The ‘Wicked’ Costume Designer on How Technology Changed the Game for Elphaba and Glinda’s Looks

My initial connection to Wicked, strangely, is material-based — my 7th grade crush wore a heather grey merch sweatshirt with “Wicked” embroidered on the front almost every day at my California middle school. He told people that seeing it on Broadway with his family changed his life, and instantly, I was determined to feel the same.

I downloaded the soundtrack on my pink iPod and memorized every lyric to the production’s award-winning soundtrack. I pored through Gregory Maguire’s book, which I asked for on my 13th birthday. And I hounded my parents to take the family to New York for the first time so we could see the show on Broadway.

A year and change later, my pestering was indulged. I did see it — and it did change my life. The glittering Oz Dust ballroom, the “othered” girl finding unexpected love and understanding, the vocals that bounced off the atmosphere. I bought a heather grey hoodie and wore it almost every day of 8th grade, finally appealing to my crush, who I came to call my boyfriend for six weeks.

He is now an out-and-proud gay man, as I am an out-and-proud bisexual woman, but that’s beside the point. I went on to have a career that has orbited fashion, and he went on to have a career that has orbited performance. And our simple cotton hoodies symbolized the initiation of a potent, intractable connection to one of the greatest musicals of the 21st century. I am a Wicked superfan.

With the arrival of the Wicked film, after a years-long wait, my fellow theater kids are finally being fed; not only by the untouchable performances of songs I could recognize from single notes, but by the creation of a world that feels like home — from the scenery to seams. A whole new generation of young people will sing “For Good” at their graduations and will wear their takes on Bubble Dresses and structured black hats for Halloween.

The illustrious Paul Tazewell, Costume Designer of the Wicked films with storied experience on both stage and screen (think: Lin Mauel-Miranda’s Hamilton and Spielberg’s West Side Story), let Teen Vogue pick his brain on the more than 1000 incredibly detailed pieces he’s designed for the two films. While working with over 70 craftsmen and artisans, each piece was reimagined for the new telling of this fantastic story, from heel to crown.