Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1352017
Spring 2021 The Costume Designer 53 Nieddu began with extensive research into the era, in order to immerse himself in Holiday's milieu and times. He dove into Pinterest, Google, the Sears Roebuck catalog, back issues of Look, Ebony, and Down Beat magazines, album covers, films and fashion, amassing information about Harlem, the South, the real Holiday, her compatriots, ordinary folks on the street and in the clubs, and every aspect of life at that time. "I was looking into what was pop- ular then, in terms of setting a tone," Nieddu explains. Luckily, there were many archival photos available of Holiday and her inner circle, as well as other real figures upon whom the film's characters are based. He created binders and mood boards for reference for his team and the whole production to draw upon. He also immersed himself in period clothing from Western, Palace, and Motion Picture cos- tume houses, and studied the construction, fastenings, and fabrication to inform his designs, as well as source actual clothing that was in good enough shape to use. With only eight weeks to prep, Nieddu reached out globally to find materials and build his creations. Fabrics, trims, findings, and vintage jewelry were sourced from Los Angeles, New York, Canada, France, the U.K., and Italy. Through connections both personal and professional, he had tailor shops in Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, and Milan building costumes. He even brought John Hayles, former head of the NBC Universal women's workroom, out of retirement to build two gowns for Holiday. "I worked with him on Telenovela, a 2015 pilot at Universal. When this was coming together with everything in the essence of time, I remembered that he'd made me the most beautiful gown. I'd heard that he retired but I wondered if he would still be open to making something." Hayles ended up building two gowns: a pink satin one that Holiday wears while singing "Lover Man" at " I remembered that he'd made me the most beautiful gown. I'd heard that he retired but I wondered if he would still be open to making something." –Paolo Nieddu Illustration by Paul Keng Photo: Takashi Seida