A heartbroken single mother in a small town becomes violently unhinged in the early 1970s. A couple who escaped the crack epidemic of the 1980s try to make their dreams come true amid the rising West Coast rap scene. A tech billionaire and his estranged movie-star wife engage in a bitter divorce played out in the contemporary and elite world of London law.
Those premises are wildly different, to be sure. But the riveting new series Crystal Lake (premiering October 15 on Peacock), The Drop: A Snowfall Saga (premiering September 8 on FX and streaming on Hulu) and War (premiering October 1 on HBO and streaming on HBO Max) share a common thread: a distinctive wardrobe that establishes time and place while defining its characters.
“What we’re doing is visual storytelling,” says Mynka Draper, costume designer for The Drop. “And through a collaboration with hair and makeup and the other departments, we’re trying to push forth the narrative so audiences can really understand what the actors, writers and directors are trying to tell.”
The process extends far beyond shopping for the right clothes. The costume designers have to consider what every piece means to the person wearing it, whether it be survival, self-invention or social standing. Their decisions — a flashy, multicolored leather jacket here, an elegant three-piece suit there — offer insights that enhance both the dialogue and any plot twist.
“All costumes should tell you something about somebody before they open their mouths,” says Crystal Lake costume designer Cristina Spiridakis. “So, my job is done the moment an actor steps out of a trailer to go to set. Then it’s time for them to do their jobs.” Adds War costume designer Matthew Price, “I’ve always enjoyed putting characters together through their dress. I hope it comes across on screen.”
Here’s how all three pulled it off.
Crystal Lake
Cristina Spiridakis
Yes, Pam Voorhees gruesomely slew a bunch of Crystal Lake counselors in the 1980 horror classic Friday the 13th. Just remember: She only did it because she believed the camp was negligent in the drowning of her young son, Jason.
That complex duality is the crux of Peacock’s Crystal Lake, the chilling prequel series that depicts Pam (Linda Cardellini) as a caring and unassuming mom struggling with her grief in 1972, a year after Jason’s tragic demise. But even as the character starts to channel her inner monster, costume designer Cristina Spiridakis wanted her to maintain a neutral-colored wardrobe.
“It’s important that Pam is hiding in plain sight,” she explains. “So, we keep her in a color story of maroons, browns, mustards and rich eggplant along with grounded silhouettes. It plays against everything spiraling around her in a beautiful way.”
Though Crystal Lake revises the timeline (Jason died in 1957 in the first movie), Spiridakis did her research by rewatching the films and playing an “incredible” throwback video game. “I wanted to be inspired,” says Spiridakis, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate who recently worked on Netflix’s The Boroughs. “So, I tried to honor our new show while respecting a very beloved franchise.”
Cut to a scene from the second episode, in which Pam wears a certain iconic piece of knitwear. “After I got the job, I met people who were like, ‘What are you going to do with the blue sweater?’” Spiridakis recalls. “I placed it in the first block of episodes as a ‘welcome in’ for those fans.” She adds that 90% of the character’s tops were made by New York–based CEGO and custom fit for Cardellini, while her pants and dresses were created in house. After all, Pam doesn’t exactly spend her days lounging around: “There’s so much stunt work, so we needed lots of multiples of each costume.”
Costume sketch for the character Briana Brooks (left) and Devis Kesslet as Brooks in Crystal Lake (right).
But just because the series features a retro summer-camp setting doesn’t mean its looks are campy. “Crystal Lake is a great ’70s psychological thriller,” Spiridakis says. “So, we dressed everyone as a convincing character and not a caricature."
The Drop: A Snowfall Saga
Mynka Draper
The gritty drama Snowfall (2017–23) ended with Wanda (Gail Bean) and Leon (Isaiah John) coming out of L.A.’s 1980s drug scene as survivors. FX’s The Drop: A Snowfall Saga shows them navigating their next battle — the fight to take West Coast rap mainstream as artists, gangs and record labels try to profit from the culture.
“Neither of them has any experience in the music industry, but they have a lot of experience hustling on the streets,” says costume designer Mynka Draper, who also worked on Snowfall. “We’re showing how music was a way for people in these neighborhoods to create wealth and success.”
Isidora Goreshter and Gail Bean as Jenny Favreau and Wanda Bell in The Drop: A Snowfall Saga.
From a wardrobe perspective, that meant putting together an aesthetic consisting of authentic early ’90s looks. Drawing inspiration from films and from music videos by rap acts NWA and WC, she and her team sourced streetwear such as velour Sergio Tacchini tracksuits and Nikes from specialty vintage retailers. Designers Cross Colours, Karl Kani and FUBU also sent pieces.
“One of our taglines was ‘dig deeper,’” says Draper, a 30-year veteran (Forever, Better Things) and L.A. native. “So we did everything we could to get into the ‘fabulosity’ of this time.” Wanda goes through her own fabulous style evolution. As an intern for producer Darryl “DG” Grant (Brandon Mychal Smith), “she dresses up for work like she’s going to a club,” Draper says. “It’s a little sexy. She shows flesh. Maybe it’s a little wrong.” By season’s end, she’s strutting in leather jackets: “She’s a boss bitch in a way that’s true to her character.” Leon’s appearance switches as well once he joins the scene. “We see him at the beginning in button-down polos and denim,” she says. “But when he has to go out and be harder, he’s in more of a classic gang look.”
Still, they left one hip-hop fashion staple back in the ’90s: M.C. Hammer–like parachute pants. As Draper explains, “That baggy look didn’t come around until later, so we have our leather, color and flash. Those were the biggest clothes in these communities, and our characters inhabit them.”
War
Matthew Price
Forget Taylor Swift. When costume designer Matthew Price started planning for HBO’s War, he prioritized swift tailoring. “As soon as I read the scripts, the first thing that jumped out was a chance to dive into the tailoring world of London and show off Savile Row,” he says. “It’s old school versus new school. That’s also the theme of the show.”
The divide plays out through rival law firms vying for the upper hand in a high-profile divorce case. The upper-crust attorneys at Cathcarts & Sons, who represent tech mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West), don traditional bespoke three-piece suits. His estranged wife, movie star Carla Duval (Sienna Miller), enlists the more working-class Taylor & Byrne. Pregnant partner Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox) plots in jewel-colored blouses, while upstart Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux) wears more contemporary off-the-rack Paul Smith collared shirts and ties.
Plot spoilers aside, Carla wins the style war. She makes an immediate impression in a Dolce & Gabbana single-breasted suit at a press junket and then stuns in power blazers and pea coats at mediation sessions. “It was intentional, because she’s in a historically male-dominated world,” he says. Morgan sticks to a “billionaire’s aesthetic” of black suits and shirts.
Sienna Miller and Dominic West as Carla Duval and Morgan Henderson in War.
Price — Emmy nominated for designing the intergalactic costumes in Black Mirror’s 2025 “USS Callister: Into Infinity” episode — procured outfits both from fashion houses (Chloé, Stella McCartney and Fendi for the women; Thom Sweeney and Hackett London for the men) and at vintage markets. Cartier even lent $2 million diamond earrings for a scene in which Carla walks the red carpet at her movie premiere. (“They came with two security guys with white gloves.”)
He had to keep altering his leading lady’s wardrobe, as Miller was covertly pregnant for the duration of the shoot (unlike Fox, whose real pregnancy was made part of the story). “We built it into the designs and the cuts,” he explains. “You first see her in oversized suits. And by the end, we had to go to empire-line waists and darker tones and palettes.”
Price’s greatest luxury? The opportunity to showcase England’s sartorial savvy. “It’s not every day you work with characters who can afford to wear all these labels and have the budget to do it,” he says. “It was a pleasure.”
This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, issue #11, 2026, under the title, "Dressing the Part."
