Where do you start when reimagining the look of Elphaba, also known as the Wicked Witch, for the iconic book-turned-Broadway show-turned-musical movie Wicked? For legendary costume designer and EBONY Power 100 “Artists In Residence” awardee, Paul Tazewell, it was a glance outside his window.
“I used a lot of nature,” he told EBONY, who joined him at his design showroom in Manhattan’s garment district. It’s just one of the ways the man behind the looks is inspired. Other sources, such as abstract paintings and the iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, also guided his process. “I’ll start to pull together all kinds of imagery that feel reflective of what this mystical world might possibly be.”
At the film’s beginning, Elphaba’s wardrobe, “with its underpinnings, peas coats and the corset, is a kind of restrictive 1890s silhouette, inspired by the original film and reflective of the turn of the century when the original book was written.” For Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the movie, “I’ve tweaked it so it’s askew, making it more whimsical,” Tazewell explained.
As she evolves from a misunderstood girl to a woman standing in her strength, Elphaba’s wardrobe shifts, just like her mindset. “As she moves through her time at Shizz and realizes her power more directly, she sheds her skirts for pants and long coats, which give her more agility,” Tazewell continued. “It’s Elphaba’s ability to be free in herself and her space. Thematically, it’s her power silhouette.”
Tazewell’s colorful and awe-inspiring designs for Wicked are already being gushed over on social media and in Hollywood. He is a strong contender for Best Costume Design for the 2025 Academy Awards. A win would make Tazewell the first Black man to receive an Academy Award for film costume design. Leaning into a not-so-faint whisper that this could be the film that puts a gold statue in his hands, it’s an honor the designer would graciously welcome.
“I would be, be absolutely beside myself,” he stated. “It’s the resolve of it all. I’m so very proud of our work: my team, all the makers, what we created with Wicked. I’m very happy with the costume design, and I’m just hoping that it will be embraced by audiences all over the world.”
He also knows that members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., who proudly wear their colors of pink and green, are about to delight in his onscreen creations. “Pink and green go good together, so there it is,” he declared. “We’re representing it.”
Being able to tell character-driven stories through costume and design is something Tazewell has been passionate about for the past 34 years of his professional career. It’s an industry he’d like to see more of us in.
“We need new tailors and cobblers, new shoemakers and hat makers who want a career in making these beautiful pieces of clothing,” he exclaimed.
“There’s space at the table for the designers of color out there, those who look like me and others, and for any gender; we need you to come and create with us.”
Wicked opens in theaters on November 22.
