Fashionista Revenge

Jill M. Ohanneson is known for her work on Revenge (2011), Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002). Her work in ABC's hit series, Revenge, is what really caught my attention. Set in The Hamptons as a tragic story of drama and revenge, the series costumes and fashion is everything you would dream it to be.

I was able to find several interviews and articles in which Jill talks about the shopping, designing and altering for the show's wardrobe. From the looks of the clothes, one would think that they just buy everything from high end designers for every episode, but that is completely untrue.





This is an excerpt of inside magazine:

“Almost everything that goes on our principal actors gets altered, from head to toe,” she said. “Men’s suits are altered up one sleeve and down the other and up the back and sides. All the dresses are brought in to within an inch, actually a fraction, of their body.” Each actor has their own mannequin to match their figure!

Jill says that this altering/fitting process is very important to the show. Most of the characters are very powerful and wealthy personalities and this must be transmitted not only through their acting, but also through the clothes they are wearing.

“We tailor everything to make it work with the actors’ bodies. All the principals have their clothing tailored. That’s how you make someone look powerful. If your clothes fit you perfectly, you feel more authoritative and you carry yourself differently. “


The mannequins on the right, belong to three of the main characters of the show (Victoria Greyson, Emily Thorne, and Nolan Ross).

For these same reasons, no major clothing items are ever worn more than once. Every episode and its clothes must stand alone and make a grand impression each week to keep alive that Hampton's atmosphere.

Each character has their own separate closet. Emily has the biggest overall wardrobe, but Nolan's closet is the one with the most pairs of shoes.
The wardrobe also has its own accessories closet and their tailoring department.

On a more specific note, I will talk about how Emily Thorne's clothes help give depth to her character. In the show Emily lives a double life, to everyone she is a graceful, wealthy, new arrival at the Hamptons, while in the shadows she is doing dangerous tasks to infiltrate and destroy those who took away her father.

Thats why whenever she is in public she will be wearing beautiful dresses and sometimes tailored suits, but in reality she is the most comfortable when she is in jeans and a t-shirt.