Night Openings is one of the best style accounts on Instagram. Dedicated to sharing and reevaluating red carpet ‘fits from the nineties and early 2000s, the (regularly hilarious) image bank boasts a steadfast following of industry insiders, including Natasha Newman-Thomas, costume designer of The Idol. And although the Hollywood native doesn’t explicitly reference the page during our Zoom call, it seems likely that this nostalgia-drenched tribute to old-school A-listers served as inspiration for the HBO show's wardrobe.
“I was looking at a lot of Getty images of nineties movie premieres,” she tells me from Joshua Tree, California, where she's working on an upcoming film. “It was the era of supermodels and pop stars of a certain calibre; the energy that they brought was so effortless and casual, which was a departure from the glam of the seventies and the power of the eighties. I wanted to portray these characters in a similar light of effortlessness.”
In case you’re yet to catch an episode of The Idol, the controversial series – co-created by Abel Tesfaye (AKA The Weeknd) and Sam Levinson (creator of Euphoria) – follows a very famous, very vulnerable Britney-coded musician named Jocelyn (played by Lily-Rose Depp) as she prepares to make a comeback after a year-long breakdown brought about by the death of her mother. Tesfaye stars as the show’s antagonist, Tedros, a sleazy, hedonistic cult leader who preys on the unstable star after ensnaring her in his nightclub lair.
Upon signing on to the five-episode series, Newman-Thomas built a moodboard for each of the key characters, and reveals to Esquire that Mickey Rourke, an unlikely muse, was pivotal to fine-tuning Tedros' vibe. “I really love the way Rourke’s style has this unwavering confidence no matter what. It’s like, he’s not trendy, but definitely cares about his presentation. I kind of feel the same way about Tedros – he’s not feeding into any trends, but he’s definitely thinking about what he’s putting out there.”
To capture the essence of Rourke and his peers in their prime, the costume designer elected for archive pieces (as well as old school designs from LA-based designers like Saint Michael and Born and Raised) to form Tedros’ wardrobe. “A lot of what he wears is vintage – a lot of vintage shirts and vintage tracksuits. Also some [...] flashier accessories. He would definitely have a flash of something expensive here and there.” Yet, she reveals that we can expect to see a shift in his style in the show's penultimate episode, scheduled to air on 26 June. “In Episode Five, you'll see a departure from his typical look, once certain things happen. There's a little bit of a change, but I don't want to give anything away.”
Once Newman-Thomas compiled her selection, a three-hour fitting took place at Tesfaye’s digs: a Bel-Air mansion which also played location to scenes in and around Jocelyn's home. “It was just Abel, Sam, Ashley [Levinson’s wife and a producer on the show], my assistant costume designer, Lisa Madonna, and I,” she says, grinning as she recalls the session. “It was just us listening to music, trying on clothes, and kind of figuring out where we wanted to go with the character.”
Newman-Thomas is no stranger to styling music industry heavyweights, having worked with Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, Paul McCartney, Sam Smith and Florence and the Machine. She believes her rich experience in the music industry proved resourceful when working on The Idol, especially when designing the costumes for Episode Two’s focal moment in which Jocelyn records the music video for her comeback single, ‘World Class Sinner’. “I thought about this Sam Smith video I did and was like, okay, we had a shoestring budget there, they would probably have something similar on this – let's figure out a way to make cool costumes.”
The Idol marks the second time Newman-Thomas has collaborated with Tesfaye, the first being on Mania, a short film released by the Canadian artist during his Starboy era. “Working with Abel has always been such a pleasure. He’s [...] always involved with the creative elements of whatever he’s doing. I think that’s reflected in his music, and all the visuals he’s ever put out to accompany his music. Everything you see on screen is a reflection of his hard work and dedication.”
Tesfaye's relentless commitment to the project, right down to having a say in the costume design, is hardly surprising. After all, The Idol's premise emerged from his own dealings with fame. “We got on a Zoom because I’d heard he has this project,” says Levinson in an interview with The New York Times. “The genesis was he said, 'Look, if I wanted to start a cult, I could. And I don’t know if that’s necessarily a good thing'”.
Despite negative reviews, millions of viewers are invested in Jocelyn and Tedros' sick, twisted love story. And although Newman-Thomas is clear that starting trends was never her aim – “the goal," she says, "was more just dressing the characters from a storytelling standpoint” – she does hope the show will stimulate viewers to develop more conscious buying habits. “We leaned into a lot of vintage which hopefully encourages sustainability, and higher-end pieces that are investments that people will have forever.”
Usually we'd advise against taking life lessons from The Idol, but that one doesn't sound too bad at all.
The Idol airs Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW
