The Idol Depicts Hollywoods Pop Star Problem Through the Fashion

Spoilers ahead for season one of The Idol.

Love it or hate it, The Idol is undoubtedly this summer’s go-to spectacle. Just like every previous series to hold HBO’s coveted late-night Sunday slot— such as showrunner Sam Levinson’s first hit, Euphoria or, most recently, Succession—the newest piece of eye candy from the network is ushering in discourse from every angle, already embedding itself as the most talked-about show ever to hit the platform.

Self-described as “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood” and helmed by Levinson, the five-episode series chronicles the music industry’s deepest and darkest secrets from the point of view of aspiring, oh-so-troubled pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp). After her career ends up on life support following the death of her abusive mother, she finds relief and guidance in a man many would describe as a modern-day cult leader, Tedros (played by real-life pop behemoth Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye). As early as the first episode, viewers find themselves with qualms about various aspects of The Idol, such as Tesfaye’s parasite-like character, the show’s eyebrow-raising “sex” scenes, and Jocelyn’s moan-filled comeback single, “World Class Sinner/I’m a Freak” (which we have to admit is actually quite catchy)—all of which are meant to make us shift uncomfortably in our seats.

Aside from the star-studded cast, the most dazzling part of The Idol is the wardrobe, which falls not an inch short of the glitz we typically associate with the high-rise life. The risqué outfits worn by the characters are brought to life by award-winning costume designer Natasha Newman-Thomas and precisely epitomize the indie sleaze we know and love today, in the form of itty-bitty bralettes paired with high-waisted shorts, skin-baring cutouts, and lots and lots of lace. Some looks reference iconic pop culture looks, like the red-silk and black-lace robe worn by Depp, a nod to Marilyn Monroe. While revealing their bodies in barely-there silhouettes, the characters camouflage their woes with sunglasses and cigarettes, arguably the show’s biggest accessories aside from statement jewelry and designer handbags.

Newman-Thomas tells Bazaar.com that ultimately, the looks in The Idol are meant to reflect the tug-of-war of power and fame, and how it inevitably erodes the people it entangles. She wanted to bring that vision to life from the very start. “Whether you're onscreen or not, your body is a billboard, and you get to say it’s how people get their immediate first impression from a glance,” she says. “There are just so many signifiers and nuances portrayed through clothing and in everyday life, and we try to bring those into the costumes of the characters. I hope that helped create every one you see onscreen and tell a little bit of ‘a story within the story’ of who these characters are.”

Newman-Thomas, who’s worked on projects including the music videos for Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Spitting Off the Edge of the World,” broke down the intentions behind some of the biggest outfits we’ve seen on The Idol so far.

The outfits tell us so much about each character, even in just the first episodes—particularly Jocelyn. What message did you want to convey with her outfits, especially at the beginning of the series?

We’re trying to simultaneously convey youth and power, and how she’s able to harness her sexuality and turn that into power, but in a seemingly nonchalant, carefree way. She’s very comfortable in her own skin and confident, but she’s not necessarily derivative of other pop stars you’ve seen before. She’s still in that echelon of creating a fantasy, though, which—I feel like a lot of that special, intrinsic something to the whole “pop star” persona is building this untouchable realm.

Right now, viewers see that Jocelyn is understandably broken after her mother’s death and that she is rediscovering herself, her artistry, and her overall confidence through her new relationship with Tedros. What can we expect in terms of outfits, once that switch in her character finally unveils itself in the episodes to come?

As Tedros enters her life, especially by the third episode, he mentions changing her style. There’s definitely an evolution of his influence on her personality and music that comes into play, and will continue to unfold, so it’s a natural influence on her style as well. I don’t want to give away too much, but let’s just say there are a lot of power shifts throughout this series, and I think they’re all reflected in how she chooses to present herself.

Moving on to Tedros—the show’s “villain”—there’s a stark contrast between him and Jocelyn. What inspired you when building his wardrobe, and how does his style juxtapose against hers?

They both have something in common when it comes to their aura, because both characters want to express their [seemingly unwavering confidence] through their clothing. If they’re lacking any bit of that persona they’ve built, they want to bury that and put on a front instead, to display and maintain that level of power. Tedros definitely has that trait, and it’s revealed through the silhouettes he wears. For instance, he’s seen showing off a little bit of his tattoos to prove that he’s more tough when he comes out of the car after the shopping trip in episode three, and he pulls his zipper down to expose his chain. Then, you see Chaim (Hank Azaria) do the same thing, and he pulls his chain out. All of these subtle dynamics are instigated through the clothes.

Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye as Tedros

This is like most popular topic on the internet at the moment, so I have to mention Tedros’s rattail hairstyle. Why do you think that aspect of his character is getting so much attention, and what does it say about him?

It’s part of the big separation between the Tedros character and the Weeknd. Having such a stark contrast was really important in differentiating that, because we’re dealing with someone who is a pop star and already has such an iconic look to him, and the team wanted to separate them. I wasn’t super involved in the decision, as that’s more of a hair department thing, but when they asked me for my opinion about the rattail, I immediately loved it. I thought it was a really smart idea to bring further development to that character.

It also seems that the side characters—Dyanne, Xander, Leia, and others—all have their own unique aesthetics, too. We even see Destiny in a head-to-toe monogram Gucci in episode two, while we see Leia dressing quite similarly to that of Portia from The White Lotus. Could you give us a breakdown of the inspiration for them and what you wanted to portray through their outfits, as people working behind the scenes of Jocelyn’s success?

Leia (Rachel Sennott) is an amalgamation of every personal assistant I’ve ever come across in L.A., and there are a lot of elements of that job that she embodies, because you have to be semiprofessional but comfortable. There can only be one diva in the room, and even if you want to dress over the top, it’s generally frowned upon. And so for that character, it was all about finding that balance.

Obviously, she totally idolizes Jocelyn as a friend and a performer. There’s this scene when they all go to the club for the first time. I thought it would be really funny if Leia wore a dress that was sent to Jocelyn as a gift that she didn’t want, or something she used to wear that she was throwing away—and Leia was like, “No, I’ll take it,” and it becomes clearly a Jocelyn-reject item that she really cherishes. There are other little Easter eggs like that for Leia throughout the show.

Rachel Sennott, Lily Rose Depp, and Troye Sivan

Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Destiny

As for Destiny (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), that character is such a badass and so mentally sharp, so we wanted to reflect that in her wardrobe. She’s so put together, always ready to go, and is quite calculated, and she puts just as much thought into her appearance as she does into everything else in her life. We wanted to make her look good doing the dirty work.

I’m also curious about Dyanne’s character, because she's not onscreen as much as the others, but we see her as Jocelyn’s backup dancer who’s threatening to replace her. On top of that, she’s played by Jennie from Blackpink—another real-life pop star. How did you try to embody that through her outfits, and did you have any reservations about dressing Jennie?

It’s the same notion that there can only be one diva in the room. Dyanne’s character goes through a transformation as the backup dancer, and there’s definitely hints earlier on in the season that she’s got that star power.

In terms of working with Jennie, she was such a professional and a dream to work with, because she’s just done this a million times. So we’d put looks on, and she just knew what’s working and what wasn’t, and we were instantly on the same page about everything. Honestly, all of our actors were absolutely fantastic to work with.

When it came to Dyanne’s outfits, we all had a discussion with her team beforehand about the level of skin she was comfortable showing and all. For the scene where she’s doing her version of Jocelyn’s music video in episode three, I sent Jennie the sketches of her look ahead of time, just to clear it with with her and her team, and make sure that was all good since it’s supposed to be that specific bodysuit that Jocelyn wore for her take. It was really important that they had similarities, and we wanted to use the same fabricator to mimic that outfit on Jennie’s character.

Jennie Kim and Abel Tesfaye

How did you go about sourcing the looks? Did you rely on your intuition more, or did the cast help you develop the looks in some way?

I started by making mood boards for each character. Then, while prepping for the show, we did preliminary fittings, and in doing so, we were able to go a little bit deeper into the sociology behind each of them based on our conversations with the actors, and understanding their visions for each character, as well as talking to Sam and understanding his vision.

Based on what he wanted to portray, and what the best ways to do that were, it helped us create our overall looks and more detailed signifiers for the characters. After building their closets and by the time we shot each scene, it became a collaboration with the actors. We had to plan in advance for some of the looks, as some of them were custom-made, like Destiny’s monogram Gucci set in episode two and a lot of Jocelyn’s and Tedros’s looks. So those outfits required more time, so we could make any alterations before it was time to shoot.

Out of all of the outfits in the series, what were some of your favorites?

There are so many looks that I love for so many of the characters. Leia’s outfit that she wore to the club was a standout for me, because it was such a fun, underlooked detail. Obviously, the red robe that Jocelyn wears in episode one was something I actually designed myself, and that was such a feat in terms of design and construction for me. We had to make multiples of that because the rope gets cut, so it wasn’t something we could just do a one-off of. I had to make sure that the lace or silk I sourced came there with the correct yardage to make at least three or four so we could do that cutting scene multiple times.

There are other items I loved from the show, like a pair of these vintage Alexander McQueen bumsters from episode two. We also sourced a Maison Margiela dress that we received multiples of thanks to the Margiela team, who very generously sent us double of that style. It’s funny, too, because they have their signature tag with the four stitch marks, and Sam had us cut it out, so it was a little bit painful for me. It goes to show that Jocelyn doesn’t even need details like that while wearing designer or couture, because she can make anything special. And honestly, we had so many beautiful pieces that I don’t know even made it into the show.

HBO

Cigarettes and sunglasses seem to be the show’s biggest accessories so far. What were you trying to portray with the sunglasses worn both inside and outdoors, and also with the characters always having cigarettes in hand?

Sunglasses are such an intrinsic part of the L.A. lifestyle, and it’s become a necessity. Since everyone wears them here, everyone has a few favorite pairs they always sport. And of course, they want them to be really special, because it’s on your face, and that’s the gateway into who you are. You want to tell—or hide—as much about yourself as possible, and a lot of the characters in this show use their sunglasses to do both of those things.

When it comes to the cigarettes, it’s a part of the whole bad-boy/vixen character tropes that we don’t see as much these days, just because smoking is bad and frowned upon. But these characters have other things that are bad and frowned-upon about them, and that’s a choice that emphasizes the reality of the characters. When people like Jocelyn smoke, we see that always on edge, as she’s on a pretty regimented diet and lifestyle, and so anything that she has control of, she’s going to do as a form of release.

Would you say the sex scenes between Jocelyn and Tedros were challenging to style? What was the mindset behind navigating such intimate shots?

The goal while styling these scenes was just to keep everything as authentic to the characters as possible. Most importantly, we wanted all of the actors to be comfortable and didn’t want anyone to be in an uncomfortable position, since that’s such a vulnerable scene to film, especially when you’re portraying those things. We just wanted everyone to have the correct modesty garments and anything that they needed to make sure they felt safe in the environment.

HBO

What are you ultimately trying to say about Hollywood, L.A. culture, and the pop-music industry machine through the costuming?

As someone who’s worked with so many musicians over the years, I’ve come to realize these are people who [are] Olympian-athlete level in talent, stamina, and artistry. They make it look so effortless because that’s part of their job, and we want to convey how difficult it actually is.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

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