‘Forever’ Costume Designer Tanja Caldwell Breaks Down The LA Style That Made The Netflix Series A Hit For The Culture [Exclusive] - Page 2
Caldwell, whose track record includes serving as the costume designer for Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime show, says that her approach to Simone’s character was art imitating life, especially as someone who grew up loving and embracing the tomboy swag.
“I see a lot of myself in Keisha, and I think a lot of young women, even women my age that ain’t so young, but was young at one time, really relate to that,” Caldwell explained. “I think there’s a journey in how you kind of see yourself, and how your style develops as a young woman, and what you’re drawn to. When I was Keisha’s age, maybe a little bit younger, I was really drawn to artists and musicians, and one of them was, of course, Aaliyah and TLC. I feel like I related to them, not only the music, but the style. I saw myself in them.”
She added, “It was really seamless to implement my own honest, true references of my childhood into Keisha, but then also bring in the nuances of current LA, 2017, and beyond. I really feel like LA, New York, or Atlanta are very much the creators of culture, you know, pop culture, not just Black culture. There’s so many iconic fashion staples in LA culture that you start to see in the Midwest, South with Dickies and Carharts, and clean Chuck Taylors, and so it was really important to me to make sure that element was there and not in a stereotypical way.”
For Simone, a native New Yorker, working alongside Caldwell was almost like a history lesson in the fashion of the West Coast, especially in LA, where the show is set.
“Working with Tanja was a breath of fresh air! It was easy to be let into Keisha’s world through the fashion,” said the Greenleaf actress. “She allowed me to learn so much about the times all over again, but from a different side of the country! I saw the parts of me that love athleisure, which made it easy to feel comfortable in Keisha.”
Moreover, she says Keisha’s fashion reflects that she’s “a cool nerd.”
“In all seriousness, the wardrobe stays honest to how Keisha is doing mentally at the time,” said Lovie. “You can tell when she’s feeling herself, and you can tell when she’s going on a date! It’s fun to explore the different parts of her life through style.”
Mara Brock Akil’s Forever is currently available to stream on Netflix.
RELATED CONTENT: This Was Supposed To Be A Review Of ‘Forever,’ But It’s Not
