Makeover Montage: A Fashion in Film Podcast

Costume design breakdown of Bewitched (2005) starring Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, and Shirley MacLaine — directed by Nora Ephron and costume design by Mary Zophres. We're wrapping up Freaky Witch Month with the sweetest sorceress in suburbia: Bewitched (2005)! Nicole Kidman stars as Isabel Bigelow, a real-life witch trying to live a normal life, opposite Will Ferrell's egomaniac TV actor in Nora...

This week, we're diving into the gloriously gross horror of Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell (2009), the ultimate cautionary tale about ambition, where one wrong decision will get you promoted to HELL! Costume designer Isis Mussenden (The Chronicles of Narnia, American Psycho) dresses loan officer Christine (Alison Lohman) in prim pencil skirts and promotion-ready blouses along with Mrs. Ganush's witch...

Freaky witch month continues! Smear some red lipstick and snap some twigs because we're worshipping at the altar of Gladys, Amy Madigan's instantly iconic nightmare auntie in Weapons (2025). Costume designer Trish Summerville outfits her like a 1970s thrift witch in oversized tinted glasses, plastic baubles, and the kind of chaotic color-clashing that can give you anxiety (in a good way). We unpac...

Embrace the suck! We're hexing high-schoolers this week with Beastly, a 2010s retelling of the fable Beauty and the Beast starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens. Costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb conjured up typical 2010s teen looks for the leads, but the real style star is Kendra, Mary-Kate Olsen's couture witch who curses Pettyfer's golden boy and steals the movie with her fashion goth...

Put on your side ponytail and get ready to dance, because we're rewinding to the ultimate VHS slumber party/ KTLA classic: Girls Just Want to Have Fun! This post-Footloose, pre-Dirty Dancing gem stars a baby Sarah Jessica Parker as Janey, an army brat with a dream of joining Dance TV, and Helen Hunt as her rebellious BFF Lynn — aka our surprise style ICON. Costume designer Betty Pecha Madden deliv...

This week, Marie is joined by Emmy-nominated costume designer Kameron Lennox to talk about dressing the cast of The Studio! Kameron breaks down the inspiration behind Matt's (Seth Rogen) never-repeat custom suits, Sal Saperstein's (Ike Barinholtz) sleazy-chic lapels, and the bold color palettes that distinguish each character. We also get into Patty's (Catherine O'Hara) regal Max Mara–inspired loo...

We're in early-2000s Los Angeles with Freaky Friday! When a rebellious teen (Lindsay Lohan) and her uptight mom (Jamie Lee Curtis) swap bodies, they also swap styles—from studded belts, raglan tees, and guitar-pick chokers to a now-iconic boho patchwork Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress with knee-high suede boots. Costume designer Genevieve Tyrrell (Swingers, Go) put our favorite Pink Slip queen in...

As if! Happy 30th anniversary to Clueless!!! To celebrate, Blaire and Marie reminisce about watching Clueless for the first time when they were youngins, and how life-changing Mona May's costumes were. Marie catches us up on all the fun facts and trivia she learned while interviewing Mona and the film's OG beauty team. Meanwhile, Blaire talks about the parallels between being an actual LA teen at...

Wagon Wheel Watusi! This week, we're shimmying into Burlesque (2010), the bedazzled fever dream of a movie musical starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. It's all rhinestones and ringmaster vibes, and we're here for every glittering second. Costume design legend Michael Kaplan ( Blade Runner , Fight Club, Flashdance ) found inspiration everywhere—from sherbet dessert to Magritte and Man Ray—for the...

"I got more legs than a bucket of chicken!" For this episode, we've got big looks, big hearts, and even BIGGER hats: To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar ! It's been 30 years since this glittery road trip comedy debuted, and we're celebrating the unforgettable drag stylings brought to life by costume designer legend Marlene Stewart ( Coyote Ugly , The Holiday , Madonna music videos). P...

We're baaaaack! After a mini-hiatus, we're kicking things off with some brain candy: Another Simple Favor! The sequel to A Simple Favor has everything we love: mystery, murder, and a wardrobe so extra you could watch the movie on mute and still be entertained. Blake Lively returns as Emily, serving high camp, insane hats, oversized tailoring, and looks that scream Murder Mommy Mob Wife, all courte...

Bottoms week continues! In this long-lost episode from the Makeover Montage vault, Marie sits down with the film's makeup artist Natalie Johnson for a deep dive into the bold, hilarious, and blood-soaked aesthetic of the breakout teen comedy. Natalie shares how '90s teen classics like Bring It On, Jawbreaker, Never Been Kissed, and She's All That inspired the film's hyper-stylized yet realistic hi...

"Could the ugly, untalented gays please report to the principal's office?" It's PRIDE MONTH and we're celebrating with a chaotic queer cult-classic in the making: Bottoms! Marie is joined by writer and friend of the pod Krista Burton to dive into this hilariously h**ny, gloriously campy lesbian fight club film that stars Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott. Costume designer Eunice Jera Lee loaded the f...

Imagine if your too-good-to-be-true boo was actually an android?! In this episode, Marie talks to Companion costume designer Vanessa Porter about her work on the sci-fi rom-com thriller, which stars Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid as a couple on a getaway with friends at a remote cabin—until hell breaks loose when one of the guests is revealed to be a companion robot! Vanessa breaks down how Iris's...

It's time to party like it's 1999! For this special NYE bonus episode, we're thrilled to welcome costume designer Katina Danabassis to the pod to discuss her work in the new A24 horror-comedy Y2K! Katina takes us on a nostalgic journey back to the turn of the millennium, where cyber-optimism and late 90s/2000s style ruled. From the shiny, chrome-infused looks to the iconic brands that defined the...

Drum roll, please! For our final installment of our annual Dunstcember programming, we're (finally) diving into Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind! Directed by the brill Charlie Kaufman, this mind-bending movie explores the idea of erasing memories of a failed relationship. Kate Winslet SHINES as the quirky and chaotic Clementine, with her ever-changing hair colors and eclectic vintage-inspired...

Our dear Makeover Mavens...(lol), we're deep in Dunstcember, and this week, Blaire is bringing her true crime pick: All Good Things. Those of you who watched The Jinx and followed the weird story of New York real estate heir and convicted murderer Robert Durst may be familiar with this film. It is "loosely based" on Durst and stars our sweet Kirsten Dunst and our beloved Ryan Gosling! There are a...

"Obviously doctor, you've never been a 13-year-old girl." Dunstcember Week 2 is here, so get ready to dive into the dark, dreamy world of The Virgin Suicides with your favorite costume design-loving mistresses! This week, we're exploring Sofia Coppola's stunning directorial debut, a movie that has become a cult classic and a major influence on fashion and pop culture. From the Lisbon sisters' Gunn...

DUNSTCEMBER HAS ARRIVED! We're kicking things off with one of the lower-tier (said lovingly) Shakespeare-inspired teen comedies: Get Over It! Not to be confused with A Midsummer Night's Rave...this loosely-based, A Midsummer Night's Dream adaptation stars Ben Foster as a high school senior trying to win back his ex-girlfriend by joining the school play. The film is stacked with more familiar faces...

We're diving into the 1992 film Batman Returns, which is over-the-top and comic book-y in the best way that only director Tim Burton could do. Costume designers Bob Ringwood and Mary E. Vogt teamed up for this one, with Vogt overseeing Catwoman's iconic look. We discuss Selina Kyle's (Michelle Pfeiffer) transformation from bookish executive assistant to her DIY latex suit and the other wild costum...

Feed me, Seymour! We're diving into Little Shop of Horrors , the 1986 musical comedy about a sentient plant that's hungry for human blood. This pick comes courtesy of Blaire, a self-proclaimed "musical hater" with one major exception: this cult classic. Marit Allen (Eyes Wide Shut, Brokeback Mountain, The Witches) was the costume designer behind these fun '80s-does-50s/60s' looks, and we quickly s...

TikTok thrifting queen and sustainable style icon Macy Eleni joins the pod to talk about one of her favorite films — 2003's View from the Top, a lesser-known, underrated film from the early aughts, rom-com era. Gwyneth Paltrow is Donna, a small-town girl with big hair and an even bigger ambition to be a Chanel lipstick-wearing, first-class international flight attendant! Costume designer Mary Zoph...

Get ready, Lisa Frankenstein fans! Costume designer Meagan McLaughlin Luster joins us to talk about how she got started with her career, tracing her roots back to her childhood obsession with '80s movies, fashion, and history. She gives us all the behind-the-scenes tea on the costumes for Lisa Frankenstein, Happy Death Day, and Mike, and shares her love for vintage shopping and home decor. She als...

We bid farewell to October by having Halloween Queens' Natalie Burris back on the pod to dissect the late '90s fashions of Urban Legend! This post-Scream slasher is stacked with the hottest stars of the era, with the killer terrorizing college kids by referencing Urban Legends. A super fun concept with great costume design by Mary Claire Hannan (The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Jackie Brown, Red Eye,...

"All I know about trilogies is that in the third one, all bets are off." It may be the most controversial and hated of the franchise, but we love the campy, extremely meta Scream 3!   Costume designer Abigail Murray gives us some super fun, highly underrated looks in the "Ghostface Goes Hollywood" third installment of the film series. We get into Sidney's (Neve Campbell) relaxed final girl style a...