HBO’s new office comedy, The Chair Firm, has been receiving rave evaluations from critics and audiences alike. The costume designer of the present, Nicky Smith, has now defined how she designed the costumes for the present.
The Chair Firm is at present streaming on HBO Max(X/@HBOMax)
She informed IndieWire she centered on practicality over polish – wrinkled shirts, stretched collars and faint stains all stayed within the combine. “If the garments have been wrinkled or had stains, we mentioned, ‘let’s wash them’, however not fully get the stains out. If the neck was pulled out as a result of it was a extremely previous shirt, we have been like, ‘Ah, excellent,’” Smith mentioned.
Robinson’s character, Ron Trosper, works in an Ohio customer support workplace that spirals into chaos. However Smith’s job was to floor the insanity. “Tim and Zach and (director) Andrew DeYoung needed the present to look as actual as attainable,” she informed IndieWire.
Thrift shops, worn materials and Ohio realism
To nail that look, Smith went digging – actually. She spent hours scrolling LinkedIn pictures and household Instagram accounts to see how Midwestern workplace employees actually gown. Then she shopped thrift shops. “In terms of sourcing, we shopped the place folks of this socioeconomic background would store,” she mentioned. Not each character received sharp tailoring. “We weren’t shopping for the character of Mike Santini good garments. Every thing’s secondhand,” she added.
For Robinson’s wardrobe, she scoured bins of previous ties and footwear that seemed “just a little unhappy” earlier than the actors even touched them. “It’s good for the surroundings and sustainability,” she mentioned, “but it surely additionally offers you garments which have a life to them.”
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Garments that change because the story does
Because the collection drifts from on a regular basis workplace drudgery into weird conspiracy, Smith subtly shifts the wardrobe. Ron’s evolution spills over to these round him. “As Tim is increasing and opening his eyes to the world, the world is opening up round him,” she mentioned. Sweaters and clothes present up the place button-downs as soon as dominated.
Each background actor has a glance that feels distinct however plausible. “The thought is to not look stunning however to look genuine,” Smith defined. For her, that authenticity connects on to the present’s coronary heart – flawed, human and humorous in its imperfection.
