11 Valuable Fashion Tips From TV's Top Costume Designers

Published on 9/28/2016 at 7:40 PM

Unless you've got a store hiding somewhere in your closet, getting dressed can sometimes be tricky. You try to pair this with that and the other thing, but you end up feeling frustrated, wishing you had the wardrobe of someone like Scream Queens's Chanel Oberlin instead of your own.

While we don't have the budget to give you exactly what you want, we can offer something just as valuable: tips from some of television's top costume designers, who pull together those magical onscreen outfits you end up lusting after with each episode. Scroll through to see important takeaways that may make your mornings slightly easier. Then discover more behind-the-scenes secrets from American Horror Story.

The Main Rule in Fashion? It's All About the Fit

"It's about fit and it's something that people have forgotten. Before, everybody had a tailor. Now, people want to walk in to a store and be like, 'Oh, it doesn't fit me!' Well, because it's not made for you; it's made for average sizes." — Salvador Perez, The Mindy Project and Pitch Perfect 2

Don't Be Afraid to Rock Bright Colors

"I think mixing bits of color into your wardrobe is not reaching for the black sweater, but adding a turquoise sweater. It's probably easier to buy the blacks or the navies so it all matches, but once you have that color, it just makes life a little bit more fun. How can you be in a bad mood if you are wearing pink or yellow or blue?" — SP

After All, They Qualify as Neutrals, Too

"Yellow is not the color you see very often in the world, but you can put any other color with it and it works. Purple, green, orange, blue. Navy blue and yellow? That sounds weird, but we've been doing that on [Scandal] and it works. Unless you have a lot of yellow in your skin tonally, that's a color that works for everybody. We've also been using orange in that way as well." — Lyn Paolo, Scandal

Do Your Research

"The thing that people don't realize is that most of the brands like Banana Republic and J.Crew have an online version of their clothes in petite and tall. You don't find it in the stores; you have to order it online. If you're not an average size, it's learning where to shop." — SP

Don't Forget About Accessories

"For Skylar's character [on Scream Queens] we had a little flared pant, boots, and a little sweater. It was fun, but it didn't really say much. Then, we added the plaid cap and a belt with a funny big belt buckle and a signature necklace, and it suddenly changed the look and made it much more street-style-wise. I would say accessories really added a lot. Usually I want to be simple, simple, but this was like the more, the better." — Lou Eyrich, Scream Queens and American Horror Story

Especially in the Summer

"You can pop your Summer look by picking up some really fun jewelry. I don't think it has to be expensive, but some interesting necklaces are a great way to pick up a look." — Dan Lawson, The Good Wife

There's a Key to Mixing Prints

"If the scales don't work together, it doesn't necessarily work — it has to sort of blend. There's an outfit on Mindy that I love — it's a houndstooth jacket, a paisley blouse, a plaid skirt, and lace booties. If I just described it and didn't show you, it sounds crazy — houndstooth, paisley, and plaid? But the scale of it all worked and the tonality of it worked. The houndstooth is gray and gray, the blouse was blue and gray, and the skirt was black and white. It was sort of tonal, so you just saw the color without seeing all the texture." — SP

You Can Wear White in the Winter

"Obviously, we are all aware of how difficult wearing white can be — especially in colder climates. If a long white [coat] is a bit too much, I always suggest a gorgeous white hat or scarf near your face as a great way to liven up the Winter months." — LP

Stick to a Work Uniform

"Go on a wild fashion adventure on the weekends if you want to experiment, but at work, stick with what agrees with you and be consistent. I try to treat my work attire like a uniform: I want to get dressed quickly in the morning for those 5 a.m. calls on location. So, simplicity, style, and limited choices work for me." — LP

Remember That Comfort Is Key

"I think women do this a lot — pick out a shoe and it's a little uncomfortable in the fitting room or in the store. But you go ahead and buy it, and then you wear it for two hours and you're ready to cut your foot off because it hurts so much. If it's uncomfortable in the store, it's only going to be more uncomfortable the more you wear it. Now, if it's uncomfortable because of the stiffness of a leather or something, then that's a different story. But if it's pinching, if it's binding, if it's hurting your heel, if it's not wide enough through your instep, if it's uncomfortable as you walk in store on the ball of your foot or the vamp is cutting in underneath in the middle of your foot, then just don't buy it. No matter how beautiful or on sale it is, put it back on the shelf." — DL

Don't Know What to Wear? Start From the Ground Up

"I start with my shoe: 'OK, I'm going to be on my feet a lot today. I need to wear comfortable shoes.' Then I build my outfit from the ground up because it matters what shoes I wear. Or if I'm going out and I'm like, 'Oh, I want to wear those great sandals. They look good with that black dress.' So I will pull accordingly. I would also say I do a lot of Pinterest. I look for people who I admire, the way they dress, and I'll take from that." — LE