Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/989249
28 The Costume Designer Spring 2018 saying, "Who is this man?" And I remember think- ing he's going to run a studio some day. (By the way, Carol Ramsey to me is the goddess). It's all been very organic. There's been no plan. IS THERE ANY CHARACTER THUS FAR THAT YOU FEEL PARTICULARLY ATTACHED TO? I felt very connected to Sister Jude, Jessica Lange's character in Asylum. I can't tell you why. I just love working with her and I love creating with her. There's a couple on Pose that I got attached to as well. It took a lot of my mental and creative self to step outside the box into the ball world—which I knew nothing about. CAN WE TALK JUST A TINY BIT ABOUT POSE? IT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN YOUR PREVIOUS WORK BECAUSE FANTASY AND REALITY ARE LAID OUT AGAINST EACH OTHER AND IT MAKES IT SO VISUALLY INTERESTING. That comes from Ryan's direction. This is his pet project, so we did a lot of research. There are many consultants on the show, trans and otherwise, that actually were judges, or MCs at the balls in the '80s. So they've been great helping guide this small town Minnesota girl… I DON'T KNOW IF YOU COUNT AS THAT ANYMORE, LOU. SORRY. I'm holding on to it, my roots! Ryan wanted to make sure we kept the gritty realness of the era. There was the AIDS epidemic and gay and trans people were being thrown out of their homes for coming out with no place to go. The balls were a place, they could all go and feel safe, and it was their family and their world. They would sew their own outfits in their apartments and wear these fabulous outfits for a night and win a trophy. We had to shoot all the balls in one week for episode five and six. It was challenging and exhausting, about 200 ball goers per ball scene, times the eight balls, plus all of our principals who had specialty, custom-made ensembles. So it was like trying to crawl to the finish line with blood- ied hands and knees. But it was also invigorating. As hard as it was, everybody kept saying, "This is really hard but, oh, is it fun." IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT COSTUME DESIGN OR BEING A COSTUME DESIGNER THAT'S PARTICULAR TO YOU OR JUST YOUR VISION OF YOUR JOB, THE WAY THAT YOU SEE THINGS? There are days when I feel like I can't come up with a single good idea, but I find ways to get inspired—I have to get past my fear of failure! I go to a costume house and start touching the fabrics, the feathers, the beads. Sometimes, none of it makes sense to me. TV pace is just so fast, I just keep moving through it and then all of sudden it's done, and I say, "Wait. We did that?" But I feel such gratitude for the path I've been on and all those I get to work with and create with. It's my truth. That is the absolute truth. Dominique Jackson as Elektra in FX's Pose. Photo: JoJo Whiled for FX.