I know, this is so predictable, right? As a DC girl and Batman enthusiast - of course I'd write about Gotham here, a little bit - too - late, sorry about that, but I have a great excuse for it: Halloween. For those who didn't watch it or don't remember, the Fox's TV series was about chronicling the rise of Gotham's super-villains and the early career of Detective James Gordon. I was a fan at the time and love everything, specially the ladies costumes.
Emmy-nominated costume designer Lisa Padovani built the majority of the show’s costumes in-house inspired by punk rock fashion, iconic sci-fi films such as Blade Runner and The iconic Black and White Ball held on November 28, 1966, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City hosted by Truman Capote. Below, more secrets about it from some of Lisa's past interviews.
Which Super Villain are you? 'Gotham' has the perfect costume for you this Halloween
Barbara Kean
Gotham's Queen of Style - I could easily wear Barbara's wardrobe in every other day of the year besides Halloween. From good girl to psycho villain, Kean went through a massive reinvention, she went insane, turning into sort of a proto-Harley Quinn, a rogue element running through the city of Gotham.
Fish Mooney
"I am a big believer in go big or go home. Especially if you're doing something like this, that's based on a comic book. Let's have fun with it."
"We went a little more badass, a little bit more fashion forward and street. And I used a lot of skins and textured leathers and ominous looking brocades. And we went short. Instead of it being more of a gown look, we went short on her." Lisa Padovani about Mooney' wardrobe choices.
“We got to invent her look completely. She’s a nightclub owner and kingpin in a man’s brutal world. At first I wanted to do more Hollywood, more Jessica Rabbit. But when they cast Jada Pinkett Smith, she went to very green but more metallic and snake skin and alligator skin —all the reptile stuff. I don’t want my leading lady wearing something you’d see in a magazine. We made up backstories about her. She wears a wig all the time so we talked to [showrunner Bruno Heller] about very bad acid accident where all her hair was burned off as a potential future story. We don’t know what happened to her, but she broke and became very hard.”
Oswald Cobblepot
“Everybody’s got such an iconic image in their mind of what the Penguin is. We’ve seen a lot of shows where he’s been portrayed in mostly comic book ways. I took from the storyline that he’s young, he’s working for Fish Mooney in a nightclub—so I riffed on more of a burlesque theater/1970s/Las Vegas/vintage look. His piece is from all different eras, yet made with modern fabrics. There’s a black-and-white tux shirt—which is his standard—and a mixture of blood-plum red and acid green. His shoes are pointed and pop up at the end—like a bird’s would. His lapels are sort of like wings. His hair is spiked up and punk—A Flock of Seagulls-feel. With the slight extension to his nose, together it evokes a bird-like quality.” Tells Padovani for Entertainment Tonight.
Selina Kyle
For the younger Catwoman look all you need is a leather jacket and gloves. According to the designer “She is probably the most modern; we did a steampunk variation on her. Her goggles on top her head are like her ears. She’s always sneaking around so she’s all in black. It’s a cat burglar feeling.”
Edward Nygma
The Riddler: “We know he’s OCD and strange and fidgety and calculating. It’s very early 60s, which is a great era. His ties are skinny. Everything is tight to his body. His jacket buttons, if you pay attention, they’re kind of psychedelic and weird —they’re not normal. His ties are strange prints and color combinations. He has a little tie tack tie bar that has question mark from a key from an old fashioned typewriter — the actor loves it, he says it puts him in character.”
And the Halloween countdown continues on our Newsletter coming later this week!
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