When you watch the Spring Breakers movie trailer, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is costume design. You're probably fixated on the fact that Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez are in bikinis the entire time and James Franco
(yes, that’s him) is sporting corn rows and a gold grill. The
importance of costume design in isn’t always obvious when the film in
question isn’t a period piece. But it’s arguably harder to make
characters come to life through the nuances of swimsuit choice and
sneaker style. (Check out our good girl gone bad chart to see how raunchy Gomez and Hudgens get in the film.)
So, as the nation gears up for the movie’s wide release tomorrow, we caught up with Spring Breakers costume designer Heidi Bivens
for an exclusive interview where she takes us behind the scenes and
tells us about how she researched the film, what it was like dressing
Franco and exactly how she came up with those eye-catching “crime spree
looks.”—Megan Hayes (@_mshayes)
Lifestyle Mirror: How did you research costumes for Spring Breakers?Heidi Bivens:
I pulled inspiration references for the wardrobe and sent to [director]
Harmony, and he showed me a bunch of photos he pulled online of co-eds
getting wild, drunk, making out. When I got to St. Pete's where most if
the movie was shot, I was inspired by the locals and their personal
style.
LM: How important was the clothing to create these characters?HB:
I think it’s incredibly important to tell the visual story Harmony
wanted to and to give the actors the tools they needed to play the
characters.
LM: How involved was director Harmony Korine in the costume selection?HB:
Very…he wanted to see the characters come to life through the costumes,
but at the same time he is incredibly trusting as a director. If he
hires you to do the job, he trusts you’re the best one for it, and that
kind of support breeds more creativity for me.
LM: How many bikinis did the girls wear throughout the film?HB: Probably five styles each.
LM: Did the girls ever feel like they were too exposed while wearing the bikinis?HB:
This was definitely discussed very early on in the process of designing
the costumes, but thankfully the girls wore the bikinis as scripted,
keeping with Harmony's vision.
LM: Did you have a say in the hair/make up? How do those elements relate to overall costume design?HB:
We had a meeting about a month before pre-production started with the
actresses and tried on different colored wigs to try to decide where to
go with their look.
LM: One of the most memorable scenes in the film
is when James Franco plays Britney Spear’s "Everytime" at the piano and
the girls are dancing in bathing suits and butt pants—and holding guns.HB:
It's what I call their "crime spree look."…Harmony scripted those looks
as matching or it was something that came up in our first talks about
that sequence. I wanted the girls to wear monokinis, and Harmony
suggested sweatpants. I added the “DTF” [on the butt] in silver…the look
is more gangsta.
LM: What was it like to dress James Franco?HB: It was definitely exciting to help completely transform an actor into a character like Alien.
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