Costume Designer Paula Bradley Talks Strategy For Hulu’s Fashion-Forward Series All’s Fair

When it comes to over-the-top storytelling and spectacle, Ryan Murphy’s productions are unmatched and have remained so for some 26 years (since his very first show Popular premiered in 1999). Since then, the writer and director has delivered some of the most genre-defining TV of this generation, including Glee, American Horror Story, Pose, and Monster. And just when you thought the Indiana native’s wingspan couldn’t get any larger, it does, hitting the fashion and pop culture world with simultaneous vigor that is sure to leave an impact. Yes, of course, we’re referring to Hulu’s super buzzy All’s Fair, which features a high-profile cast that includes Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Glenn Close, and Sarah Paulson. With an ensemble that glam and a chic plot centered around a women-owned law firm, speculation was brewing for months about the series’ costume design being next level... and it is.

To bring this girl-powered show — which chronicles the law firm’s navigation of high-stakes breakups as well as their own personal drama — to life, Murphy enlisted his longtime collaborator and go-to designer Paula Bradley. While Bradley’s resume is certainly diverse (her credits include Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, American Horror Story, and Washington Black), this modern-day project presented a particularly special opportunity in that it involved contemporary fashion.

“Who gets to do a contemporary show that's really super stylized?” Bradley asked in a sit-down with TZR earlier this summer. “My background is actually fashion, and I went to school to study fashion, and not costume designing. My porn is watching people [...] sewing, or the embroidery at Chanel or Dior, Schiaparelli sketches. I mean, I still watch all of that like I was a student. And so Ryan comes and says, ‘It's going to be a really high-end fashion show, and it's going to be contemporary fashion, and this is going to be hard.’ My little heart is like, ‘Yes, yes. Pick me. Pick me.’”

Pick her he did. Ahead, Bradley breaks down her design journey for All’s Fair as well as some of her favorite style moments from the buzzy show that’s sure to become an instant fave with the fashion set.

This is obviously not your first time working on a Ryan Murphy show. What is it about his work that draws you in creatively?

Well, I mean, the obvious answer is that he is so visually driven. And Ryan gives you such an opportunity to be creative. He understands the creative because he is a creative. And so, he understands what it takes, and it's always a challenge. I always learn a lot with Ryan. And I never do a show that's the same, which is really exciting. I mean, I remember day one at the Royal College of Art when I did my masters. We were all ushered into a hall. And the Dean of the Royal at the time, it was 1988, said to us, ‘If half of you get to spend the rest of your life being creative and can manage to just put a roof over your head being creative, you're incredibly lucky.’ And I have never forgotten that.

And it sounds like you have done just that.

I have. Thank you, Ryan. I think the other thing about Ryan is he doesn't quite know his reach. I think his legacy is going to be much bigger than he knows, especially with shows like Pose. I think there's going to be quite a legacy with Monster. I think this new one that we're doing is at a time when we're all being made to feel so small, and make your life small, and everything's so small, and we all look the same. You know? Your ability to find things is harder. I think here, he goes big, again.

When he brings you a project like All’s Fair, does he kind of give you free rein? Or does he come in already with an idea style-wise?

He has a very formulated vision. I mean, I don't know what it's like to be Ryan, but I imagine that he thinks in pictures. He has such a strong visual inclination. But the other thing about Ryan is that he has an executive producer named Lou Eyrich. And Lou was his very first costume designer and was his costume designer from Popular [1999] all the way through [to current day].

I was a PA for a minute on Popular. And so when Ryan got busy doing multiple shows, he made [Lou] a producer, which had never really happened before for a costume designer. And she's now an executive producer. And so in between me and Ryan is Lou Eyrich. So Ryan comes in and has his creative meetings. And then, he will tell you his overall vision, what he wants to hit for certain characters. And then, he lets you go. And then, he brings boards and ideas, and he says what he likes and he doesn't like. And in between there, I have Lou. So [Ryan’s] really smart there too, because it's too much for him to have every single board and every single piece of fabric in front of him. But I have Lou as well.

Were there specific points of inspiration that you drew from for All’s Fair? Any historical references or pop culture references?

I mean, a lot of the '80s and '90s because of the power suits. You can't help but not look at Mugler and even Donna Karan. As much as it’s high-end and it's contemporary fashion, it's not a character who's all Comme des Garçons. You know what I mean? And everybody has their character and everybody has their own body and everything. And he had direction for every character. But I did pull from the '80s and the '90s a lot.

You can tell. I love that some of these power suit moments still had elements of sensuality and femininity. I’m thinking specifically about Kim Kardashian in an ivory suit with a thigh-high slit.

The thing is is not every trend fits everybody's body shape. And to be clear, when we started, I called for a lot of that vintage look. But Kim had a stylist called Soki Mak, who's amazing, come in. And she needed her own team because of the amount [of work and looks]. And a lot of [Kim’s] wardrobe is runway couture vintage, because she wanted clothes that were iconic and individual to her. And so, there is a lot of couture vintage.

How did you sort of storyboard each character from a style perspective?

So again, Ryan has quite a directive for everybody's character. The process is he has a creative concept meeting, and he will discuss the characters, and run through what we have. Sometimes we start that before everybody's even cast. So he has a very strong idea of each character. And as soon as he knows who [will be cast], then he talks to that person. It's a lot of work. I do about 15 image boards per character.

[The boards] have to be very attractive because you get Ryan's attention like this. Does each board match? Is there a progression into color? Sometimes [the board] is just an image that just says a lot, but doesn't have a lot of clothing in it. You know? It can just be the right feeling. And sometimes it can just be like, I don't like that, but I want that purse.’ Or, he’ll say ‘I love that color, but not in that way.’ And then, Ryan has his little stickies. And you get his notes for, ‘Yes, yes. No, no, no.’ And then, you build from that.

Is there a particular character that was especially fun for you to create around?

I don't have favorites. They are all my favorites, but there's different degrees. But I would say that in challenge and fun, Niecy was very exciting to do, one, because she's Jessica Rabbit. I mean, her body type is definitely Jessica. And she has a big personality, Niecy. She's also incredibly collaborative and incredibly prepared.

And off the bat, I had an insurmountable amount of costumes for her. She'd come in at 5 a.m. and be like, ‘OK, let's try that, that.’ It was just very collaborative. I mean, also, Naomi is so understated chic. And then, Glenn Close is Glenn Close, and she's such an icon. And Ryan was like, ‘You know what? I want her to look like a million dollars.’ And then in comes Sarah Paulson, and it's armor and shoulders. So it's how to keep them separate and in all of that. But really, they do all have their own personality.

Is there a specific look that stands out in your brain right now as particularly special?

There's a couple of surprises that I can't talk about yet. Niecy wanted to support the Black community and local designers. So, I got to meet Harbison and Sergio Hudson. And it was a pleasure for me to go down [this road], because I felt like that student again, starting with fabric everywhere and sketches everywhere.

There's a moment where we fit Sarah. It's all armor [silhouettes] and dark [palettes]. But I brought in a Dior suit, which was not [that]. It was very New Look, classic Dior. And she just was like, ‘That's insane.’ And so, that gave us a different perspective on Sarah's character because Dior's quite feminine. And so, it gave us a different dimension within that. So that was actually pretty exciting.

Are we going to be able to see a definitive style arc on a character?

Well, everybody's going to own their look, but you are going to see an origin story. I mean, not to the degree in present day that you're talking about, because they're all fairly established. They've owned this company for 10 years. But there's a lot of storytelling.

What other brands or what other designers did you rely on for this?

Max Mara were amazing for us. Gabriella Hearst was incredible for us because she does so many suits and versions in different colors and fabrics. And Valentino were unbelievable for us. We had little bit of Dolce & Gabbana. Tom Ford is big for us because it's super sexy.