The costume designers behind the new prequel series "Elle" have revealed the stylistic journey that defines a young Elle Woods in the 1990s.
Sophie De Rakoff and Sara Byblow designed the wardrobe for the Amazon Prime series, which follows 16-year-old Elle, played by Lexi Minetree, as she moves from Los Angeles to Seattle.
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The duo focused on building the character's visual evolution rather than replicating her iconic look from the original films.
"For us, it was a matter of building out, like, 'OK, she ends up here, but how did she get there?'"
Byblow said.
Inspiration from 1990s Icons
To capture Elle's adolescent persona, the designers researched the cultural landscape of 1995.
They drew inspiration from blond icons such as Claudia Schiffer, Jane Fonda, and Gwen Stefani.
Byblow noted that specific pieces, including a custom sweet 16 dress and a Nirvana-themed outfit, stand out as pivotal moments in the wardrobe development.
"There are certain pieces — like the sweet 16 dress — that when we were designing them, right away, we were thinking this is such an iconic Elle Woods moment," Byblow said.
The sweet 16 dress was the first physical piece the designers worked on together, and it was unanimously chosen by the production team.
"When we went to present our five dresses, every single person in the room just pointed and then said, 'That's it,'" Byblow recalled.
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