The style secrets of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” told by their costume designer - Reel

“I was born, raised and went to high school in Jamaica. I came to the United States to pursue my studies in a completely different field than fashion: food science and restaurant management. The school did, however, have a very large and highly regarded department devoted to fashion design. Most of my new friends were studying fashion and that influenced me a lot , so much so that I decided that's what I wanted to do.

I changed career paths, got a degree in fashion and branding. At that time, I knew nothing about cinema or cinema fashion . I didn't make the connection between the two until a friend told me about it. So I went to the cinema, looked at the clothes, the costumes and wow! Then I participated in a small show as an intern and that's how my career began.

I had just left university, I was in New York. I spent much of my career in this city, starting on Broadway as an assistant. Little by little, I started making costumes and working in cinema, as a supervisor, for films like “ Goodfellas ” by Martin Scorsese in 1990.

Anyway, I started designing film and TV costumes in the 90s and from there my career started to take off. Essentially, it's nothing more and nothing less than being in the right place at the right time, knowing how to put the right amount of passion and determination into your work . It's a synergy, a set of things that I think brings us to where we are. It's a bit like baking a cake: certain ingredients have to be there for something to happen and I think it's our responsibility as human beings not to let the cake burn .

“When it came to 'Breaking Bad,' I was contacted through my agent to work on season 5, which aired in 2012. It was very exciting because I always wanted to work on a series of this guy. Twist of fate: it happened! I had already made the costumes for series like “Vampire Diaries” in 2009 or “The Originals” in 2013 , which were connected to each other.

It's nice to know that producers and directors appreciate my work so when a prequel or sequel comes along, they reach out to me. It's very rewarding. I also like having the opportunity to continue my relationship with a team and characters . On a creative level, it's very exciting to be involved in the continuity of a universe.

I wasn't the first costume designer on this project but when I arrived, I still had to do the last season, which was very long. It was an incredible opportunity to be able to put my style stamp on this story . For example, when new characters arrive.

Walter White's situation in the storyline had also changed, and it continued to change rapidly. All of this gave me the opportunity to design a new look and environment for it. Truth be told, just about every character experiences dramatic changes in Season 5 and those changes need to be relayed through their clothing like we all do in real life.

When our position changes, our clothes also change. Your clothes tell everyone where you are in life , even if sometimes we don't really consciously want to show it. It's a reality. It was a good introduction for me, to change certain things and design new ones in the series. I worked closely with the creators, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. »

“One of the things I did for 'Breaking Bad' was create a color palette for the main characters, based on what their situation (or demise) was going to be . I think it was a whole new approach to working in terms of costumes: approaching the story through color.

Colors are essential. They deliver messages to which our brain responds. In a way, you can judge a series by the colors it uses, and thus know what will happen in it. For my part, I completely believe in the idea that we are what we wear . Of course we try to hide it.

If one day you're not feeling great, you might want to wear something nice and shiny that will cheer you up. The color in clothing can change your attitude , whether in one direction or another. People react to it, unconsciously.

Whether you watch a series on television or read a book, characters are described to you. But color is an aspect in art and creativity that is too often overlooked, particularly with contemporary media like television, cinema and the Internet. This is not the case in the arts or Fine Arts, in the classic sense of the term. We have relied a lot on painters in history. But what is the painter's greatest tool? The colour ! »

“ Everything is important to me in costumes: the cut, the style, the fabric . But at the very beginning, what interests me the most is the story, understanding what is going to happen. Once I have that in mind, I would say that these are the subjects that come next because it is the basis of the work.

I look at what I have to create, how to adapt it as needed, depending on the garment and the story. But sometimes design comes first. I then have to come back to the fabric, then the color. This may change but all of these elements are very important. Obviously, the choice of fabric can create big differences depending on whether it drapes and adapts (or not) to the bodies of the characters. And then of course, you have to consider the color, what the actor has to play. All of these elements are equally important but there can be significant changes depending on the garment. My favorite fabrics are silk and woolens .

They are so versatile, they conform to the curve of the body, etc. Then, I would say that it is synthetic materials. I also like leather, because I love shoes. It's a real passion of mine . If a beautiful French shoe brand ever reads this article and wants to collaborate with me on a shoe line, call me: I've always wanted to create shoes! I like organic things in general: leather, silk, wool. But on the other hand, I also like synthetic materials and technical fabrics for their properties and durability . You can shape them as you wish, etc. This is all very interesting to me. »

“On 'Breaking Bad,' I had to research something that was already ingrained in people's minds. That said, my mission was to make this final season special, with a different dynamic and direction. I already had models defined in terms of style, notably the shirts and pants of Walter White's character, his famous Clarks Wallabees shoes .

So inside this model, I changed the colors. Walter White makes a lot more money than he did at the start of the series. It's something quite subtle: his situation has evolved, things have become clearer and he has gained confidence. Walter White then completely embraces the personality of his alter ego Eisenberg .

I must also say that Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, the actors who play Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, have their feet on the ground and it is a real pleasure to work with them. They are almost as you see them in the picture. They became good friends.

My job, particularly for Jesse Pinkman, was to update the character. I did a lot of research on urban and hip-hop inspired brands . I contacted a lot of them, who were delighted to be on the show, because as you know, brands on television have become a thing in themselves.

I realized how important it has become for a brand to be present in the media, how much it is intensifying and how much it can expose brands to new markets they are looking for. However, I didn't want to only feature big brands. I really enjoy discovering (and introducing people to) small brands as well. Of course, there were times when I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for so I created it myself, with my team.

The clothes in “Breaking Bad” are contemporary. Many people imagine that they can be bought in stores. But the reality is a little more complex, because I may very well need eight copies of the same costume for the needs of a fight scene or a stunt. I then have to dress the characters accordingly and have tailor-made clothes, which I did a lot for “Breaking Bad” .

For “Better Call Saul,” some characters were a real challenge to dress, especially in certain episodes, because the action required special costumes. But I was lucky enough to work with excellent producers and writers with whom I was able to have a long working relationship. I was able to talk with them, telling them sometimes when things didn't go well with the clothes, that we would have to find something else. There was a lot of discussion and listening. That said, it's always a challenge when there are stunts, blood and bullets, especially with contemporary clothing .

A television series moves very, very quickly, much more than a film during its production. I only received the script a week before filming started. I don't have as much time as people might imagine. So we have to move very quickly. I have to design, have clothes made or find clothes and I look absolutely everywhere: in the best department stores, in thrift stores, at flea markets, etc.

Sometimes I can't find the right idea, the right cut, the right fabric or the right color so we search, we make. Most costume designers will say that the hardest part of this job is the action scenes . Because the understudy will not necessarily have the same requirements as the actor. If you dress the actor in a shirt and his double has to land on a building or carry out a car chase, you will have to manage to hide his protective equipment so that he is safe. »

“After finishing filming Season 5 of “Breaking Bad,” my desire to design custom costumes for the characters grew, especially for the character played by Bob Odenkirk, who wears a large number of costumes. It was a very interesting situation because this series is a prequel to “Breaking Bad”. It tells the story of how this lawyer, Jimmy McGill, becomes a sort of Pompadour peacock: Saul Goodman.

For the record, real lawyers have actually written to me asking “Oh Jennifer, I love your work, where did you find that tie, that shirt?” I'm a lawyer and I want to dress like Saul Goodman ." And they really did, and still do!

I'm going to tell you an amazing story. The series is now finished and airing and I am working on another project. But two months ago, I received a message from a gentleman from Saskatoon in Canada. He then explains to me that his son wishes he could go to his graduation dressed as Saul Goodman .

“I know you're probably too busy and never will but I had to write and ask you anyway. ".

It was so funny and adorable that I did it. I sent him some crazy ties, he sent me photos of the suit he bought from a local designer. I then told him that the suit didn't suit him, that he had to go back to the designer and give him some advice to make it perfect.

After all, if you're going to do it, you might as well do it well. He had a classic white shirt and I told him “no no no, it has to be a colorful shirt!” ". So I sent him a lavender colored shirt with three fancy ties . This young man went to his graduation in Canadian Saskatchewan dressed like Saul Goodman. It was so funny. »

“ Kim Wexler is just as important as Jimmy/Saul stylistically . She is his opposite. However, her style is not as casual as it looks. When Rhea Seehorn got the role, the two of us got together and I told her my vision of this young woman who had risen through the ranks.

She started as a courier in an office, went to law school, passed her exam and then became a lawyer. She basically has a good heart. So how do we dress it? My idea for her, which Rhea completely bought into, is that she would be the opposite of Saul. So facing the Pompadour, she would play the role of the silent little mouse, with a pensive look.

Jimmy thinks about the ties, shirts, and fancy suits he's going to wear . She also thinks about what clothes she is going to wear. But his idea is to just put something on and walk out the door. He spends a lot of time getting the right look before going out . Many of Kim's suits didn't actually fit because I thought a young lawyer like her, with her budget, wouldn't be interested in spending her money on custom suits.

She will instead go buy a jacket on sale, a skirt that will look like it matches the jacket, a polyester blouse - when her situation improves, she will switch to silk -, a pair of basic pumps . She can only afford a set of jewelry, a necklace and earrings. It's discreet. If you watch the show, you'll see that's what she wears every day, season after season.

In the sixth season, it is explained that there is a story behind her necklace and earrings. That said, when I bought them, there was no story! The writers decided to include one afterwards. I helped inspire the storyline more than once. Sometimes the team would come up to me and say , “But Jennifer, why did you choose this piece or this outfit?” ". I do it sometimes instinctively, other times with a specific purpose, but I believe that there is always a purpose behind the instinct. We may simply not always be aware of it.

It happened a few times that I simply explained that it was what seemed best to me for a particular episode and that I wanted my choice to be validated. You should know that in “Better Call Saul”, I make clothes for absolutely all the actors, even those who have no dialogue or who are in the background . As you can imagine, I was very, very busy on this series!

I have to be careful about what my main actors wear, that no one in the background is wearing the same thing while still being an integral part of this universe. The other challenge is also that the series takes place a few years before our present time. When looking at brands and shopping for the series, I had to be very careful not to include any style or material trends that didn't yet exist at that time. »

“I'm glad that there's a parallel between Saul Goodman and Gus Fring's character because often when I'm interviewed about the show, people don't see the connection between the two at all. They are two characters who are extremely obsessed with their appearance, but for very different reasons .

I often get requests about Saul Goodman's clothes, but not as much for Giancarlo's character. In reality, these two characters are as important as each other. I think the difference is that viewers recognize Gus from “Breaking Bad”: he’s always been like that. He has always been picky, dressed in a sartorial register . It's natural for him: it's part of his facade.

It's his way of presenting himself to the world, in a different light. Because he has another life behind the costume , which does not necessarily go hand in hand with his clothes. He's a first class gangster. Well, maybe gangster isn't the word. Let's say he's a businessman who is involved in criminal activities. There are actually a lot of people in this industry who dress extremely well.

The “bad guys” in films or series are often well dressed. None of them dress like everyone else. Those who dress like gangsters are the ones who work for this type of businessman, who drive luxury cars and wear the nicest suits . Gus has this look. I spent as much time on his costumes as I did Saul Goodman's.

In Gus's case, everything was perfectly cut and adapted to his physique. It was to be in the bespoke , in sartorial. But unlike Gus, Saul is more into demonstration. He wants to be noticed. Gus doesn't want to be noticed by his looks or his clothes. His business and the very sartorial style he wears are his uniform .

In “Breaking Bad,” Saul is already a dandy and a peacock . “Better Call Saul” is the story of how he became who he is. In the first season of "Better Call Saul," I couldn't get him to appear in flashy outfits . The question was mainly: how are we going to transform this guy who delivers the mail into a powerful, intelligent and slightly crazy cartel lawyer?

When we wrote the story of Jimmy's first steps, he wasn't supposed to have any money. I suggested to Vince Gilligan that we present him more as someone who pretends to have money. Gus doesn't have to pretend: he has money. So what I did was that I thought of his style as if it were that of a lawyer who is just starting out but who wants to give the impression that he has already succeeded in everything and that he has a large clientele.

At the time the series is set, the double-breasted suit was very popular and this suit in particular gave and I think still gives the impression that the person wearing it had a stature, a special status . So I made him wear a double-breasted suit. For the color, I decided that I would only give it one color and that was brown.

Brown, if used in the right way, is a color that can mean insecurity, a lower standing. Brown is not a color synonymous with power. So Saul wears a double-breasted suit, not as well cut as it should be, a flashy tie and a few shiny shirts , because he can afford them. And then shoes, of course, because it's very important.

Shoes reflect the status of their wearer . Saul could not not treat yourself to Ferragamo , although these are the shoes he ends up wearing if we want to talk about brands – I actually really used Ferragamo in the series. But at the start of his journey, I made him wear somewhat similar shoes, of much lower quality.

There is one thing in the series that Vince Gilligan always regretted not having filmed for longer: Saul Goodman's shoes. You know, in Ferragamo moccasins, there is a strap on the top of the foot. I broke it off, added a paper clip and reattached the strap with it. Most of the time the camera doesn't go down to the shoes but I broke off this small piece of the shoe for the sake of realism. At this point, Saul can't afford a new pair yet.

In the first season, when he goes to see the Kettleman family, there's a scene, if you look closely, where Vince has moved the camera down and you can see the paperclip that holds his shoes on. It's a scene that Vince Gilligan would have liked to have lasted. From this point in the story, Saul's interest in clothing began to develop .

If you watch the first season, you can see that Saul aspires to have this style, that he feels that he will be prosperous if he looks like he is prospering . Gus Fring is already thriving. He doesn't have to explain it through his clothes. The thing is, he's the meticulous type. This is the difference in style between these two men and their costumes. »

“When you look at the style of the cartel characters, which was actually a lot of fun to work on, especially the shirts, it’s the same thought process. Lalo Salamanca, for example, is such a psychopath that I made him wear flowered shirts, with pretty prints , etc. But he is anything but that.

For him, it's about giving himself a cover, making it seem like he's a really cool, nice guy. He likes nice cars, he likes gardening and he has flowered shirts that are very cool and very relaxed. But in reality, he is anything but a nice character. It's a trap. »

Of all the looks and costumes I worked on in “Better Call Saul,” that of Howard Hamlin , played by Patrick Fabian, truly represents the epitome of refined style . It's the opposite of how lawyers dress. I wanted to give it this strong sense of tradition and refinement.

In “Better Call Saul,” there are three male characters for whom clothing has become of utmost importance: Gustavo Fring, Howard Hamlin and Saul Goodman. If we take the time to think about it for two minutes in terms of men's fashion, we have three different visions of style: First the traditional way, discreet but with a touch of style – that would be the character of Gus Fring.

Then the traditional “augmented” route. That is to say with an assertive, unchanging and at the same time completely timeless style , which seeks the best in terms of fabrics, cuts, etc. That would be Howard Hamlin. Finally, at the other end of the spectrum, we have a louder, flashier and contemporary path. That is to say, a style that claims to have money, to be attracted to shiny things and to be able to buy all the clothes you want. It is a way where the person chooses their clothes so that they can be noticed and recognized. It's of course Saul Goodman . For most of us, it is most often a hybrid mixture of these three visions of style. »

“You might not believe it but on my shelves, among my research books, there are Chanel, Saint Laurent, Madame Grès, Alexander McQueen, etc. You'd be surprised how often I return to classic couturiers. They inspire me, especially the French . The essence of what they created is truly the basis of fashion today.

The Chanel suit? That's wonderful. I also like everything Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, etc. have done. Right now I'm doing research for a particular creation and just yesterday I was looking at Azzedine Alaïa's work again. I have my favorite designers: Alexander McQueen without a doubt, Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Courrèges, Fortuny, Chanel.

Chanel, I can personally identify with her, especially because she is a woman and she had to go through all kinds of ordeals at a time when couturiers were mainly men . Being a woman of color, I identify with her struggles. Or at least I see parallels, in trying to be seen and heard, to have your voice heard and to be recognized for your skills.

Chanel is therefore a seamstress who matters to me because she broke this glass ceiling to become a sort of empress of style . It still is and always will be. Everyone who has followed and worn the house of Chanel since has managed to maintain this legacy. Otherwise, in terms of costume designers, I love Bob Mackie because he brought glamour, something flashy. What he did for example for Cher or for Carol Burnett was simply incredible. »

“The family aspect is what is so unique about television. It was also lucky for me. There's so much content and series coming out on TV these days, with streaming, Netflix, Amazon, all these channels and big streaming companies. It's great for us. You may find yourself working with different groups of people. I was very lucky to stay on a series that was so successful for so long.

I have always been in contact with Vince Gilligan, with Melissa Bernstein my producer, and generally with everyone on the team. Many of the creatives who started with “Breaking Bad” went on to work on “Better Call Saul.” These are people who, although freelance, work together for eight or ten years. But this is very unusual and it really allows you to refine your work. The longer we stay with the same team, the more we understand each other . This is very, very appreciable. »