A version of this story about costume designer Shirley Kurata from “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” first appeared in TheWrap’s Awards magazine’s Below the Line issue.
Despite the extravagant costumes in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” costume designer Shirley Kurata had to work financially to accommodate the limited resources of the independent film. Working with directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who originally hailed from the world of music videos and understood the film’s budgetary constraints, Kurata saved money on certain appearances to spend on others, even if it meant deviating from the scripted wardrobe. .
As Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Joy (Stephanie Hsu) are transported from the main universe of the film to different parts of the multiverse, Kurata adjusted his wardrobe to fit each version of the character. . While Kurata drew on everyday looks she observed in Chinatown for Evelyn and Waymond’s wardrobe in what she calls “the tax universe,” she was influenced by Yeoh’s roles in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “In the Mood for Love” and other Asian roles. movies for the movie star version of Evelyn.
The film’s larger-than-life villain, Jobu Tupaki, on the other hand, is what Kurata calls a “free-for-all,” drawing inspiration from genres of Japanese fashion, K-pop, and sci-fi movies. Jobu is a version of Joy who’s been overwhelmed by Evelyn’s demanding nature, and his origin story involves experiencing everything, everywhere, all at once. Kurata weaved together simpler, more classic looks to offset the experimental pieces and reflect Jobu’s ever-changing reality. “I didn’t want everything to be over the top, crazy pieces because she could change so easily,” Kurata said.
Kurata also drew on the film’s mother-daughter conflict by referencing Asian tropes that play into their fractured relationship. When Evelyn first meets this version of her daughter, Jobu appears in preppy golf style, a costume that Kurata says exemplifies the perfect Asian daughter who excels in sports and everything else in the world. life of her Moments later, however, Jobu suddenly appears in an Elvis costume with pink hair and a cigarette, a transformation that Kurata points out as a way to “antagonize her mother”. As the film also revolves around Evelyn’s willingness to fully accept her daughter’s sexuality, Jobu’s wardrobe experiments with elements of femininity and masculinity.
At the end of the movie, Jobu falls down the stairs with a look that Kurata calls “Jobu scrambled”. To combine both emotional turmoil and chaos as Jobu and Evelyn jump between different universes, Kurata constructed the outfit by placing pieces of previous costumes on a mannequin for edgy, hands-free draping. “She’s just trying to take it all in and it’s all a mess of clothes,” Kurata said.
Read more of the issue below the line here.
