In director Jay Roach and writer Tony McNamara‘s new take on Warren Adler’s novel “The War of the Roses” — previously filmed in 1989 and now retitled simply “The Roses” — married couple Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) move from blissful infatuation with one another to seething resentment, a journey costume designer PC Williams had to express through the actors’ clothes. For Williams, the key to unlocking the characters came with the realization that both husband and wife were creative people — Olivia a chef, and Theo an architect.
“When I started thinking about who they were, one of the things I was drawn to was the idea that creativity presents very differently for different people,” Williams told IndieWire. “Some people’s creativity is mathematical. It’s theory-based. Other people are more visual.” When designing Ivy and Theo’s wardrobes, Williams wanted to make sure that the clothes were faithful to each character’s version of creativity.
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“They’re very different, but equally individualistic,” Williams said. “Theo being the architect, it’s about materials, it’s about fit, it’s about silhouette. It’s quiet luxury. Ivy is expressive, she’s artisanal, she’s print-heavy. The shapes are big.” As the characters evolve, with Ivy finding success at her restaurant while Theo’s career flounders, Williams refines the costumes to keep the elements that she initially established while conveying the husband and wife’s changing circumstances; Ivy becomes more businesslike and structured yet still leans into patterns and custom embroidery, while Theo moves toward a more domestic look.
“With Theo, you start to see more layering,” Williams said. “It’s practical, it’s modular — just to help him get around the house and do things with the kids. As they change their wardrobe changes to be a visual representation of that, but the aesthetic remains throughout.” One consistent aspect of the aesthetic is Williams’ approach to color, which is highly precise throughout the film. “I was really clear that the colors for Theo had to be very natural. The colors are a reflection of the earth and the materials that he is using to make his home, so we were very specific with the tones and textures that we were choosing and how they would interact with one another.”
For Ivy, Williams was able to cut loose a little more. “I was like, let’s just throw caution to the wind and have a bit of fun,” Williams said. “It’s Olivia Colman, for God’s sake. She’s not in period costumes for once. How do we just go, what are my wildest fantasies, and how do I make them come true? Because it’s not both characters being super loud, you can get away with it on screen because they’re never fighting for attention.” Williams still kept the idea of natural tones for Ivy but heightened them. “There are a lot of greens, blues, and reds, and then looking at a lot of earth tones and playing alongside what [production designer] Mark [Ricker] is doing with the space.”
Because at times the patterns on Ivy’s clothes were so busy and lively, Williams was careful to closely collaborate with Ricker and incorporate elements of his production design into her costumes — and to be careful not to go too far with Ivy’s wardrobe in scenes where it might be fighting the set for attention. “I have to know when the moment feels right to step back,” Williams said. “In the dinner scene with all the friends, Ivy isn’t in a print because in that moment, it felt like too much. The room is so beautiful, and it’s so dreamlike, and that moment is all about that house that’s been created. So I had to find a way to get Ivy across without all the things that we’d become so used to seeing her in, keeping the color and the texture without the prints to give Mark’s work the space to breathe.”
The collaboration between Williams and Ricker yields many striking images in the film, many of which extend beyond the two leads. In a scene involving Barry, the couple’s friend played by Andy Samberg, the blue plaid wallpaper echoes a shirt that Barry’s wearing; later, a therapist wears a necktie with a similar print pattern to the fabric on the back of her chair. For Williams, the idea of foreground and background playing off of each other through a coordinated relationship between set decoration and costume design is essential. “For a project to be successful, I have to be BFFs with the production designer,” she said. “We have to be on the same page about colors and tone.”
Williams was also sure to be on the same page with Roach and the actors right from the beginning, sharing images with them and explaining the visual arcs she saw for each of the characters. “It’s a continual open dialogue,” WIlliams said. “What I don’t want is to put someone in something they’re uncomfortable in, where they go to the floor and can’t perform. Then your costumes defeat the purpose of what they’re there for, which is to enable an actor to do their job. You always have to take into consideration, how do I make this person feel the closest they can to the character they’re portraying?”
That’s why Williams says open lines of communication are essential. “Sometimes I’m coming in with ideas that the actors haven’t considered, and sometimes they’re coming to me with ideas that I haven’t considered. It’s about leaving your ego at the door. You have to be quite clear on what the vision is, but malleable enough to collaborate and get the best final result. At the end of the day, if they don’t feel good and they don’t perform well, the film’s gonna flop and no one’s going to see the work anyway, so you want to make sure that you’re all singing from the same hymn sheet.”
