The peak days of Tumblr—overwhelmed with photos of white women at Coachella wearing flower crowns—successfully turned a bunch of millennials and even some Gen-Zers on to late 1960s and ’70s fashion.
Since then, tie-dye shirts, bell-bottom jeans, and fringe accessories haven’t really gone anywhere. Fast-fashion brands are recreating (and bastardizing) these boho styles at rapid speed. And Gen-Zers are combining these looks with so many other trends that you can hardly tell what decade they’re trying to emulate. Now, thanks to the successful Prime Video series Daisy Jones & The Six, we could be in for a full-fledged Woodstock-themed summer.
Since its premiere on Mar. 3, Daisy Jones & The Six has become appointment viewing for the beach-reading public and a non-stop talking point on social media. Adapted from Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 blockbuster novel of the same name, the miniseries charts the rise and fall of one of the most iconic (fictional) bands of the 1970s via an earnest mockumentary format.
The show is essentially—and unabashedly–Fleetwood Mac fanfiction, using the turbulent relationship between the band’s lead singers Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham and the album that documented their fallout, Rumors, as inspiration for the main plot.
Daisy Jones & The Six’s heavily inspired storytelling has been both a draw for viewers and a point of debate. For instance, some critics have called the series thinly written, stopping short at an intriguing concept without much story-building. On the other hand, many fans, especially on TikTok, seem to simply be enjoying the show for its, in a word, vibes—notably, the characters’ exquisite fashion. (Naturally, the aesthetic of the show has raised another discussion about whether the cast looks too modern.)
Interestingly enough, Denise Wingate, the woman behind Daisy Jones’s sexy crop tops and gorgeous caftans, says she actually wanted to achieve a relatively contemporary and recognizable look when styling the cast. It’s not surprising then that the series includes pieces from the boho fashion company Free People. The brand has even released a capsule collection based on the series, which Wingate wasn’t involved with.
Wingate’s diversified approach to the show's fashion might make a ’70s scholar clutch their chest. But the costume designer spent a dutiful amount of time researching looks from the decade via films and documentaries and obtaining vintage finds to maintain a sense of authenticity. Her days as a stylist for the ’80s pop group The Bangles also lend her some credibility in portraying a bygone music scene. She’s also no stranger to working on projects that end up attracting a large, younger fanbase, including Melrose Place, She’s All That, Cruel Intentions and A Cinderella Story.
Wingate spoke to The Daily Beast’s Obsessed over Zoom recently to discuss her exhaustive research process, her love for Reid’s novel and Martin Scorsese’s role in the show’s costumes.
How did this opportunity come to you? I heard that you were a big fan of the book.
I had worked with one of our producers, [Michael] Nelson, a long time ago on a very small movie. And we just got along great. He actually sent me an email, and he said, “I think you should read this book.” And I was doing this Russell Crowe movie in New Orleans during Hurricane Barry. I couldn't leave the hotel. So I read the book. And I read it in one sitting. I don’t even think I got up to go to the bathroom. And then I emailed him immediately, and I was like, “Listen. Just get me in the room. I really want this, but I know every single costume designer is going to want to do this. Just give me an interview.”
So I spent the next six weeks preparing a presentation and doing a visual representation of the book that was very documentary-based. So by the time I got that interview, I don’t think anybody was more prepared than I was. I really wanted to knock their socks off. So I sat down with Lauren Neustadter and Scott Neustadter, our showrunners and executive producers. They saw I knew what they wanted to make. So it was collaborative with them from then on. It was amazing.
You’ve worked on such a diverse mix of films and television shows throughout your career. Are you used to working on projects that you have this much enthusiasm for at the start?
Usually, I read scripts, and I don’t maybe connect with them in the same way. When I read A Cinderella Story, I hadn’t been in high school in years. And it’s like, I know I can do a good job with this. But this, I felt very connected to. It’s funny because I grew up in LA, and I was sneaking out to clubs very young with a fake ID.
And because I had traveled on the road with The Bangles when I was very young and did a world tour with them, I just felt like I could add a level of authenticity. I knew that I knew what the music business was like. I had done styling for them. I knew what it was like to be on the road, what it was like sneaking into clubs at a young age. I just felt like, wow, I know these people. I know this era. And I just felt like I could nail it.
Was there one character you were particularly excited to work on, based on how their style was described in the book?
I don't know if I was excited about one more than the other. I had folders on my desktop as I was doing research. And I was watching a lot of movies and doing screen grabs from documentaries. And every time I would find somebody, I would research them. I was researching [everyone from] background singers to the [Rolling] Stones and Mary Clayton and all these people. And it was so much fun just to learn about these people and read about them. Even Teddy I loved dressing. He was so much fun. I had the time to really create these wonderful images.
What movies were you watching in preparation for the show?
I watched whichever ones I could—even just like Taxi Driver, some real good ’70s movies just to see what the palette looked like. But I was very influenced by a Martin Scorsese movie called The Last Waltz. I watched all the documentaries about the period. But this one was about the last concert for a band called The Band. And they were breaking up. So he did a documentary about their final show. And he interviewed all of the band.
So I felt like it was very on point with what we were doing. But the lead singer Robbie Robertson—I really connected with Josh Whitehouse, who plays Eddie, and I told him, “You have to watch this movie because I think that Eddie is like this guy.” And so we got a lot of great inspiration from that.
How much of the costumes were vintage pieces or clothes that were made as opposed to new items?
We had at least 1,500 changes, not counting the extras and the day players. There was so much. I tried to use as much vintage as I could. I guess if I had to break it up, it would be 25 percent made, 25 percent new, and 50 percent vintage—maybe a little more vintage. Sometimes I would buy things at flea markets that maybe were new but looked vintage. Or maybe they were from 10 years ago, but they weren't from the ’70s. So it was a little bit muddy. And the way I would look at it is if I believed it, if I felt it looked good, then nobody else was going to know the difference. And I felt like we did a good job of really representing that era without having anything glaringly look out of place.
Were you ever worried that the costumes would look too modern or not authentic?
I wanted it to look a little modern. I wanted it to look period, but I wanted it to look like things people could wear now—but not cheesy, not disposable. I’ve never been a fan of disposable fashion. And even when I’m doing a contemporary show, I always try to buy resale or use vintage pieces to pepper in because I just feel like it’s wasteful. But that being said, one of the reasons I really liked Free People is I liked their stuff anyway. And Amazon had kind of hooked us up. They were so great. They were so nice and so helpful. I think if you watch the show, you wouldn’t be able to tell what was a Free People piece or what was a vintage piece. It felt very integrated.
One of this week’s episodes, Episode 7, is focused on Simone and the trajectory of her career. What did your moodboard for her and the disco scene she represents look like?
I’m going to be honest. I went down a deep, dark rabbit hole with Chaka Khan. I saw this picture—you'll see it in Episode 7. There's this two-piece leather, beaded, feathered, fringe… I have this seamstress who’s worked with me forever. And I showed it to her. And I’m like, “Can you make this?” And she did. And it looks so fierce. Simone gets a little more glam—that whole Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Chaka Khan look. Nabiyah [Be] owned it. I think more than any other of the characters, I had a very pointed, specific idea about who her character was and who her character becomes. She had a lot of input but, at the same time, was very open to trying things. I'm really proud of the way she looks.
Some of the actors, like Riley Keough, Camila Morrone, and Suki Waterhouse, come from the fashion world. Did any of them bring you any ideas or contribute their own pieces? I read that Keough used her grandfather’s guitar strap for a performance, which is more of a prop.
I didn’t know that until I read about it. I thought that was really cool. I honestly think all of the actors are way too young to have anything from that period. But Camila would send me pictures all the time. What about this? What about this? She was really great about coming up with images. I love that collaboration.
Keep obsessing! Sign up for the Daily Beast’s Obsessed newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
