‘White House Plumbers’ Looks to ‘70s Menswear Styles During the Watergate Scandal
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While HBO’s new limited series “White House Plumbers” is meant as a satirical comedy telling the story of two lesser-known, yet instrumental, figures involved in the infamous Watergate scandal, costume designer Leah Katznelson chose not to lean into the comedy with the characters’ wardrobe. She instead opted for historical accuracy.
“David [Mandel], our director, felt very clear that he didn’t want anything to feel like a caricature, even though there is a comedic bent to the story and the way it’s told,” Katznelson said. “We didn’t want the clothes to be a comedy or to be too broad in any way. They should feel real, realistic and grounded for the time period.”
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The five-part series, which debuts on Monday, centers on former CIA officer Hunt (played by Woody Harrelson) and former F.B.I. agent Liddy (played by Justin Theroux), who were tapped in the early ‘70s by President Richard Nixon’s administration to investigate the Pentagon Papers leak and ultimately were key players in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters that led to the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s downfall.
As the scandal has been heavily depicted in media since it occurred, Katznelson looked to films like “All the President’s Men” and newspapers and photos about the real-life characters from the early ‘70s to inform her costume design.
She explained that at that time, the menswear styles of the late ‘60s were still present, such as three-button suits and slimmer lapels, collars and ties. She looked to this aesthetic for certain characters as she saw fit, and married it with the burgeoning menswear styles of the ‘70s, which were centered on flared silhouettes and bigger ties.
“Depending on who was being dressed, whether it was a character that was more conservative or older, I leaned more toward the ‘60s,” she said. “And, if it was a younger character or someone who was more current feeling or paying more attention to the times in terms of fashion, we leaned more ‘70s. But, because we were in the early ‘70s, people didn’t do fast fashion the way we have it now, so if you bought something, you bought it to last. A lot of things would have transitioned from the ‘60s into the early ‘70s.”
For Harrelson’s character, Katznelson focused on a ‘60s aesthetic for his looks, stating his character had “an element of New England blue blood” and “keeping up with the Joneses” vibe in presenting himself.
She also explained that her team took inspiration from Harrelson himself for his costumes. As the actor is a vegan and environmentalist, Katznelson worked to create custom suits for him that were made with natural fibers, threads and design elements, such as buttons made from Brazilian nuts.
Katznelson used Theroux’s suiting to delve more into his character, using more graphic prints and slim silhouettes.
“Liddy is somebody who is very systematic and believes in hierarchy and order,” she said. “I sort of infiltrated geometry and architecture into all of his clothing, so there’s a symmetry in all of his ties and repetitive lines in all of his shirting. That was a hidden reflection for his inner workings as a person.”
As the limited series is a period piece, Katznelson thinks the costumes and the men’s suiting played an integral role in furthering the show’s narrative.
“When you work on anything that is period to begin with, the clothes are part of the visual storytelling element that help land you in a certain time and place along with the hairstyles, the makeup, the set dressing, the production design and the cars on the street,” she said. “Those are the things that remind your audience consistently that you’re not now, you’re in another time.”
Launch Gallery: The Menswear Looks in HBO’s ‘White House Plumbers’
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