Zac Posen and his friend Ryan Murphy had been itching to collaborate on a project for years. “We hadn’t really found the right one,” Posen tells Vogue. But the stars eventually aligned for episode three of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, which premieres tonight.
Murphy summoned Posen to set, where he watched Calista Flockhart-as-Lee Radziwill film a scene in a hair salon. “I got brought to a back room and Ryan presented this project and said, ‘I want you to recreate and reimagine the Black and White Ball, and it has to be big,’” he says.
The challenge, Posen notes, was refashioning the ball within historical parameters that also aligned aesthetically with the Ryan Murphy Cinematic Universe. “This isn’t a historical recreation piece,” he says. “This is a different story that we’re telling through historical figures. Each lady had their own history to bring.” Still, Posen dove into the era, meticulously researching the women who were central figures to one of the most talked-about parties of the 20th century. “I started off much more closely to history. I thought, let’s get our historical base, and from there, then we can evolve, abstract, and elevate,” he says. “[Ryan and I] were in touch daily through the process, but I was definitely given a great deal of creative freedom.”
Posen raced against the clock to finish the Swans’ gowns. “I had basically half of November and December to build these,” he says. “I don’t have a big studio; It's me, plus seven assistants, so it’s a much smaller team than I’ve ever had in terms of making something at the scope.” He also faced the additional pressure of designing for television as opposed to the runway. “On a runway, something needs to be able to walk and come back. When you’re working with actors, you’re dealing with character development on women’s bodies.”
Despite the odds, Posen managed to pull off a fleet of uniquely dramatic looks for the women depicting Capote’s Swans: Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Naomi Watts, and Calista Flockhart. And he fulfilled a true bucket-list moment when he designed Nina Faulk’s feathered “Black Swan” dress, worn by Jessica Lange. “To make a fantasy costume as the Black Swan for Jessica Lange will be a highlight in my life,” Posen says.
Below, the designer takes us behind the scenes of how he fashioned the Black and White Ball for Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.
1/7Research is everything. My process when I’m working on something historical is that I really go deep into history. I tried to find the music that was played at the gala and video of the swans entering the ball in their full looks. I wanted to be really respectful of the period and then also be playful because we weren’t recreating history we were reimagining history and making television so we needed drama. I made a board for each different and went from there.
2/7I’m a movie, TV and history fanatic. These women were all individual style icons and I wanted to honor their looks with a Ryan Murphy twist. Ryan and Gus gave me the ability to reimagine what these amazing icons in style, Truman’s swans, wore, evolving fantasy and imagination.
3/7Joanne Carson: We had a lot of fun with this one. Joanne was an actress and an entrepreneur, such a free spirit and I think we got her just right. This is a graphic dupioni gown made in black and ivory silk. We added a full cape to up the drama.
4/7Nina Faulk: as the matron apparition, the black swan, she needed to be in all black so I constructed a custom embroidered jet black sequin gown with crystals and feather embroidery. It’s gothic, it’s high drama, and with this kind of look, the accessories are as important as the gown itself, down to the black swan feather bolero.
5/7Babe Paley: Here, we created a gown of ivory zibeline. Her opera coat is like a swan itself with the feathers dipped in solid silver. The gloves are imported jet black satin, and the jewels are rubies and garnets by Vedura.
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6/7Lee Radziwill: We applicated the rhinestones one at a time on this beaded lamé shift dress and the collar was embroided by hand. My favorite detail is the daisy embroidered overlay and the embroidered collar on the lamé Jaccard Opera Coat.
7/7CZ Guest: Her look is a duchess satin sculpted in a corseted ballgown in winter cream, with a vua tau draped back. When she turns you’ll notice the silk applique on the back. The swan mask is made of white ostrich feathers.
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