The Tamesis
Season 3 Euphoria It’s still nearly two weeks away from release, but it’s already generating a lot of buzz thanks to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in the trailer: Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi, walking on a construction site in flannel and jeans.
Of course, it’s not just flannel and jeans: this look is from Matthieu Blazy’s Spring 2023 collection for Bottega Veneta. In perhaps the most viral look of Blazy’s tenure at the brand, the shirt and pants worn by Kate Moss on the show were actually made of leather. Online, people refused to suspend their disbelief, wondering how Elordi’s character could afford such clothes and questioning whether he would be interested in wearing lavish fashion.
here, Fashion The staff discusses what it means for actors’ contracts to fit into the screen, the art of costume design in an era when fans can identify specific runway looks, and the responsibilities of costume designers to the characters in their productions versus the sartorial obligations of actors.
Hannah Jackson, fashion writer: Well, folks, Nate Jacobs is a Bottega boy and people are losing their minds. Why do you think people online care about what he’s wearing?
Madeleine Schultz, United States Editor, fashion business: Everyone is so obsessed with brand ambassadors and contracts these days. We know Jacob as a Bottega boy, so fans were keenly aware of his appearance in the brand. I think the effect is different on screen and off screen too.
Christian Allaire, senior fashion writer: I think, for a lot of people, Bottega’s look would have taken them off the show – it felt a bit also Fashion? Great costume design creates a look that you don’t necessarily even notice… they should subtly move the story forward, rather than be completely distracting.
Hu Jie: This look is especially hot considering the flannel and jeans are actually trompe l’oeil leather. Do you think people would have reacted as strongly if the wardrobe team had chosen a different look for the season?
Alexandra Hildreth, Fashion News Writer, fashion show: I think we’ve reached a hyper-meta point in fashion discourse. Now, people are debating whether his character could bear such a look five years later. Euphoriafuture. The answer is probably no, but inauthenticity has always been a factor when it comes to costume and set design. See: Every Antebellum Apartment in an Early 2000s Romantic Comedy. However, awareness obscures the fact that the costume director probably wanted him to wear flannel because he apparently works in construction and may have had to choose Bottega because of his ambassadorship.
