Behind the glitz and glamor of The idol costumes is an ugly truth.
Sam LevinsonThe new HBO series shines a light on the sinister side of stardom, as it focuses on troubled aspiring pop star Jocelyn (Lily Rose Depp) and his complicated relationship with modern cult leader Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye).
To play out the dark and twisted fantasy of the show, the costume designer Natasha Newman-Thomas revealed that the fashion was intentionally a little outrageous.
“We wanted to bring in a dark and sleazy feeling,” she exclusively told E! News. “You don’t always see pop stars or the underbelly of the music world portrayed that way.”
Take Jocelyn’s daring costumes, for example. His clothes might show a plot of skin, but the reality is that it’s meant to distract from who she really is.
“There’s an innate mystery to anyone you idolize,” Natasha pointed out. “You see the facade and the character, but there’s a mystery to what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s for you to not see how hard it is.”