‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Costume Designer Details Symbolic Wardrobe for Gilead’s Next Generation
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The costume design for Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 5 introduces distinct visual groups for the young women of Gilead, including the 'Plums' and 'Pearls'. Costume designer Leslie Kavanagh created these looks through custom dyeing and fabric selection to reflect character status and narrative themes. The detailed wardrobe choices visually map the show's expansion into the world of 'The Testaments'.
Facts First
- Season 5 introduces 'The Plums', young girls on the verge of womanhood who are the biological children of many handmaids.
- Costume designer Leslie Kavanagh created the signature Plum color by mixing the red of handmaid garments with the teals of commanders' wives.
- Each Plum girl wears a uniquely dyed blouse tailored to complement the actor's skin tone.
- 'The Pearls' are outfitted in oyster-colored fabrics with pearl-like qualities, a look Kavanagh rebuilt within 36 hours.
- A prom-like ball in Episode 5 features unique green dresses for each girl, complete with caplets, for commanders seeking future wives.
What Happened
In Season 5 of Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale', the narrative expands to focus on the next generation within Gilead, including characters like Hannah, who is now older and named Agnes. Agnes attends Aunt Lydia's elite prep school, which trains young girls to become future wives. The school groups girls by the color of their garments: 'The Plums' are on the verge of womanhood, while 'The Pearls' are outsiders enrolled in the academy. Costume designer Leslie Kavanagh developed these distinct wardrobes through extensive camera testing, custom dyeing of fabrics, and tailoring to individual actors.
Why this Matters to You
If you are a viewer of the series, these detailed costume choices enrich your understanding of Gilead's rigid social hierarchy and the fates of the characters' children. The visual symbolism—like the Plum color blending the hues of handmaids and commanders' wives—provides a silent, powerful commentary on lineage and oppression without needing exposition. For fans interested in production design, it reveals the meticulous craft behind the show's immersive world, which may deepen your appreciation for the artistry involved in storytelling.
What's Next
The introduction of these younger characters and the exploration of Aunt Lydia's backstory in Episode 6 appear to be setting the stage for the show's future narrative, which may increasingly align with the world of Margaret Atwood's sequel novel, 'The Testaments'. The costume design using warmer tones for the Pearls to offset the cooler environment of 'The Testaments' suggests the production is visually bridging the two stories. Further seasons will likely continue to explore the lives of the Plums, Pearls, and characters like the Mayday spy Daisy as the regime faces internal threats.