Costume designer Jenn Rogien dealt with even more responsibility working on the second season of “Russian Doll.” With the thrust of the season centering on time travel, with stops in the ’40s, ’60s and ’80s, the costume designer was faced with the challenge of finding period-specific clothing while also not accidentally mixing anything up. “It was the best of both worlds where creatively, there were some known elements, but there were a lot of new things to build or create or accomplish,” says Rogien in an exclusive new webchat for Gold Derby. “It kept me on my toes.” Watch the video interview above.
Delving into those past eras, Rogien was admittedly worried about some of the vintage costumes holding up, even the ones from the ’80s. “The fabrics dry out, the skins dry out, sometimes they can kind of fall apart on you,” she notes. Luckily, they didn’t run into major issues there, and Rogien was fortunate to bring over some team members from the Netflix series “Halston” to help in the ’60s clothing. “I had a real inside track into some great vintage suppliers,” adds Rogien, particularly to style Alan’s (Charlie Barnett) grandmother, who he inhabits in the ’60s.
For Nadia (Natasha Lyonne), the series protagonist, Rogien wanted a signature look that was similar to her Season 1 appearance while also trying new things, like the black coat with gold buttons. “It was really important that she still look like Nadia,” explains Rogien, who kept the character looking like an authentic New Yorker. “We wanted to keep all of those elements consistent and then layer in some new pieces like a real closet. Time and passed for the character as well as for the series.”
Rogien won an Emmy for her work on the first season of “Russian Doll,” a pivotal moment in the costume designer’s career. As she points out, she won the award with Melissa Stanton, who was retiring that year, and Charlotte Svenson, who was working her first TV job as an assistant designer, which made the award that much more significant. “It made me feel like the work really got seen, and that even for a show with somewhat limited costumes — and there are only a couple of changes in Season 1 — it really was a huge compliment to the team.”
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