, a costume designer known for his work on Broadway hits like "Hamilton" and "The Color Purple," presents his philosophy on how clothing functions as a powerful, non-verbal language in storytelling. He uses examples from theatrical productions, including the recent film adaptation of "West Side Story" and the musical "Wicked," to explore how costume choices—including color, texture, silhouette, and fabric—are instrumental in guiding audience perception of a character's morality, historical context, and group affiliation.