The Biggest Costume Easter Eggs in 'Yellowjackets' Season Two (So Far)

Plus, costume designer Amy Parris discusses that fantastical fashion, erm, feast.

Warning: Spoilers below for episodes one through four of "Yellowjackets" season two (and season one, of course).

Buzz, buzz, buzz! As of Friday, we're four episodes into season two of "Yellowjackets," and some burning questions have been answered, like the first meal in the wilderness ("Jackie-fruit," yikes) and the origin of Misty (Samantha Hanratty)'s Andrew Lloyd Webber fandom. But, true to the Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson-created show, more scintillating mysteries have emerged. What are adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) and her "purple people," as current day Misty (Christina Ricci) refers to her followers, up to? (And is the honey good?) Where has Van (Lauren Ambrose) been this whole time?

Well, Citizen Detectives, as we learned from costume designer Marie Schley in season one, clues do reside in the fashion we see on screen. Amy Parris (who designed seasons three through five of "Stranger Things") joins the team for "Yellowjackets" round two, and ahead, she discusses how a sweater connects Misty to the Skunk Cannibal, what heliotrope actually means and why Callie (Sarah Desjardins) is haunting mom Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) through her clothes.

Natalie and Travis Dress For the Elements

Back in the '90s wilderness, the crash survivors have settled into a daily routine that harnesses their skill sets. Sharpshooters Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) and Travis (Kevin Alves) are the hunters, since rations from the bear that Lottie (Courtney Eaton) killed (or perhaps, the blessing that the mercurial nature gods bestowed to the team) are dwindling.

"They're in dire straits," says Parris. "They're willing to brave these elements because there's no food left. They're so hungry."

The duo gears up in found and gathered layers, which, to be honest, look pretty "Mad Max"-cool on them — especially Nat, who looks as badass as ever bundled up in her moto jacket under a fur vest.

Parris imagined that the team smartly utilized all parts of the aforementioned bear (and possibly a couple deer) for winter survival.

"Natalie has crudely skinned a hide," she says, while explaining that, in reality, "it's a fake deerskin rug from a home goods store, but we put a latex treatment to give it this muscle tissue look, because this is not something that they're used to doing, so it shouldn't look professional, like a tanned leather hide."

Nat and Travis efficiently carry their shotguns and supplies with harnessed packs constructed from dismantled plane parts. "I imagined that they would have gone to the plane at some point — probably multiple trips — looking for things or taking seat belts," says Parris.

The Team Are Still Sharing Clothes in the Wilderness

Last season, Schley admitted to intentionally "swapping" tell-tale clothing items amongst the team members, which spawned many a Reddit thread. "I continue that in season two, in putting those specific pieces on different people," says Parris. (Those Converse sneakers are still being passed around among the group.) After all, people sharing and optimizing resources while stranded in the wilderness makes complete sense.

Parris also dressed various characters in Van (Liv Hewson)'s "Naked Coed" T-shirt, which was spotted on Skunk Cannibal (above) in season one's fire pit, presided over by the Antler Queen. Their face is completely obscured by a balaclava made from an alpine-print sweater — which Misty is wearing in its entirety in this season's episode three!

But, according to Parris, my citizen detecting only caught a red herring: "She's not the only one that wears it this season, so the audience can follow it through the episodes and theorize who could be wearing the balaclava at the edge of the pit."

But, take heart — "some of the Easter eggs within the sharing of the clothes will be revealed," she teases.

The White Feasting Robes Are a Fashion Fantasy

After a forceful gust of wind, seemingly from divine intervention, blows snow onto the pyre outside the cabin, the cremation of Jackie (Ella Purnell)'s body essentially turns into a barbecue. Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) munching on the corpse ear was just an aperitif: "She wants us to," she says, almost mesmerized, encouraging the also-starving survivors to dig in.

As the team and Travis devour Jackie's cooked corpse, the scenes flash back and forth to an imagined royal feast. Everyone is decked out in white robed finery, complete with opulent gold accents and elaborate leaf-motif tiaras.

"It's a mix of Grecian meets Roman meets medieval," says Parris. "The idea was just very drape-y; covered in creams and ivories with glints of gold. There really is no specific reference to one era or or place. It's just their disassociation. They're all fantasizing what they would be wearing."

Parris and her team custom-built all the robes due to time constraints and the need for multiples, since their frenzied consumption results in wine spillage and stains. She also created the looks with each persona in mind — like Misty's flowing bell sleeves and lace-corseted train and Shauna's pleated gold belt and sheer layers — as well as the actors themselves.

"I really wanted them to be unique to each character and make them feel gorgeous, because these people are dirty all season long," says Parris. "I can only imagine how nice it was to put on clean, beautiful clothes."

Adult Lottie Dons a 'Costume' to Lead Her 'Community'

In the wilderness, nature-whisperer Lottie begins mobilizing supporters — and driving a wedge within the team, as Nat heads up the non-believers. So it makes perfect sense that adult Lottie is now the head of an "intentional community," as she calls it — or, as a kidnapped Natalie (Juliette Lewis) would say, "cult."

Present-day Lottie first appears standing on a pier with a stunning nature-scape behind her, addressing her purple-clad acolytes (more on that in a sec). She wears a marigold caftan-style silk robe, fluttering in the breeze, over a salmon-hued silk slip dress. The ethereal, open-neck silhouettes communicate a vulnerability and openness that she's intentionally conveying to her ardent followers.

"She's in her world — we call it 'in-world,'" says Parris, who custom-made Lottie's first two celestial ensembles, then shopped from indie brands like Munthe. "When she's on the compound, she's in-world, in what's a costume to her, almost." (Notably, Lottie dons jeans and a sweater when she sneaks into town for a therapy session.)

Originally, Parris and the creators imagined Lottie, as the leader, would wear a richer shade of the commune's uniform color. But, "Simone was like, 'Oh, Lottie does not wear purple,'" says Parris. "She was very adamant about it."

Producers, along with Kessell and Parris, agreed on a stand-out signature palette of lush oranges and yellows, which ultimately made the most sense and gives another sartorial clue.

"It's so spot-on because a lot of those cult leaders don't always practice what they preach either, right? Like, a lot of them end up being the ultimate opposite of what they're asking their acolytes to do," says Parris. "It feels visually fitting that she wouldn't follow her own rules because she's making them."

Will Nat Go Full Purple — or, Sorry, 'Heliotrope'?

Lottie's followers bond in the commune "sharing hut," make honey to sell at the local farmer's market and wear head-to-toe lilac — oh wait, "heliotrope, it's not purple," says Lottie, correcting a furious Nat.

The floral-inspired hue was a scripted mandate, as well as a "good gender-neutral color," says Parris: "They want to visually see that this is an inviting space for all. Anyone, with trauma or not, can join this community and feel a part of it."

Parris imagined that the commune houses a dye-bath for members to transform thrifted clothing into their heliotrope uniforms — which is also what the costume design team did. The bulk dyeing also resulted in a realistic variation in purple shades.

For the '70s-referential silhouettes, Parris took fitting inspiration from "Wild Wild Country," the Netflix documentary about the Indian guru Bhagwhan Shree Rajneesh, who established the Rajneeshpuram community in Oregon. The Rajneeshees all wore shades of red, which represented Rajneesh's declaration that the color represents "sunrise." Similarly, heliotrope means "to move with the sun," which also tracks with Lottie's brand.

Natalie's Helmut Lang seashell caftan and leather pants, meanwhile, carry over from season one. But the longer she's stuck in-world, the more purple pieces she begins to incorporate into her outfit — thus creating another mystery.

"It makes sense that she would start to shed her layers and outgrow her old self," says Parris. "So she's slowly transitioning, and as an audience, we're like, 'OK, maybe she's embracing these ideas that Lottie has. Or is she putting up a front?'"

Misty Revisits Her Teens

The Yellowjackets all experience some form of arrested development keeping them in their teens, emotionally. So, it's understandable that adult Misty (Christina Ricci) is still drawn to more juvenile colors and prints, like her pastel floral thermal shirts and trusty cat motifs.

In episode three, with encouragement from theater nerd Crystal (Nuha Jes Izman), young Misty delivers a rendition of Sally Field's monologue in "Steel Magnolias" at Shauna's baby shower, bringing her teammates to tears. For the special occasion, she repeats the pink cat sweatshirt she packed for the ill-fated trip.

Over in the present day, adult Misty receives an intriguing phone call from fellow citizen detective Walter (Elijah Wood) while clad in a blue cat sweatshirt.

"That's an Easter egg, and a viewer with a keen eye might notice," says Parris. "It's also the same cat sweater that she wore in the '90s in season one, when Misty is on the phone and the girls are prank-calling her."

Shauna is Still Haunted by Jackie, Sartorially

The Clinton Era looms large in present-day Shauna (Melanie Lynskey)'s life, as she's still grappling with Jackie's accidental death (and what happened to the baby?!)

"The '90s really stuck with her," says Parris, who continued Shauna's grunge-referential style from season one. "We do keep the plaid and the band tees. We added the shearling collars, just so it still feels '90s."

Shauna's relaxed, casual outfits also serve as a misdirect.

"Because she's unassuming, you think she's a sweet little mom and happily married," says Parris. "But it turns out, there are darker things going on with her, so it's nice to distract the audience and be like, 'Oh, she seems so innocent.' She really isn't at all." (As the chop shop guy learned the hard way.)

Shauna also clashes with her angsty teenage daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins), whose '90s-referential plaids actually just reflect Gen Z fashion leanings — so no symbolism there. However, while arguing with her parents in the season premiere, she wears a blue-and-white-striped sweater that is loaded with meaning.

Desjardins told Parris that, during season one, the showrunners conceptualized that Shauna sees — and perhaps fears — Jackie's traits in Callie.

"That's also what Jackie was wearing when she passed and froze: a blue and white sweater," says Parris. "It's a little Easter egg to nod to the fact that, subconsciously, Shauna could see Jackie in her daughter."

Adult Van's '90s Aesthetic Comes From an Unexpected Place

Adult Van (Lauren Ambrose) pops up at the very end of episode four, almost in a time capsule: As if straight out of "Clerks," she greets Taissa (Tawny Cypress) with surprise, standing behind the counter of her VHS movie shop, While You Were Streaming. The board behind her even lists an eclectic array of '90s titles — "Bound," "Wayne's World," "Varsity Blues" and "Trainspotting" — and, in what is perhaps her nod at ironic cinematic humor, 2007's "Into the Wild." Van also could have walked out of Ambrose's own 1998 classic, "Can't Hardly Wait," in her brown short-sleeved, vertical-striped button-down from Canada's Twik Brand, worn over a white ribbed tank and faded jeans.

For Van's '90s-referential 2023 aesthetic, Parris actually took inspiration from Jay Leno's trademark penchant for wearing double-denim.

"At first, [Ambrose] seemed so scared, but then she was like, 'No, I get it. I get it. I'm with you,'" says Parris, "and we filled the fitting room with good denim and classic '90s-feeling pattern shirts."

Adult Van continues teen Van's habit of layering shirts, "which was done on purpose," says Parris. "There are little connections in the silhouettes of both their clothes that will be revealed as we watch the season."

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