The 'Daisy Jones & the Six' Costumes Are a 1970s Rock 'n' Roll Fever Dream

From Riley Keough's caftans to Suki Waterhouse's Joan Jett-inspired pantsuits.

Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's bestseller "Daisy Jones & The Six" and newbies alike are hooked on the Prime Video series of the same name, for a number of compelling reasons. There's the steamy on- (and off-)stage tension between lead singers, songwriters and tortured souls Daisy (Riley Keough) and Sam Dunne (Billy Claflin). His lead guitarist little brother Graham (Will Harrison) adorably crushes on tragically cool keyboardist Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse), while charismatic drummer Warren Rojas (Sebastian Chacon) and underdog bassist Eddie Roundtree (Josh Whitehouse) bring the comic relief and bro energy. The original soundtrack, written by the likes of Marcus Mumford and Phoebe Bridgers, is full of bangers and ballads.

And of course, there's the enthralling '70s fashion, courtesy of costume designer Denise Wingate, who previously created fashion inspo with her work in "Cruel Intentions" (the O.G.), "She's All That" and the recent TikTok-gen's gender-swapped "He's All That."

Now, Wingate takes us back to free-spirited, hard-partying 1970s Los Angeles — and "the road," as they say — to help document the oral history of Daisy Jones & The Six's rise to chart-topping fame and mysterious breakup through "thousands of costume changes."

Ahead, Wingate discusses the fashion highlights that fuel the rock 'n' roll spirit and subliminally telegraph the slow-burn drama toward the final bow.

Daisy's Early Style Inspiration

For Daisy's early-songwriting, pre-The Six days, Wingate took inspiration from the style and spirit of Cher when she married rocker Gregg Allman for 10 days in 1975, as well as a '70s Linda Ronstadt.

"[She was] rock 'n' roll and sexy, and wore these little short-shorts and halter tops," says Wingate of Daisy's excellent high-waisted denim and knit bralettes under a floaty layer.

Keough herself influenced Daisy's evolution into more dramatic capes and caftan layers. An extended preparation period (due to pandemic-induced delays) allowed Wingate and the actors to comprehensively brainstorm and develop the characters' costume arcs.

"It helps that Riley is a very free-spirited person and wears whatever she wants and doesn't care what anybody thinks," says Wingate. "She embodied that with Daisy, because Daisy is the same exact way."

Daisy's Debut With The Six

Thanks to producer Teddy (Tom Wright)'s vision and smooth reverse psychology, Daisy collaborates with a reluctant Billy to create the radio sensation "Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)." At the Diamond Head music festival, she steals Billy's spotlight — or makes him share, anyway — with her first live performance with The Six.

"I'm not exactly a patient person," says Daisy, after storming the stage earlier than mandated by Billy.

Of Daisy's fluttery striped caftan, worn over a purple crochet halter top and patchwork leather short-shorts, Wingate says: "I'm like, 'You should be like a butterfly. You should be able to move around.' In the beginning, [Keough] didn't want it to be too flow-y or witchy, and then it just morphed into that because it felt right with the character and her performance."

Daisy's Final Concert Cape

We know from the premiere episode that the band falls apart after a sold-out Soldiers Field concert on Oct. 4, 1977. A snippet of Daisy's hauntingly diaphanous outfit feels like an eerie omen of the events to come.

Given the magnitude of the concert and the band's impending implosion, the pressure was on for Wingate, who slowly amassed options and even custom-designed some pieces. But none fit the bill.

"We're like, 'This is great, but it needs to be spectacular,'" she says.

Fate stepped in when Keough called her one day, and exclaimed: "'I'm listening to 'Gold Dust Woman' [by Fleetwood Mac] right now on the radio. We've got to do 'Gold Dust Woman.' I want to be Gold Dust Woman,'" Wingate remembers.

So, she found a shimmering gold pleated floor-length caftan by Halston and, in a fitting with Keough, cut it vertically down the front to create a sweeping cape. "Then, I had this vintage 1920s gold crochet macramé dress and it was perfect," says Wingate.

She thinks back to the night shoot in New Orleans: "It was a hot night. There was a storm coming in. She got up on stage, [Keough] lifted her arms, the wind blew the cape back and the light hit it and everybody gasped."

Daisy's Impossibly Tall Boots

Along with her signature caftans, Daisy's tall boots remain a constant through her tumultuous time with The Six (and Billy).

Aside from one Jeffrey Campbell pair required for stunt multiples, all of Daisy's boots are vintage. "It was so hard to find, those high Stevie Nicks platform boots," says Wingate. "I literally searched everywhere. I was buying boots from all over."

But 40-year-old footwear is delicate and — shocker — not comfortable for long concert shoots.

Wingate gives credit to Keough for being able to perform in the towering heels, but only to a point.

"When we tried higher boots, she's like, 'I can't move in these' — which is why, later on in the episode, you'll see she's barefoot a lot," says Wingate. "With the cowboy boots, she can really move, so we really used a lot in the first block."

Daisy's Symbolic Coat Collection

Leading up to her officially joining The Six, Daisy apprehensively heads to Billy's housewarming party after receiving an invitation from his possibly-too-supportive wife, Camila (Camila Morrone). She enters the party — on a seemingly warm night — layered up in a beige belted coat with chunky fur lapels and cuffs (above).

Wingate confirms that Daisy donning one of her many fur-trimmed '70s jackets signals an emotionally vulnerable moment necessitating fashion as protection.

"She felt like that was her armor," she says. "We had some great coats — like, really great coats."

Wingate sourced pieces, like a black fur-trimmed robe with a tapestry-like embroidery that Daisy wears to confide in best friend Simone (Nabiyah Be), from around the world. She also vintage-shopped like an artsy Laurel Canyon denizen would have also done in the 1970s. She points toward a "short feathered velvet coat" Daisy wears to record in the studio, and reveals it's from the 1920s: "It was just so off and weird to wear it to a recording studio that we loved it."

Karen's 'Eclectic' Rocker Aesthetic

For keyboardist Karen, Wingate looked to a mix of too-cool, rock 'n roll inspirations of the era, including forever icon Patti Smith, black-leather-jumpsuit- and bikini-wearing bass guitarist Suzi Quatro and glam-rocker Marc Bolan.

"I had a really weird, eclectic thing for [Karen], but it didn't matter what she wore — she always carried it off," she says. A look through Waterhouse's recent real-life tour performance outfits on Instagram also reveals very Karen-referential fluttery sheer shirts over bra tops, sleek suits and lots of leather. (The beaded, deep-plunge caftan by Stéphane Rolland she wore to the premiere also feels very on-theme.)

Karen knows how to work her style, too. "I need shoulders. That's the look," she tells a besotted Graham as she heads into the housewarming bash in a '70s vintage burgundy cropped vest and matching corduroys, expertly tossing her crushed velvet blazer on like a cape.

Wingate referred to a photo of Joan Jett wearing "velvet hip huggers and a vest" and one of Bianca Jagger in a similar ribbon choker accented with an oversize flower — "because we wanted something different."

Warren's Scene-Stealing Style

Sorry, Daisy and Karen, but the breakout style icon of The Six is actually drummer Warren and his leather, denim and shearling vest collection.

"All my boards of drummers, they were in vests or shirtless because — I think — it's easier for them to play drums," says Wingate, remembering Chacon excitedly spotting a long fur coat in a fitting.

"I'm like, 'Really? You're gonna wear a full-length fox fur coat?' He's like, 'Yep! No shirt, just the fur coat.' I'm like, 'Okay, Jim Morrison. Go ahead," she says, with a laugh, name-checking another rock-star reference.

Within her extensive '70s music reference trove, Wingate also found a photo of '70s guitarist and Alice Cooper contemporary Rick Derringer. "He was wearing a matador jacket and a bandana and nothing underneath — I sent it to Sebastian," she says. "I'm like, 'Oh, my god, we have to do this!'"

Focused, she searched high and low until she found a cropped matador jacket with gold meander-like graphics, eagle embroidery and frog closures at the Long Beach Flea Market. (Keep an eye out for it during a party scene in episode eight.)

Chacon does boast a chestful of contemporary tattoos (which were not prevalent in the '70s), requiring significant time in the makeup chair. "Any time you see him in long sleeves, it's because we didn't have time to cover all this tattoos," says Wingate.

Simone's Disco Energy

Daisy meets future disco pioneer Simone at a Hollywood Hills party early on, and the two chase success in different music genres.

For Simone's fringed suede vests, A-line skirts and shirts tied above the belly-button, Wingate looked to Queen of Funk and trailblazing fashion icon Betty Davis, who modeled for Halston and Stephen Burrows, as well as model-actor-singer Marsha Hunt. No spoilers, but when she carves a space for herself in the queer disco world, Simone celebrates in a spectacular white outfit, which Wingate gleefully custom-made with the help of longtime seamstress Rosalida Medina, inspired by another legend.

"Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan," says Wingate. "It's white leather with beads and feathers hanging from it, everywhere — I made the exact replica for Simone at the disco, and it was just unbelievable."

Camila's 'Love Story'-to-Studio 54 Evolution

Billy's wife Camila is also the den mother (not to mention unpaid PR and marketing ace) for the band, starting from their early days as Pittsburgh's The Dunne Brothers.

As a 17-year-old aspiring photographer and student living with her tight-knit family, she stayed conservative in floral maxi dresses and demure sweaters. "We started out Ali McGraw in 'Love Story,'" says Wingate.

When Camila, Billy and the band settle into the rustic Laurel Canyon house, her style transitions into embroidered maxi dresses and beach-y crochet halter dresses.

"She's a little more boho, a little more free, little more hippyish," says Wingate. "Then, she goes into full Bianca Jagger, wife of a rockstar."

Presumably hopping off a first class flight, Camila joins the band on tour in luxurious head-to-toe cream, reminiscent of Jagger's iconic YSL wedding ensemble: silky blouse, pleated trousers, big sunglasses, mink-trimmed jacket, floppy fedora.

"I ripped that off. This look is perfect Bianca," says Wingate, with a laugh. "But [Morrone] was always sending me pictures. The collaboration between all the actors was very, very fluid. I just loved all of them. They were all terrific."

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