The Handmaid’s Tale is a popular TV series based on a novel by Margaret Atwood. It is set in a dystopian future where a totalitarian regime has taken over the United States and forced fertile women to become handmaids, or concubines, for powerful men. Spencer: Speaking of strict parameters, because of Gilead’s very strict way of life, do you ever feel restricted when it comes to navigating the costume journey? Within the handmaids’ uniform, Miller tasked Crabtree with creating individuality. “Uniformed prisoners often use their hair to show personality, but the handmaids’ hair is covered by the white “wings” that shield their faces. Moss worked with Crabtree to develop a storyline, which is not showed in the series, to aid individual costume development.

When the dystopian world was created, everyone had to give their red clothing to the red centres, where the handmaids were housed, as no one else was permitted to wear that colour. Upon a handmaid’s initiation she was allowed to choose one item to have as her own individual property, a sad gift from the aunts.” Moss’s character, Offred, chooses a red sweater that allows her to style her uniform differently, but brings the “past, present and future” together on one outfit. Spencer: It’s such an incredible achievement, we are so happy for you! My first question I always love to ask my guests is how you came into your life as a costume designer, and how did you end up taking on a role on The Handmaid’s Tale? While it’s still the middle of the year and Halloween is technically 4 months away, we can find just about any excuse to dress up. Whether it be for Halloween, a virtual themed-party, a cosplay event, or just Tuesday, dressing up is one of the best forms of having fun. And speaking of cool costumes, The Handmaid’s Tale has got to have some of the most thought-provoking costumes on TV right now. You can just tell the level of attention and detail given to each one – from the commanders’, the wives’, the Marthas’, to the handmaids’. So if you’re still feeling that post-season 4 finale high, here are 13 The Handmaid’s Tale costumes that you can wear to your next party! Spencer: For the first two seasons of the show you served as the costume supervisor. Now for season 3 you have taken on the role of designer. For those looking at a career in costume design, what do these different titles mean in terms of responsibilities?

The Marthas

However, it can be time-consuming and challenging to get the look just right. That's why we offer Handmaid's Tale costume DIY options, allowing you to get creative and personalize your outfit without the hassle. Our DIY options include everything you need to create your own Handmaid's Tale costume, from the classic red dress and white bonnet to the commander's suit and other accessories. Where can I buy Handmaid's Tale Costume? Natalie: Actually, in the first two seasons, I served as supervisor AND assistant designer. We didn’t have a formal assistant designer because the show was small enough — in terms of number of costumes — that I could handle it and do both jobs. Colour became an intense obsession, Crabtree tells us. “In Atwood’s simplified universe, everyone was divided into controlled groups depending on their role. Each sub sector needed a uniform to overthrow any individuality, so colour was a very tribal way to identify this.” Sunday nights have taken a rather chilling turn since Bruce Miller’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale has filled the primetime TV slot. Helping realise Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future is costume designer Ane Crabtree, whose CV includes Westworld and The Sopranos. Vogue caught up with Crabtree to find out how she imagined the handmaids’ conservative dress, the role colour played in characterisation and why a pair of old boots became the surprising hit on set in Toronto. Spencer: Ugh, yes Serena is such a great example. The Handmaid’s Tale is a masterclass example when it comes to the use of color. There is so much symbolism and the costume design plays a vital role there… Can you tell me about the use of color in this show and why it’s important to you?

Spencer: Wow, so I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to The Handmaid’s Tale, you have done it all! I’m interested to know what your initial reaction was when you received The Handmaid’s Tale script?The head “wings”, imagined by Atwood as a mechanism to shelter the handmaids’ faces and stop them from communicating with each other, could have been problematic when filming, but Crabtree used layers of thin linen to create a “beautiful lightbox around the face”. She looked to traditional Amish dress for notes and constructed “poetic baseball caps” that aided the actors by hindering their movement. Handmaid’s Tale Costume is a way of dressing up as the characters from the show, especially the handmaids who wear long red dresses, white bonnets, and brown boots. The costume is a symbol of resistance and solidarity for women’s rights and freedom. It is also a striking and eye-catching outfit that can make you stand out in any occasion. What Handmaid’s Tale Costume products do you offer? Spencer: Hi Natalie, it’s so nice to virtually meet you! I know it’s such an eye-roll question nowadays but how have you been? Of the outfits that Offred, formally known as June, wears in the past, Crabtree was influenced by Moss’s own wardrobe. “The main thing was to use pattern, and show skin, to assault the eye in a way that would contrast the simplicity of the future”. Spencer: You spoke a little about research which is what I wanted to ask you about next. Research plays such an important role in costume design, so what type of research does this show entail? The thing that makes this show so horrific sometimes is that I can imagine a lot of inspiration probably comes from just turning on the news at some point.

We offer a variety of products to help you create your own Handmaid’s Tale Costume. We have clothing and accessories for both handmaids and commanders, such as the long red dress, the white bonnet, the tote bag, the commander’s suit, and more. You can also mix and match our products to create your own unique look. Outside of the color spectrum, Crabtree applied her design expertise to small subtleties that may go unnoticed by most viewers. “I gave the Handmaids lace-up boots that were modeled after a pair I have, but then I took away their laces so that they can’t even consider killing themselves,” she says; that move is also a reference to Atwood’s original novel, in which many Handmaids attempted self-harm to escape their warped reality. “We sewed the grommets down, and then on top of that we did a boot cover, so they can’t even be reminded that they used to have laces. It’s just a sleek cover. That was a way of oppressing them mentally.” There’s a tiny percentage of women who can have babies in Gilead, and those are the Handmaids,” says Crabtree. “That’s their menstrual flow; that’s their lifeblood. You can see them coming a mile away, flowing down the street, like a river of blood.” Spencer: I hear you there! I am glad you and your family are doing okay. Well, better than okay as just yesterday we learned of some incredible news, you were nominated for your third Emmy in theOutstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes category! Congratulations! What does this nomination mean to you?!Making your own Handmaid's Tale Costume can be a fun and creative DIY project. You need a red dress, a white bonnet, and a tote bag. Cut off the collar and sleeves of the dress, find or make a white bonnet with ribbons, find or make a white tote bag, and wear brown boots or shoes. Spencer: I mean how can you not read the script! I would feel the same way (Laughs). Sounds like you made the right choice. So you’ve been on the show since the very beginning – how has your connection to the costumes and story evolved over the years? Most post-1980s high school students—those whose libraries didn’t ban the book, anyway—will recognize Gilead from The Handmaid’s Tale, a 1985 work of speculative fiction by famed writer and environmental activist Margaret Atwood. If the dystopian tale was required reading then, its new small-screen adaptation—coming to Hulu April 26th—feels like required viewing now, and not just for teens. Costume designer Ane Crabtree, tasked with bringing Gilead’s dystopian dress to life, agrees, admitting that her creative process was particularly emotional and charged because the show’s filming schedule aligned with the results of the 2016 presidential election.

Atwood, who was an executive producer of the adaptation, was not phased. In fact, she didn’t get involved in the costumes at all. As a tribute to her hero, Crabtree sent her a visual storyboard for each scene, something she does with all her projects. Because there's method to finding inspiration in all those mops and insects. Natalie: No actually, not at all. It’s just a way of rethinking the obvious and rejigging it for the characters to convey the storyline. I had to get very inventive which is interesting because I absolutely love taking objects of regular use and giving them a whole new meaning or usefulness. If the deep red of the handmaids’ dresses is what makes initial impact on-screen, the fluidity of the swing silhouettes is second. “The dress shape came from a knit dress that everyone was wearing when I was at school in the Eighties, but the fluidity was inspired by a priest I sketched in the Duomo di Milano in 2001. Spencer: Even just talking about the masks with you is rather chilling. Then to make things more complicated – the cast still needs to act with the mask on. Can you tell me about the technical aspects to the mask that made this possible? Natalie: Actually, I did not have to even turn the TV on to pull any symbolism from it because all the symbolism has been around before. Women have been covered up since ancient Greek times, in various cycles of dress and undress in terms of covering their bodies and their hair and their faces. My inspiration often comes from oil paintings, literature, historical stories I’ve read, archeology, sculpture, and just a human existence on this planet in its various cycles.Natalie: Every colour has a meaning, a symbolism worldwide. When we look at something, it is the very first thing we register in our senses. Colours evoke emotion instantaneously. From fiery reds to dark navys. Everything has a meaning and assemble. From across the room you can see where everyone comes from or belongs to in a particular society. The interesting thing about this show was having to think a little outside the box with very strict parameters, which was an incredibly interesting way to work.