How Luis Sequeira Costumed the Dark and Twisted Tales of ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities’ – Awardsdaily

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is unlike anything else on television right now. The Academy Award winning director always taps into something twisted and dark, but it’s rooted in the deepest parts of us. Costume designer Luis Sequeira, a frequent del Toro collaborator, created a diverse collection of garments that are steeped in character.

When you look at the breadth of del Toro’s endeavor, you can’t help but be impressed. Curiosities is comprised of 8 distinct stories told by 8 different directors. Each entry has a distinct style and mood. Sequeira was outlining several episodes simultaneously, and the undertaking was both thrilling and extensive for him.

“It was a challenge,” Sequeira said. “They are 8 movies, and we were prepping 2 or three at a time while shooting others. We were getting costumes from Europe and Los Angeles, but my agers, dyers, tailors and builders were all fantastic. After something was built, we had to go back and give it life. All of these films needed wear and tear. I rest on the laurels of my crew, because they facilitate the vision of 8 different directors. Each piece has its own palette and tonality, but it was such a wild ride.”

“Graveyard Rats” is one of the most unsettling chapters, and the costumes don’t get the attention they deserve. You can feel the weight of Masson’s coat and smell the dirt he crawls through throughout his dark journey. Sequeira revealed that the film was originally not supposed to be in color, and we chatted about how some viewers might not understand the differences between filming something in black-and-white. Certain colors need to be prepared in a different way to make them read on camera.

“It was originally supposed to be in black-and-white, and some of those textures were in color,” he said. “They were a little askew, but we did an amazing amount of research in terms of how they react to black-and-white photography. We did a whole study on it. The off-whites need to be incredible darker, for instance. We had to do a lot of testing of what looked better in color versus black-and-white, and that coat is really the quintessential piece. Masson’s coat had to take him from a graveyard to a funeral. We built it, and aged it out. There were a few references that we looked at, but then we created our own version of it. All of the rest of the characters had their own 1911 quality to them. Oddly enough, we had 21 or 22 versions of his costume just to get us through those tunnel sequences.”

Sequeira had the opportunity to play with bursts of color in “The Outside,” a tale about the horrors of comparing ourselves to other people. Stacey, a shy bank teller, is invited to a Christmas party by Gina, her flashy and uninhibited co-worker, and their costuming couldn’t be any more different. Stacey’s Christmas sweater might be a little big on her while Gina opts for ostentatious tight spandex. The ’80s inspirations are fresh and fun.

“For that episode, Ana Lily [Amirpour] really wanted to have this ’80s version of modern,” Sequeira said. “We took various period feelings of garments and modernized them. In regards to the ladies, they were like tropical fish in an aquarium. I found some really great fabrics, especially in terms of the foil and spandex, as well as some printed fabrics. No one has done these sleeves for thirty or forty years, and we wanted to take things to the next level. We wanted to take it to the very edge of acceptability. You want to go that distance to create the wow factor, but it has to work with the characters. We are submitting that episode, but it isn’t period. When Gina has her phone at the end, it’s not a huge brick. It’s about taking those influences and putting them through a modern context. You’re seeing it in fashion now, too.”

HP Lovecraft pops up in two episodes in the middle of Curiosities, and balancing historical accuracy with pops of color was something Sequeira strove for. Ben Barnes looks dapper in his well-tailored suits, and Sequeira reveals that the witch in “Dreams in the Witch House” wasn’t originally in his designs. In “Pickman’s Model,” there are two pastel dresses that resemble French macarons.

“Those two episodes were based on Lovecraft, so there was succinct period to them,” he said. “It was about transporting the viewer to that time and enhancing some of the colorings. We all envisioned this all monochromatic, but i wanted to add some romance. We added some striking turquoises and dusty rose colors. With that story, we were following the characters over three time periods, so it was interesting to see how we present these characters. The suiting for Ben Barnes was indicative by the sack jacket in the earlier scenes and then the ’30s, finely tailored suits at the end. There is a scene towards the end of the episode where he is sitting in a chair, and he looks quite amazing. I was very pleased with him. Conversely, for “Dreams in the Witch House,” it was about trying to get a fun quality with the characters. Catherine Hardwicke didn’t want the monochromatic look, so we had some fun changing that. We also had the witch which was a task upon itself, and I had an entire team working on that for about three months. It started off as a CGI with, but then costuming ended up building.”

Curiosities concludes with an emotional venture from Jennifer Kent in “The Murmuring.” A couple, played by Essie Davis and Andrew Lincoln, grieve an unspeakable loss as they study birds, and they cover themselves up with heavy wools and plaids. Davis wears a blue sweater that echoes her inner melancholy.

“Color palette-wise, the director was really drawn to Kodachrome coloring, so we looked at a lot of photography,” Sequeira reveals. “I skewed it a little when we went to the country and pulled in this country, classic palette, but it was about pulling some wonderful combinations. We built the lion’s share of that. That’s the funny thing about period. You will never find the right colors in the right sizes, so we built from the beginning. It was about layering these pieces as armor.”

What would Sequeira take for himself from his own designs? In “Dreams in the Witch House,” Ismael Cruz Cordova wears a checkered sweater vest that I would want to swipe, but Sequeira is interested in various textures for his closet.

“I love the smocks from “Pickman’s Model,” and I have one of the prototypes,” he said. “I wish I wore suits more often, and they will, eventually, be coming back into a regular curriculum of dress. It’s always about looking at the textures and putting them into my own world. We are always so monochromatic and fine and solid, so to get some of that texture back is a good thing.”

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is streaming now on Netflix.