Latest / The Art of Costume Podcast / Baby Reindeer with Costume Designer, Mekel Bailey

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Baby Reindeer with Costume Designer, Mekel Bailey · The Art of Costume Podcast

• 0:11
  Did we go big shoulders? Did we go small?
• 0:14
  Are we? Fitted.
• 0:15
  Is it straight? There's.
• 0:16
  All of those elements. With that, with that suit.
• 0:19
  And then when we finally found the right fabric.
• 0:22
  Ordered, cooled up the the stairs, the fabric.
• 0:24
  Store, yeah. Can we get this amount of
• 0:26
  meters? Oh, it's sold out.
• 0:43
  Hello, and welcome to the Art of Costume podcast.
• 0:46
  I'm your host, Spencer Williams, and thank you so much for
• 0:49
  joining me for another bonus episode.
• 0:52
  What's going on, costume nerds? I hope you are well and enjoying
• 0:56
  what's left of summer. Count your day as summer.
• 1:00
  It is almost over for you. And then finally, us spooky
• 1:04
  people can leave the house and be our true selves.
• 1:07
  I'm looking forward to wearing black all the time and not
• 1:10
  feeling ashamed for it. I mean, I already do.
• 1:13
  But you know, if it could just be a little less hot watching
• 1:16
  scary movies, just all the things.
• 1:19
  I'm just excited for the fall and summer to just go away.
• 1:24
  But I digress. Today's special episode is about
• 1:27
  a show that's quite literally taken over the world, the
• 1:31
  Netflix limited series Baby Reindeer.
• 1:35
  I love this show. I have to admit, when I first
• 1:38
  heard about it, it it took me a while to get into it.
• 1:41
  I Was it a true crime? Is it a documentary?
• 1:45
  Is it a just a really good drama?
• 1:48
  Like I didn't understand what was happening.
• 1:49
  Everyone was talking about it. Everyone said it was super
• 1:52
  intense. And maybe I wouldn't like it
• 1:54
  because, you know, I typically just watch Veep every night and
• 1:58
  I don't really like to press my brain on important matters.
• 2:03
  But once the show was nominated for all these Emmys, including
• 2:07
  costume design, which we're going to get into, I just knew I
• 2:10
  had to start the show. And boy, once I did, I just
• 2:13
  could not put it down. I watched the entire thing in
• 2:17
  one night, which was actually kind of crazy behavior, But no
• 2:22
  regrets. I just love the show and I'm so
• 2:24
  excited to talk about it. But before we do, how about a
• 2:28
  summary? Baby Reindeer is a story that
• 2:32
  follows writer and performer Richard Gad's warped
• 2:35
  relationship with a female stalker and the impact it has on
• 2:39
  him as he is ultimately forced to face a deep, dark, buried
• 2:44
  trauma. And that is Baby.
• 2:46
  Reindeer. Going behind the costumes we
• 2:49
  have creator Richard Gad, which is absolutely wild to me and
• 2:54
  costumes designed by Mikel Bailey.
• 2:58
  You will know Mikel from his notable work such as The Intent,
• 3:01
  The Mind of Herbert, Clunker, Dunk Chairs, and Some
• 3:05
  Motherhood. You also know Mikel by his
• 3:08
  styling work with clients such as Nicki Minaj, Kelly Rowland,
• 3:12
  Nick Jonas, Olivia Coleman and more.
• 3:16
  I am so excited to have Mikel here to discuss his Emmy
• 3:19
  nominated work on Baby Reindeer. We get into it all from meeting
• 3:25
  with Richard Gad, Donnie's comedy suit, which is so funny
• 3:30
  to me, very clown like in the best way possible, and Martha's
• 3:35
  mismatched outfits. There's so much happening there,
• 3:38
  a lot of subtle storytelling which I'm excited for you all to
• 3:42
  hear Mikel talk about. Now I have to admit we had some
• 3:47
  audio issues and when I say we, I mean me because I forgot to
• 3:52
  turn my mic on. I know.
• 3:54
  I am so sorry. I deeply apologize to Mikel,
• 3:58
  Netflix, all of you, but we had a great conversation.
• 4:01
  Mikel is just so charming and I hope you all enjoy this
• 4:05
  conversation as much as I did. After the break, we'll be joined
• 4:09
  by Baby Reindeer costume designer Mikel.
• 4:12
  Bailey, I am so happy to welcome costume
• 4:41
  designer Mikel Bailey. I'm so happy to meet you.
• 4:44
  How are you? I'm good.
• 4:46
  Thank you for having me, Spencer.
• 4:47
  I'm very excited to. Be on the show.
• 4:49
  Yeah, that's great. I mean, I can't imagine what a
• 4:51
  whirlwind this be, this must be with the show blowing up and
• 4:56
  you're quite new to the costume design scene in terms of some of
• 4:59
  these big projects. I mean, your life must have
• 5:01
  changed overnight. Everything you just said.
• 5:06
  Time's up by 10 and. It's it's it's.
• 5:10
  Fun. It's fun.
• 5:11
  We're we're having a great time with it, but it is a whirlwind.
• 5:15
  But just so excited. That and so happy.
• 5:18
  Everyone's loving the show, everyone's loving the costume.
• 5:21
  So, yeah, yeah. Very grateful.
• 5:23
  Let's get into it first. I mean, we have to talk about
• 5:26
  your recent Emmy nomination nominee for Outstanding
• 5:29
  Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series for
• 5:33
  work on baby reindeer. I mean, how does that feel when
• 5:35
  you saw your name being called? What were your thoughts along
• 5:39
  with that along with your supervisor as well?
• 5:42
  Yeah, along with my supervisor, the amazing, the amazing image
• 5:45
  and wholeness. Yeah, I was jumping around in
• 5:49
  the middle of a barbershop. At the time.
• 5:51
  Talking to Margaret. Talking to my agent, talking to
• 5:54
  him, trying to call my mom. It was all kicking off in that
• 5:57
  space at that moment. It still hasn't sunk in.
• 6:01
  Yeah, it still feels very surreal, but yeah, just.
• 6:07
  On Cloud 100, I don't think it ever will really sink in, but
• 6:10
  it's just great to know that contemporary costume is, you
• 6:13
  know, valued and people. See I guess.
• 6:16
  It was such a well made show from every.
• 6:17
  Department so together cohesively, just as the.
• 6:20
  You know the results of when you work hard, right?
• 6:23
  Yeah, I mean, you should be so proud.
• 6:25
  And I just feel like contemporary costume to me is
• 6:28
  one of the hardest categories as well too, because you really
• 6:31
  have to do a lot of storytelling.
• 6:33
  If I mean, as we'll talk about on baby reindeer, sometimes
• 6:37
  closely, very mixed matched and all over the place, but there's
• 6:40
  you're telling a story. So it's very subtle.
• 6:42
  So, I mean, I really appreciate what you've done.
• 6:44
  Thank you very. Much.
• 6:45
  Let's get into it. So this is obviously such a wild
• 6:48
  project and I think the best places to start from the
• 6:51
  beginning. The series was created and
• 6:54
  written by Richard Gad, who also plays Donnie in the series based
• 6:58
  on Richard's a live one man show and his real experiences.
• 7:02
  So tell me about the beginning, how he got into the series.
• 7:06
  What was your reaction to the script?
• 7:08
  And of course you had to have met Richard as well.
• 7:11
  So getting into that story, I mean, I can't even imagine.
• 7:15
  Yes, so the very, very. Beginning was.
• 7:18
  Got given the pilot episodes episode.
• 7:20
  One and it was read this. Loved it straight.
• 7:25
  Away fell in love with it and then it was making mood boards
• 7:28
  so straight. Away.
• 7:30
  From the producers having a first chat with Matthew, it was
• 7:34
  to make a mood board based on how I envisioned, especially
• 7:37
  Donnie and Martha and a little. Bit of Terry.
• 7:41
  They loved the boards. We then had another conversation
• 7:43
  and then it kind of escalated from there.
• 7:45
  So it was about six or seven interviews.
• 7:47
  I had like with. Clerk and Moir on the
• 7:49
  productions with the producers and then it was kind of a.
• 7:53
  Crazy year that year. Going on 20/20.
• 7:55
  Two, it was all. Kicking off around my birthday
• 7:59
  so I just turned 33, was also nominated.
• 8:02
  For Arrow Awards. And on the same night, my agent
• 8:06
  then told me that we got confirmed for baby Reindeer.
• 8:08
  So it was one of those movies. I'm like, Oh my God.
• 8:13
  So a great night. And then, yeah, I had a month.
• 8:15
  Before the job started. So in that month, so it was kind
• 8:18
  of me starting to do some research, just trying to
• 8:21
  understand Martha, trying to understand Donnie.
• 8:24
  And then in that month, I got to meet Richard.
• 8:27
  So we met up and kind of spent a couple of hours together just
• 8:31
  talking about himself, talking about me.
• 8:33
  How we both saw the character, How we.
• 8:35
  Both saw the costume. He showed me some of his real
• 8:38
  costume. Or you know what?
• 8:38
  Not his costume, his real. Clothes just to.
• 8:41
  Get an understanding of himself, I guess because it is him
• 8:45
  playing himself. So crossover somewhat as a
• 8:49
  similarities and where do we? Cross over that.
• 8:52
  And yeah, that's how it kind of all started, really.
• 8:56
  That was the beginning of the beginning process of baby
• 8:59
  reindeer, Yeah. I mean, it's such a daunting
• 9:03
  process. I would assume, you know,
• 9:05
  working to design costumes for a person that's very much right in
• 9:09
  front of you too, That's kind of.
• 9:12
  I can't wreck my brain around that.
• 9:15
  It was. I guess it it was.
• 9:19
  Also a great thing. Because you could also.
• 9:22
  Bounce so much back and forth. With Richard.
• 9:26
  You know, somewhat making. Sure.
• 9:28
  Is this right? But then.
• 9:29
  He gave us such. Free rein.
• 9:31
  Also creatively to. Explore and you know.
• 9:35
  Create with these costumes. So it wasn't him micromanaging,
• 9:38
  but definitely there was a vision, there was a
• 9:40
  understanding as to, you know, this is.
• 9:42
  Also a true story. So the story takes place in and
• 9:46
  around London in 2015. I'm curious to know what sort of
• 9:49
  research and preparation you did, you know, to design
• 9:52
  costumes for a time that you know, it's not even 10 years
• 9:56
  ago, but still a little bit of a different vibe in 2015.
• 9:58
  And you're in London, so you must have had some experience
• 10:01
  with that. So what was it like going back
• 10:03
  and recreating that time? Yeah, so for me, again, I born
• 10:08
  and raised in London. So.
• 10:11
  Going back to 2015, I was somewhat trying to where was I
• 10:13
  back myself in that world and then it was looking at the
• 10:17
  script and looking at, you know, where is it set in London And it
• 10:20
  was set in Camden, so North London.
• 10:22
  So I went and immersed myself in that area.
• 10:24
  I went and sat in the Holy Arms, I went and sat in pubs, I went
• 10:28
  and sat by the docks and just watched and observed.
• 10:30
  People of the area to try. And get as much essence and
• 10:33
  energy from that time. Well, not from that time, but at
• 10:36
  least from the, you know, the facilities and where it
• 10:38
  actually. Took place.
• 10:40
  And then my second kind of reference dance was more.
• 10:44
  Separate to people. Watching, just watching films,
• 10:47
  TV shows, anything kind of set in those times or storylines of
• 10:52
  or narratives around those time periods to again encapsulate the
• 10:58
  costume. Or the real period.
• 10:59
  Even though I guess the word period, you know.
• 11:02
  Just going back to that. That was kind of like my
• 11:04
  research really for it. And then a lot of Martha's kind
• 11:08
  of references came from, again, me sitting in parks, watching
• 11:11
  people, watching real people. There was a lot of trying to.
• 11:14
  Be very real. As honest.
• 11:16
  As possible with that. And then I guess taking it back
• 11:19
  to 2015, just being aware that it could never be anything that
• 11:23
  is so. I guess stylized.
• 11:26
  In a way that is so current on now.
• 11:28
  So with that it had. To then be done, charity shopped
• 11:31
  in order to get. That character.
• 11:34
  Yeah, I mean, I feel like the realism in this series is one of
• 11:37
  the most disarming things about it too, where just so you could
• 11:40
  really see yourself in these situations and in these clothes
• 11:43
  and in these characters. I mean, it really is part of the
• 11:47
  terror of it to me, I would say. So let's talk about some
• 11:51
  characters, beginning with Martha Scott.
• 11:54
  What an incredible performance by Jessica Gunning, by the way,
• 11:58
  Emmy nominated throughout the series, the timeline during the
• 12:02
  stalking. It is safe to say that Martha
• 12:05
  really wears her heart on her sleeve.
• 12:07
  And there's also realism to Martha, like we talked about.
• 12:11
  And sometimes her clothes are very mix matched or you know,
• 12:15
  maybe when she's in a good mood. I feel like she dresses one way.
• 12:19
  So can't talk about the philosophy behind her costumes.
• 12:21
  I feel like we could do an entire podcast just about.
• 12:24
  Martha. Yeah.
• 12:27
  So, Martha, where do we start with Martha first?
• 12:30
  Me and Jess met the lovely. Jessica, she is the.
• 12:32
  Dream and you know. We we spoke about body, we spoke
• 12:37
  about shape, we spoke about. Everything to do.
• 12:39
  With the character and. Where we wanted to really push
• 12:42
  and go and she was like. Let's do this.
• 12:45
  So just having that freedom already from actress.
• 12:48
  To allow you to really take it there.
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  Already helped me so there was never any hold back or any
• 12:53
  restrictions in any way shape or form.
• 12:56
  And then again with building Martha from my mood boards, it
• 13:01
  was then going out and let's find this.
• 13:03
  So it was going. Charity shops all around.
• 13:06
  London, all the different post codes, all the different areas
• 13:09
  and in all these different areas you're going to get different
• 13:12
  demographics or people. So already that.
• 13:14
  You're going to get. Different types of clothes.
• 13:17
  And then again we whittered it down by then the size and then
• 13:20
  by the colours and the pallets. So once we got like these pinks
• 13:24
  and greens and Reds and all of these certain colours, it was
• 13:27
  just taking all. Ways back to.
• 13:28
  Production, building, this whole kind of collection of all of
• 13:31
  this. Wardrobe for just to try on.
• 13:33
  And then we just had a massive fit and they tried everything on
• 13:36
  and then we just started to build the costumes that way.
• 13:39
  And again, me looking at the script and being OK for this
• 13:42
  scene, maybe this would be right.
• 13:44
  And working with what? What would Donnie be wearing and
• 13:46
  what is the production here? And what is the?
• 13:48
  Colours so. It was again working.
• 13:50
  With all the different. Departments to make sure it all
• 13:52
  made sense, but then taking it the next.
• 13:54
  Step further was like. You know, with Martha and the
• 13:57
  clash of the Prince and the tones.
• 13:59
  All that was. Purposely done to again, always
• 14:02
  show and evoke the emotion and where she is at in her state of
• 14:06
  mind or herself. And you know where, how far
• 14:09
  Martha was. Either, you know, feel sorry for
• 14:11
  Martha. Oh wow, just lady scary so.
• 14:14
  Even like the. Polka dot dress.
• 14:16
  There's all this. Anger and rage and then when you
• 14:19
  look. At the the.
• 14:20
  Animal Prince. There's this predator.
• 14:22
  So there's all these. Subliminals and connotations
• 14:24
  within the Prince that we did with Martha.
• 14:27
  I, I feel like I have to go back and just rewatch it just now
• 14:31
  that I know the story I was telling Mikel behind the scenes.
• 14:35
  I watched the whole thing last night.
• 14:37
  So it was crazy. And now that I like know the
• 14:39
  story, I want to go back and just really look at her costumes
• 14:42
  because I, I, I know that there's a lot of subliminal
• 14:45
  messages in the costume. So I start to pick up about
• 14:48
  halfway through my 0. Something's not right here.
• 14:51
  Thank you for that. So let's go back to Donnie,
• 14:54
  Donnie's performer and artist, if you will.
• 14:57
  So I, I do believe there's an element of style to Donnie.
• 15:01
  You know, he's an artist. He has a creative eye.
• 15:03
  But he's also very. Real too, especially when we see
• 15:06
  him in the quote UN quote present time when he's working
• 15:08
  at the pub. I would love to know your
• 15:10
  process. Be behind Donnie in his everyday
• 15:13
  life and those costumes. Yes.
• 15:15
  So the process for. Again with Donnie was looking at
• 15:19
  what what was a man the typical. Lad, the British guy who tries
• 15:23
  to be. You know, fit in muscles.
• 15:26
  Football drinks a beer. All of those.
• 15:29
  British connotations of what a lad or a man should be and you
• 15:33
  know you never want to stand out.
• 15:35
  You was going to fit in and just watching a lot of.
• 15:38
  TV shows set at a. Time again or in the early 90s
• 15:42
  to give reference to and again going back and sitting myself in
• 15:45
  Camden, just looking at the type of guy that works in those
• 15:48
  spaces and nine times out of 10 it's a very simple just a.
• 15:52
  Polo shirt do you know? What I mean?
• 15:56
  There's not much to it, but. Where you then make.
• 15:59
  That special is. They're not brand new.
• 16:01
  Polos, they're washed out. So a lot of those polos were
• 16:03
  either. Sitting in one of my best
• 16:05
  friend's. Wardrobe for years that you had
• 16:07
  or they were. Again, charity shop.
• 16:10
  So they've had to at least lived.
• 16:12
  And have that story themselves to give.
• 16:15
  That real? Washed in, Might have a little
• 16:18
  snag, might have a. Hole here.
• 16:20
  Might be a bit tired, do you know what I mean?
• 16:21
  Yeah. That's where we tried to well,
• 16:25
  that's why, yeah, push that the everyday.
• 16:28
  Guy And then you see him in a lot of these hoodies and these
• 16:30
  jackets and this denim kind of hooded.
• 16:32
  Jacket and. Again, that's him always
• 16:34
  covering up, hiding so. It's kind of like he's outer
• 16:37
  shell. But again, making it.
• 16:38
  Relatable to this British. Audience and I guess.
• 16:41
  Worldwide, really. That those kind of sweat.
• 16:44
  Hoodie, jumpers, jackets are so. Easy to wear, but.
• 16:48
  Again it. So it was his safety space of
• 16:51
  hiding. I totally, it's that's his way
• 16:53
  to kind of escape and just kind of cover up as much as he can
• 16:57
  because he feels very exposed all the time.
• 17:01
  I was lucky enough to head over to the Netflix studios not too
• 17:05
  long ago and I got to see one of Donnie's comedy suits.
• 17:10
  And when I saw his suit, I was like, OK, I got to get into this
• 17:13
  show because I don't know what it's about, but this suit is
• 17:16
  wild. Tell me about this suit.
• 17:19
  Which I mean, it really does so much storytelling when you see
• 17:23
  it in action and it's something everyone listening.
• 17:26
  I really hope that they go and check out.
• 17:29
  Tell me about how you landed on this very kind of wacky but
• 17:32
  perfect suit. Oh, initially and actually the.
• 17:36
  Pilot episode. It was a suit.
• 17:38
  That was referenced with. Loads of pockets so it that was
• 17:42
  the 1st. Kind of.
• 17:43
  Sketch so it was loads of pockets.
• 17:46
  And then me looking at the pockets, how are we going to
• 17:48
  design these pockets? Well, as you know was it be
• 17:50
  print on print? Would it be these pockets of
• 17:54
  see? Through because, you know, we
• 17:55
  can see through to himself. So all of this and then we
• 17:59
  progressed and evolved into no, it's going to be like tartan and
• 18:04
  Plaid then in that it was then playing around with the
• 18:07
  different materials and the fabrics and me going to.
• 18:10
  Loads of fabric. Shops all around London and US
• 18:13
  playing around. With the swatches, so we'd play
• 18:16
  dress up with Richard. One day in the studio, just one
• 18:20
  tartan head and he had one around his waist and he was.
• 18:22
  Just taking non-stop pictures. And trying to work.
• 18:24
  Out what was the right? How does it work?
• 18:27
  You know against his skin also to tell the.
• 18:29
  Story It's also a. Comedy suit.
• 18:32
  But it's also him, you know, he takes himself serious.
• 18:34
  Here. There's also an element.
• 18:37
  Do we go big shoulders? Do we go small?
• 18:39
  Are we fitted? Is it straight?
• 18:41
  There's. All of those elements.
• 18:43
  With that, with that suit. And then when we.
• 18:45
  Finally. Found the right fabric, ordered.
• 18:48
  Cooled up the the the fabric store, yeah.
• 18:51
  Can we get this amount of meters?
• 18:53
  Oh, it's sold out. So so we had to do it all again,
• 18:59
  but we kind of already whittled it down to.
• 19:01
  Our top ones? So then we just, yeah.
• 19:03
  So yeah, that was a. Little behind the scenes, yeah,
• 19:06
  what happened there? But then it worked out for even.
• 19:09
  Better so. Then.
• 19:10
  That it was the tie so. Finding the right tie to then
• 19:13
  work with the. Suit.
• 19:15
  And then also the colored shirts underneath and he's the
• 19:18
  different. Colours also.
• 19:20
  Represents a different place where he is at within himself.
• 19:24
  It's a very iconic piece. I would say at this point it's,
• 19:26
  you know, it's a bit clownish, but then it's some of the most
• 19:29
  heartbreaking scenes take place in this suit as well too.
• 19:32
  So it really is that comedy and tragedy aspect I wonder.
• 19:38
  Also his converse that. Also go with the suit as well if
• 19:41
  you look. Smartly at the converse.
• 19:43
  There's two. Colours on them.
• 19:44
  So to also. Give this clown like shoe that.
• 19:47
  Goes with. With the cartoon.
• 19:50
  Yeah, it's fantastic. I want to quickly go back to
• 19:54
  Martha. Did I read that pieces of your
• 19:56
  family's wardrobe ended up in Martha's costume?
• 19:59
  Where am I making that up? No, you're right.
• 20:02
  Yes. My grandmother, sadly she's not
• 20:05
  well. She's in a home, but so.
• 20:07
  She just has loads of clothes. Sitting at.
• 20:10
  The house. So like, yeah, halfway through I
• 20:12
  was like. Hold up a minute.
• 20:14
  This would be. Perfect.
• 20:15
  I'm like so most of my mum, my mum's might ask me like would it
• 20:19
  be OK to use some of grand stuff?
• 20:20
  And they're like. Yeah, sure.
• 20:22
  Like, yeah, so there is a couple.
• 20:24
  Pieces in there that we actually did end up using.
• 20:27
  Fascinating. So I'm a big fan of Terry in
• 20:33
  this series, played by Navamel. She is fantastic.
• 20:37
  Also Emmy nominated at this point.
• 20:40
  Terry. To me is just.
• 20:41
  Such a good, pure person, the voice of reason and your heart
• 20:44
  just kind of breaks for her because she gets intertwined in
• 20:47
  this kind of nightmare and you're just like, bad things
• 20:50
  don't need to happen to this good person.
• 20:53
  And I feel like. There's a softness and a
• 20:55
  femininity to her that's really emphasized by her costumes as
• 20:58
  well, so I was wondering how you approach this character in
• 21:01
  particular. Yes, so.
• 21:05
  The amazing Nova Terry. She's a dream.
• 21:09
  There's again a couple sides to Navas costumes.
• 21:13
  So you have just injection of life and colour.
• 21:16
  So when you first meet her, she's wearing like the pink and
• 21:19
  the green, the mini skirts. These crop tops.
• 21:22
  So already there's this. You know.
• 21:24
  She's a very. She's like, not a.
• 21:27
  Tease in his life. But she's this burst.
• 21:30
  Of new life, but then you know, job and when they're at home.
• 21:34
  Yes, she is this very still put together.
• 21:36
  Person she is this middle ground and I guess.
• 21:40
  She keeps she's a. Constant rock.
• 21:41
  Do you know what I mean? So with that stability.
• 21:46
  That's where we then made sure that again, how it comes through
• 21:49
  through her costume as to not push her too far.
• 21:52
  It kind of has to have this sensibility.
• 21:54
  And practicality to it. But in those moments then when
• 21:57
  they're out in the bars and the clubs, there is this, you know,
• 22:00
  there's this fondness to her and again that comes out through her
• 22:04
  energy. Yeah, there's like an appeal to
• 22:06
  her where it's almost like Donnie feels like he's so close
• 22:09
  to, almost like a normal life that he wants also to just like,
• 22:13
  fun and like that's what he wants, and he just can't get
• 22:16
  himself all the way there. It's very heartbreaking,
• 22:19
  actually. So we're talking about you and
• 22:23
  the several hats you wear throughout your career.
• 22:26
  Being a costume designer, stylist, working in film, TV
• 22:29
  commercials, promos, celebrity styling.
• 22:32
  You've worked with some big names, not to brag.
• 22:35
  Nicki Minaj, Nick Jonas, Olivia Coleman, Kelly Rowland, just to
• 22:38
  name a few. So do you feel?
• 22:41
  That your experience as a stylist really helped inform
• 22:44
  your work as costume designer and baby reindeer.
• 22:48
  Yes. 100% I feel even from the beginning that was like one of
• 22:52
  the first things that the lovely Matthew Mueller.
• 22:54
  The producer. Wanted to highlight to the rest
• 22:57
  of the team and he's like, you know, no amplify.
• 22:59
  That he's like push. That you know, that's what
• 23:02
  you've done, that's your experience, and that's why you
• 23:04
  are. Where you are.
• 23:05
  But definitely trying to add a bit of stylize necessarily.
• 23:09
  I guess like say. For the suit and like with
• 23:11
  characters like Terry and also with Martha, just knowing how.
• 23:17
  To play. And create a character but
• 23:21
  through fashion, but doesn't always have to be high end
• 23:23
  fashion. Do you know what I mean?
• 23:24
  So but my experience of working on ATV show many years.
• 23:28
  Ago with a stylist. Called got Kwan where I assisted
• 23:31
  him and that was about. Real people, real shapes.
• 23:34
  Were women so it wasn't just about a size 6 model so being
• 23:38
  able to dress. All body shapes.
• 23:40
  Is an advantage. I think that definitely helped
• 23:43
  me with that and I guess the contacts I had from the fashion
• 23:47
  world, you know, so being able to.
• 23:50
  Yeah, the trousers, that the suit.
• 23:51
  That Donnie made and made by a. Child of the Jago so.
• 23:55
  They gave us their pattern, they made that for us.
• 23:58
  So again, by having that connection, it kind of helps as
• 24:01
  well. So yeah, it.
• 24:03
  Definitely was a leg up. So, Mikel, the show's hugely
• 24:07
  popular and I'm so happy for you and everyone who worked on it.
• 24:11
  I mean, it has 11 Emmy nominations.
• 24:14
  Well, there's. At times a bit of humor to the
• 24:15
  story. It also is extremely impactful
• 24:18
  story. So for my last question, I want
• 24:20
  to know what the series has meant to you and what do you
• 24:24
  hope the audiences take away from watching this series?
• 24:27
  Baby reindeer. Well, firstly, the series.
• 24:31
  Means so much to me, firstly because I'm honoured to be able
• 24:34
  to work on a show that is, you know, Richard's true.
• 24:36
  Story and he's allowed us to tell his story with him but why
• 24:40
  I was also attracted to the story is because there.
• 24:42
  Was moments in it that I guess, you know, relate to me?
• 24:46
  I always want to work on things that I can relate to.
• 24:49
  That I have a. Experienced or somewhat
• 24:51
  experienced through another person or close to.
• 24:54
  Or things that I would always like to advocate.
• 24:56
  Or, you know, be to. Share to the world.
• 25:00
  Especially being a gay person myself so it touches upon so
• 25:03
  many. Layers that I feel like.
• 25:05
  I'm I'm always to support. That and push that.
• 25:09
  And I'm just, yeah, so that's what the show meant to me.
• 25:10
  And it really was just a. A huge job.
• 25:14
  That and you know. Proud of myself.
• 25:18
  That I managed to do it. And definitely, yeah, but
• 25:21
  definitely had all the. Support from the right people
• 25:23
  and with the right team. We did it and just proud.
• 25:27
  That the hard work every day showing.
• 25:29
  Up and putting our hundreds and 10% into it, it's now somewhat
• 25:32
  people can see that, so that's what I'm honoured and grateful
• 25:34
  for. Yeah, and what do you hope
• 25:36
  audiences take away from watching this series?
• 25:40
  I hope it raises and breathes or educates awareness.
• 25:45
  Really, I think it. I hope it.
• 25:46
  Teaches people. And I think it just opens up.
• 25:50
  The eyes to the world that there's.
• 25:52
  So much more than always the unison way that it doesn't
• 25:56
  always. Have to be either.
• 25:57
  A woman, a man to a woman, it can be a woman to a man or
• 26:01
  there's and there's how. Again, that's it.
• 26:03
  Really just educate people on there are true stories out there
• 26:06
  and how can we grow from these. Costume designer Mikel Bailey,
• 26:10
  thank you so much for joining us.
• 26:11
  This has been such a joy. I'm so happy for you and your
• 26:14
  team. It's just huge.
• 26:15
  Congratulations to all of you. This has been fantastic.
• 26:19
  Thank you. The Art of Costume podcast is
• 26:25
  hosted and produced by Elizabeth Joy Glass and Spencer Williams.
• 26:31
  Our audio engineering and editing is done by Dan White.
• 26:35
  Follow us on TikTok at The Art of Costume and Instagram at the
• 26:40
  Art of Costume Pod. If you want to support the show,
• 26:43
  go to theartofcostume.com pod Store.
• 26:48
  For more podcast updates, costume reviews, deep dives and
• 26:53
  interviews, go to theartofcostume.com, A blog
• 26:58
  dedicated to highlighting the best in costume design.