Dana Covarrubias (‘Only Murders in the Building’ costume designer) brought Broadway to streetwear to engage with mystery [Exclusive Video Interview]
“Every season we’ve had some sort of theme or inspiration for Mabel’s costumes,” reveals Dana Covarrubias when referencing the character played by Selena Gomez on “Only Murders in the Building.” While the main players in the Hulu comedy mount a Broadway musical, eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed that Mabel’s outfits get a theatrical flair as well. The Emmy-nominated costume designer incorporated a nod to Broadway musicals into nearly every outfit that Mabel wears during Season 3. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“We thought it would be appropriate to use Broadway musicals and movie musicals as our inspiration,” continues Covarrubias. This doesn’t mean that Mabel is suddenly donning a Ziegfeld follies getup with sequins and feathers. She still retains her signature New Yorker style. “It’s just a nod to either the color of a costume or the silhouette,” explains the designer.
Covarrubias had fun digging into her favorite musicals so she could find unique ways to represent them in contemporary streetwear. A pink faux-leather top calls to mind the iconic Pink Ladies of “Grease.” The stripes of a green plaid coat evoke the aesthetic of the gangsters in “Guys and Dolls.” The velvety, flowing red dress Mabel wears on a date is emblazoned with roses, a signature motif in “The Phantom of the Opera.” Covarrubias had a blast mining these classics for ideas. “I grew up loving musicals and I was a theater kid,” she notes, “it was super fun.”
This subliminal approach to costume design has “become more and more prevalent with this show because it’s a mystery show,” according to Covarrubias. She found herself fielding many questions from fans who wondered whether there were any clues to the killer’s identity hidden within the costumes. So she decided to incorporate an additional layer into her design process. The nods to Broadway classics aren’t hints that point towards a murderer, but they are nevertheless fun easter eggs for a show that invites the audience to engage with every nook and cranny of its storytelling. “I want to do something that was something the fans could engage in and interact with,” explains Covarrubias, “where they’re trying to figure out what the mystery is behind the costume.”
Covarrubias is aware that her musical theater concept goes deeper than many viewers might expect for a show with contemporary costumes. “I think a misconception is…’oh, it’s just clothes. Everyone wears clothes and it’s easy.’ Or, ‘you could just run out and grab whatever from any store,’ she imitates. “We’re really storytellers. We’re really thinking about a character’s psychology and why they’re wearing what they’re wearing on that day, and the thought process that goes into it.”
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