L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano C ostumes in film are visual poet- ry: they tell sto- r i e s w i t h o u t w o r d s , e v o k e identity, and give tangible form to imagination. Fabrics and colors help the audience immerse themselves in the story, setting the time peri- od, social context, and per- sonality of each character. That's what costume design- ers do: they create a consis- tent, authentic language that reflects the era and world being portrayed. Italian cos- t u m e d e s i g n e r C h i a r a R o d o n i , a l s o k n o w n a s C o x y , h a s b e e n b u i l d i n g s u c h w o r l d s s i n c e 2 0 1 2 , w h e n s h e m o v e d t o L o s Angeles. Here she recently designed costumes for two Hulu series: Washington Black, set in the 19th centu- ry with a visual style touched by steampunk accents, and P a r a d i s e , a n e a r - f u t u r e s t o r y s u s p e n d e d b e t w e e n realism and dystopia. In the latter, created by Dan Fogelman (This Is Us), the lead is played by Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins, a Secret Service agent working alongside the President of the United States. "My jour- ney with Par adise star ted two years ago," Rodoni tells u s . " I h a d a l r e a d y i n t e r - viewed for the first season: a f t e r W a s h i n g t o n B l a c k , Sterling K. Brown introduced me to Dan Fogelman and the other producers. Everything was set, but then the strikes p u t e v e r y t h i n g o n h o l d . When productions resumed, t h e y w e n t w i t h s o m e o n e more experienced. I was dev- astated, I cried a lot… but in the end, it was just a matter of timing. That person later b a c k e d o u t , a n d n o t l o n g after, I got the call: 'You're on board!' they said. It felt l i k e t h e c i r c l e h a d f i n a l l y closed." L e t ' s g o b a c k f o r a moment. How did your career begin? I was born and raised in Milan and started in fashion, a f t e r e a r n i n g a d e g r e e i n Fashion Design and a mas- ter's in Costume Design from I E D . I w o r k e d f o r m a n y brands: Gucci, Prada, Dolce & G a b b a n a , G i a n f r a n c o Ferré, who was probably my greatest mentor. But after m a n y y e a r s , t h e f a s h i o n world started to feel a bit l i m i t i n g . I h a d a l w a y s dreamed of working in film, e v e r s i n c e I w a s a c h i l d . W h e n m y m o t h e r p a s s e d away, it was a wake-up call: life is short. I decided to give that dream a real shot. So in 2 0 1 2 I m o v e d h e r e a n d s t a r t e d f r o m t h e b o t t o m : commercials, short films, indie productions. One thing led to another, and eventu- ally Disney came along. Was there a film or a c o s t u m e t h a t r e a l l y struck you as a child or teen? Disney costumes always fascinated me, they were so well made, so full of magic. Maybe that's also why work- ing with them now feels so emotional. But the real turn- ing point was when I was six and my dad took me to Uni- versal Studios. There was a g a z e b o w h e r e y o u c o u l d dress up in Civil War cos- tumes and have your photo taken. I looked at my dad and said, "One day I'm going t o w o r k h e r e . " A s a k i d I watched a lot of movies. I had a fairly solitary child- h o o d , a n d c i n e m a w a s always my safe place. What is the work of a costume designer like? Is it a team effort? Absolutely. The costume designer creates the overall vision for the characters: d o i n g r e s e a r c h , d e f i n i n g their psychology, studying the time period and the aes- thetics. Then there's collab- o r a t i o n w i t h t h e c r e a t i v e team, from the showrunners and directors to the other d e p a r t m e n t s : p r o d u c t i o n design, visual effects, props. Say there's a backpack or a particular belt or helmet… those are technically props, so you have to coordinate to avoid overlap. Even color palettes need to align with the sets: if a room is blue, for instance, you may not want to dress the actor in blue. In a series like Wash- ington Black, almost every- thing is built from scratch. In Paradise, even with its sci-fi edge, it's more con- temporary; you might buy g a r m e n t s a n d t h e n a l t e r them to fit the world you're building. S o d o y o u r e a d t h e script? That's the first thing I do! It's essential, because you study it to understand who t h e c h a r a c t e r s a r e , t h e i r b a c k g r o u n d , t h e s e t t i n g ; then the research begins. F o r W a s h i n g t o n B l a c k , I studied the 1830s but also steampunk (a style set in V i c t o r i a n E n g l a n d w i t h advanced and anachronistic tech, editor's note), since the protagonist is an inventor. In Paradise, the research was more psychological: I started from the characters and their dynamics. There's the nerd, the scientist, the action hero, each with a spe- cific personality that needs t o c o m e t h r o u g h i n w h a t they wear. So it requires a bit of psychology, too? Absolutely. You need to k n o w t h e c h a r a c t e r s , b u t also talk to the actors, as they're the ones who wear the costumes, and they need to feel comfortable. Working with Julianne Nicholson, for instance, was very interest- i n g . S h e p l a y s S i n a t r a , a powerful woman with a bit of a masculine energy, but this season she shows a soft- er, more intimate side. The work was about translating that complexity into clothes. How do you dress a strong woman who's also a mother, a wife, and who does every- thing with a clear purpose? In the first season, she was very buttoned up. In the sec- ond, we did the opposite, and to reflect her softness, we chose less structured fab- rics than those in the first season. Is there a part of the process you enjoy most? I love them all. From the beginning, when you first meet the characters – it's like meeting new people – to the analytical phase, when you try to understand them w i t h o u t j u d g i n g , e v e n i f you're designing for "the vil- lain." Then there's the fit- ting, where you often realize what you had in mind does- n ' t q u i t e w o r k o r , o n t h e contrary, something unex- pected turns out to be per- fect. And finally, the magical moment: when you see them on set, fully immersed in t h e i r r o l e , w e a r i n g w h a t you've created. That's when you think: wow, this is it. It really feels like being into the world of the film. D o y o u t h i n k b e i n g I t a l i a n g i v e s y o u a n edge? I think so. In Italy, you g r o w u p s u r r o u n d e d b y beauty, it's in our DNA. And we have taste, something a lot of people admire in us. Maybe being Italian gives me the freedom not to con- form, that little extra touch, a personal edge that makes the work feel more alive. Who are your refer- e n c e s i n t h e c o s t u m e design world? Italian costume designer Milena Canonero is an icon, a legend. But I also admire Colleen Atwood, Sandy Pow- ell, Ruth Carter – she's phe- n o m e n a l – a n d P a u l Tazewell, who just won the Oscar for Wicked. There are s o m a n y p r o f e s s i o n a l s I deeply respect. Is there a director you dream of working with? Christopher Nolan, for s u r e . A n d S p i e l b e r g , o f course. But the list is long! What genre attracts you the most? I'm really drawn to period pieces, the 1800s, the '20s, the '70s… I love building worlds, creating visual lan- guages. In very contempo- rary projects, the job leans more toward styling, which interests me less. If it's set in the present, I prefer it to s t i l l h a v e a n a l t e r n a t e d i m e n s i o n l i k e P a r a d i s e , which is a bit post-apocalyp- tic. I'd also love to do a fan- tasy project like Game of Thrones. SILVIA NITTOLI Designing identity: Chiara Rodoni's journey through fabric and film Costume designer Chiara "Coxy" Rodoni (Photo: Alice Braccini) LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS

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