The purpose of costume design is to describe a character’s thoughts and feelings even when he or she isn’t able to express them verbally. But how is that supposed to happen when the majority of the characters are wearing a uniform – particularly one that comes with a long list of stipulations?
“There are rules for how inmates are supposed to wear their uniforms in prison and we have certainly incorporated that into the world of our story,” says Jenn Rogien, who is the costume designer for Netflix’s womens’ prison-set dramedy Orange is the New Black (as well as HBO’s Girls). “There’s no alterations permitted: you can’t alter them, you can’t draw on them or otherwise modify them.”
This means that Rogien and others involved with the series must get creative when dressing these characters in government-sanctioned carrot-colored scrubs.
“I work with each actor to figure out the character’s personality when they join the show,” Rogien says. “Is this person rebellious or has a complete disregard for authority? Or is very much a follow-the-rules, with the exception of that one big rule that got them into prison in the first place?”
She explains that Taylor Schilling’s goody goody lead, Piper Chapman, “wears her uniform in a very straight-forward fashion.”
“She doesn’t roll up the sleeves,” Rogien says. “She doesn’t tuck in anything. She doesn’t roll the waist up. She doesn’t tuck the pants into her boots.”
Meanwhile, Natasha Lyonne’s Nicky Nichols is more inclined to taunt danger by “rolling her sleeves and the waistband is rolled” and Jackie Cruz’s rebellious Flaca “pulls her socks up very high and tucks her pants into the socks. And then the boots are a little unlaced.” When she’s running the food preparation, Kate Mulgrew’s Red “pretty much lives in her kitchen uniform because it is different and it is very special and a sign of a little bit of power in her world.”
“You get a sense of character through those very tiny details with tucking and folding and using the boots,” says Rogien.”
Hairbands are allowed because they’re sold at the prison commissary and Rogien says wedding bands are permitted if you get written approval, but most accessories are considered contraband. That hasn’t stopped some prisoners from wearing jewelry.
“I decided with our producers that one of the ways jewelry got into the prison was in exchange for favors,” Rogien explains. “The Spanish girls have jewelry because they have been trading favors. Red has jewelry, but no one else does.”
And while the makeup department may spend time designing tattoos for each character, Rogien says her team often has to hide actresses’ body art.
“In some cases, [tattoos] come down to legal clearance and as to whether we are able to get permission to use the art,” Rogien says, especially when it comes to a “Disney character or a storybook character or something that is owned by a third party.” “In some cases, we use long sleeves to cover up art that we don’t have permission for. In some cases, our amazing makeup department applies them on.”
