Palm Springs dropped about a month ago on Hulu, and because we loved it so much, BuzzFeed chatted with the movie's costume designer, Colin Wilkes, who answered some of our burning questions about the movie.
Here's everything we learned:
1. Colin's approach to the movie's costumes was inspired a lot by classic comedies and rom-coms.
She said that Trevor's nudie suit, specifically, was a nod to Punch-Drunk Love. She also wanted to use different decade-inspired clothing so the film wouldn't date too quickly. And while she and her team were influenced by other classics, she said she also "wanted to make something our own and create something from the inside out."
2. Nyles' costume was actually inspired by a mixture of Leonardo DiCaprio's look in Romeo+Juliet, Gilligan's Island, and Andy Sweet's South Beach photography.
3. During filming, Andy's iconic Hawaiian shirt actually started to get bleached from the chlorine in the pool...
Colin said that one day after filming, she was looking at the shirt Andy had worn in the pool and realized it was significantly lighter than it was supposed to be.
Advertisement
4. ...But luckily, Andy had a bunch of those iconic shirts on set.
Because of all the shenanigans Nyles and Sarah got into, the costume team had to be prepared with backups of both shirts.
5. Sarah basically had two main costumes in the movie: 1) her band tee outfit, and 2) her bridesmaid dress. The two different outfits actually represented her mental and emotional states during the movie.
Sarah's first look was more disheveled, which symbolized how she didn't really fit into the wedding at the beginning of the movie. By the end of the movie, she changes back into her bridesmaid dress and finally wears the hairpiece Tala picked out for her, which represented how Sarah had "evolved, softened, become more compassionate, and forgave herself." Colin also felt that this look showed a "more humanistic perspective into who [Sarah] is as a woman now." And sticking to true Sarah fashion, it was a totally badass way to go into the exploding cave.
6. Sarah's band tee was totally custom-made.
Colin worked with a graphic designer to create a band name and logo that she thought Sarah would listen to. The look was also very '80s and Courtney Love–inspired. Colin called Sarah's band tee outfit her "hero" look and described it as "slightly disheveled and slightly renegade, but effortlessly 'Cool Girl' thrown together." While creating Sarah's whole vibe, Colin wanted to "to just create something that was a standalone but also that could play well next to Niles."
7. Even though Nyles and Sarah's looks were so unique to who they are as characters, Colin also used colors to make sure the two complemented each other.
She said it was kind of like a puzzle figuring out which colors looked best on Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti and then saw what matched from there. She also wanted to make sure their clothes would also make sense for the Palm Springs setting and color scheme.
Advertisement
8. Circles were deliberately used throughout the film to symbolize the never-ending time loop that Sarah and Nyles were caught in.
Nyles' boxers had donuts, Misty and Sarah's earrings were circles, and there were tiny polka dots on Sarah's bra too.
10. Because the nudie suit is so highly coveted by the cast and crew, there's been discussion about making some more just like it.
Right now, the actual suit is with production, but many people are looking to have their own.
11. Colin's personal favorite costume from the movie was actually Pia's pink dress, even though it doesn't get too much screen time.
12. Tala's wedding aesthetic was deliberately very soft and feminine so it could provide contrast to Sarah.
Just like Sarah's looks symbolized her journey throughout the movie, Tala's vibe represented just how different she was from her sister. Colin wanted to make it feel like Tala put in a strong effort into every aspect of her wedding. Unlike Sarah, Tala was meant to be very bohemian, retro, and thoughtful.
Advertisement
13. During Nyles' birthday scene, it was actually implied that Sarah made her confetti cape along with all the decorations.
Because of the time loop, Sarah and Nyles wouldn't be able to keep anything from previous days. The costume team thought it'd make more sense of it felt like Sarah had found the tinsel and quickly fashioned it into a top and decorations, and it'd feel more heartfelt knowing the amount of effort Sarah put into the whole party.
14. Finally, Tala's wedding dress was actually the hardest piece to find, and searching for it was extremely "tedious."
Colin said she searched in a bunch of boutiques and online for the perfect gown. She finally found five dresses that fit the wedding theme and then they immediately knew which dress they wanted as soon as Camila tried it on. It was a very ~say yes to the dress~ kind of moment.
{{ blurb }}
{{/blurb}} {{#picture_url}}