exist Clown: Pas de deuxThe eponymous character of failed comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and the mysterious Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga) establish a dangerous existence as inmates at the notorious Arkham State Hospital bonds, which they express through choreographed songs and dances. (“Folie à deux” is the medical term for shared psychosis.) But are these fantastical, often ominous musical sequences just in Arthur’s head, or is there some deeper connection between the two? It’s up to the audience to decide. Behind the scenes, though, the ball was often seen in Gaga’s outfits, hair and makeup trailers, and even had a nickname.
“‘Camp Lee’ is amazing,” Arianne Phillips said. “It’s so fun.”
From pre-production to filming, the three-time Oscar-nominated costume designer worked with Gaga (Phillips calls the star by her birth name, Stefani), Frederic Aspiras (Gaga’s Hairstylist) and makeup artist Sarah Tanno carefully planned Lee’s journey. The team transformed the character from an inmate in a bleak mental hospital to her bold self-actualization as the mercurial antihero Harley Quinn.
“What’s unique about Stephanie is that she really understands costume, hair and makeup, and she understands the character,” said Phillips, who took over as costume designer in 2017. clown’s Mark Bridges (who won an Oscar for the film).
The sequel is set in the early 1980s, and the costume aesthetic emphasizes grimy, gritty realism. Phillips draws inspiration from authentic sources, from downtown New York City signs in the 1970s to Hollywood’s golden age and Lady Gaga herself.
“She was very honest and very generous in sharing some of her own personal experiences that she felt related to Lee, and those were things that I could live with,” Phillips said. She remained tight-lipped on the actual details, simply sharing, “You can see that throughout the movie.”
Next, Phillips discusses the evolution of Lee’s custom-designed wardrobe in three different worlds: Arkham, Courthouse, and Fantastic Wedding.
Lee’s “comfortable sweater” at Arkham State Hospital
While Arthur awaits trial for a mass murder in the high-risk E Ward of the corrupt Gotham Asylum, he ventures into the minimum-security Ward B. The world slows down when he spots Lee outside her music class: wrapped in an oversized marigold mohair cardigan over a white hospital gown, she meets his eye and points a gun at him. holding his head.
Like many high-profile mass murderers before him, Arthur was the subject of a made-for-TV movie, one that Lee has been fascinated by countless times. “She was this little street urchin,” Phillips said. “She really made herself very small to get his attention… It’s really a love story and we wanted to create a vulnerability with her in this institution.”
Lee’s “cozy sweaters”—her trusty mustard sweater and two-tone blue cardigan—set up a backstory for the character, and according to the costume designer, “The idea was that maybe she was in a thrift store. The store found it, or it belonged to her father. (For the superhumanly visually enhanced viewer, Phillips also woven a subtle foreshadowing diamond pattern into both cards.)
The sweet, delicate bow at the neckline of Lee’s vest and the scruffy ballet shoes (a reference to Amy Winehouse – who on more than one occasion wore a pair of visibly worn shoes – and the brainchild of director Todd Phillips) also convey vulnerability side. There’s also an origin story.
“She was a little naive at first,” Phillips said. “She has a bravado – a fearlessness that you really experience in a young person – and then you see her determination grow over time.”
Lee’s courtwear inspired by downtown New York
Outside of Arkham, Lee gradually showed her support (or fascination?) for Arthur and his Joker persona, walking into the gallery to sit in the front row of his trial. Her court gown also evolved, starting with a flowy light blue floral mini and evolving into a sheer black tunic with velvet diamond shapes and a navy floral-print “church” with an exaggerated Peter Pan collar. Style dress.
“[The early ‘80s] The East Village scene was booming at the time, as was CBGB on the Bowery,” Phillips said of what Lee calls the frugal 1970s “baby dress” inspiration. [designer] A Biba-style dress” paired with a discordant oversized cardigan and a chunky punk rock jacket. “She had a faux fur jacket and a men’s sweater from a thrift store. She would throw these looks together, but there was still a vulnerability and a strange innocence to her—she was a clown-obsessed sycophant. To me Well, this mix shows that.
On the final day of Arthur’s trial, Lee strode into the courtroom wearing a full Harley Quinn ensemble: a red blazer with raised diamond patterns and pleated cuffs, a dramatic bustier and patterned jumpsuit socks.
“along with [embracing] Her determination led her to play characters inspired by the Joker,” Phillips said. She imagined Lee omitting the red jacket from an old circus uniform, ripping the muslin and ruffled bodice from a costume gown, and maybe buying a leather miniskirt from Gotham City’s Trash and Vaudeville Center. “You can see the whole diamond pattern,” she added.
Lee’s stunning fantasy looks
In an extremely tense moment of the trial, Arthur descends into one of his most stirring musical sequences: a wedding.
Lee walked down the aisle toward the clown, wearing a V-neck mini dress with a delicate diamond trapunto pattern and glittering ribbons hanging from her shoulders — “that’s what Arthur would be attracted to,” Phillips said. “What would that look like in her fantasy and his fantasy?”
Phillips referenced 1960s icons such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis when designing block-heel Mary Janes. doctor zhivago-Julie Christie from the Julie Christie era and silhouettes of Ossie Clark and Biba from the late 60s/70s. “[The dress is] “My aunt got married in the 1970s and she was a big inspiration,” she added. “I’m a flower girl.”
The wedding turns into a raucous jazz show at the ill-fated (and ominously named) Pogo Comedy Club. Lee belted out a song as she pounded the keys of a baby grand piano, wearing a silver metallic mesh dress that swayed with her exaggerated movements, reminiscent of…well, Lady Gaga.
Phillips, who has designed Madonna for six of her world tours, collaborated with Michael Schmidt (a go-to for the likes of Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo) to create shimmering stage costumes. “I made a diamond-shaped collar that added a certain energy to that scene,” she said.
The costume designer also collaborated with Lady Gaga’s sister Natali Germanotta and her studio Topo Studio to create a white bias-cut gown based on screen classics for the rooftop ball.
“It’s totally Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire,” Phillips said, “and [the dress inspiration] It’s in the script, so I’m leaning towards that.
She also drafted and designed the sleek, flowing gown to match Gaga and Phoenix’s upbeat dance numbers. On the other hand, a striking marigold two-piece set featured some delicate beading, referencing Bob Mackie’s work for Cher.
“The beauty of the film is that it has so much realism,” she said, “but we get inside Arthur’s mind, where we blur reality and fantasy.”
Clown: Pas de deux Opens in theaters on October 4.
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