Not that any of us are expecting any latex costuming in Steven Spielberg’s take on West Side Story (which opened on Dec. 10th). But still, the clothing in the remake, designed by Paul Tazewell, is rather stunning.
Growing from a beloved Broadway production, then in an iconic movie starring Natalie Wood, expectations and recall run deep for the new WSS, as much for its dancing as its couture. Mentioning that he wanted to create as iconic a look as Irene Sharaff did for the original 1957 Broadway run of the show, but “recognize the years that have transpired since it was originally conceived and to support Spielberg’s specific storytelling…” Tazewell set himself quite the task creating the wardrobe here.
He considered how The Sharks would dress more in stylized suits and dresses, showing sure sartorial identity for the new community they were creating in America. In contrast, the American-born Jets would strut with an air of certain casualness, dressed in denim, showing how they ‘owned’ the NYC of the time, Tazewell reasoned and rendered.
The costume designer also reports in many interviews that it was critical for Spielberg to showcase the intricate and all-important choreography of the scenes; the clothing had to move. For this, a great grand bespoke wardrobe was created to allow optimum movement.
Colors were also important, contrasting against the greys and muted colors of the urban landscape. And in one particular iconic dance scene, Tazewell changed colors on an iconic dress.
In the 1961 movie, Rita Moreno plays “Anita” (she is in the new West Side Story too, playing a character named “Valentina”), famously wearing a purple short sleeve dress, with red tulle ruffles under its skirt for her scene-stealing “I Want To Live In America.” In the new version of the movie, “Anita,” played by Ariana DeBose in Spielberg’s version, wears a flowing yellow dress.
As Tazwell remarked, he wanted her to represent the sun.
The songs, the dancing, the modern twist on Romeo & Juliet, and Steven Spielberg’s updating all count to make this new West Side Story what it is. But we can’t ever forget about the movie’s costuming, courtesy of Paul Tazewell’s fantastic team.
