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The latest season of Hulu's television series Dollface debuted on February 11, 2022. Melissa Walker, with years of experience in the film industry under her belt, joined the show's second as a costume designer.
Viewing the current scenario, many recent TV shows, including Hulu’s Dollface, are accommodating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in their plot, along with the costume choices. Melissa Walker curated the show’s second season wardrobe with the perfect blend of verity and vintage fashion.
In speaking to WWD, Melissa Walker expressed her ideas behind Dollface’s costume designs and said,
“Coming into the second season especially after the pandemic, we tried to make a conscious effort in how that was reflected in the ladies’ wardrobes,”
“We tried to make it a little less Gucci and a little more something attainable with their price points after not working for 18 months, but we did have fun also with playing with different styles.”
Who is Melissa Walker?
Melissa Walker has been a part of many big projects as a designer in her career. The designer conceived the costumes for PEN15, a 17-episode-long TV series which was released in 2019. She also designed outfits for the action comedy movie Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which was released in 2019.
Walker also created dresses for many more television series like Florida Girls, Drinks of My Life, Workaholics, and Roadies. The designer built a strong image by working with many big production houses, including Marvel Studios, Invincible Pictures, Lionsgate, Netflix, Warner Bros., and Clubhouse Pictures.
Melissa draws inspiration from her own costume designer community as she looks for more sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturers, independent designers, and affordable brands which are also accessible to the average woman.
She joined hands with ateliers like Bomme Studios, a Los Angeles-based manufacturer that is patron of ethical labor and sustainability. Walker also teamed up with the East Village Vintage Collective and Zingara Vintage for many of the Dollface costumes.
Walker also integrated pieces from Povitsky’s loungewear brand Sleepover by Esther and Mitchell’s accessories brand Beis for several scenes of the season.
Dennings’ character Jules also has her character development conveyed through her style. Her character is popular as an introvert. The designer opened up about her experience working on Jules' costumes,
“It was more about this confidence issue because we wanted that to be reflected as she’s more aware of her character,”
“And through the journey of her trying a little harder when she’s working at Woom, finding herself and finding that sweet spot where she’s comfortable with herself and the choices she’s making.”
While working with the season's characters, it was important for Melissa to recognize the large time gap between the two seasons for the show’s costumes curation. She engaged with Y2K-inspired pieces and other contemporary and broader fashion trends, but without keeping it too trend-focused at the same time.
Elucidating the challenges she faced while working, Melissa Walker stated,
“Designing a contemporary film or show, you always have to walk a tight rope with the current trends of the season since the work you shoot won’t be aired for six months to a year.”
“I gravitate toward cyclical trends rather than flashes in a pan. I also worked to incorporate new designers along with staple pieces, so that we don’t have an obvious time stamp or expiration date on each characters’ clothing.”
“We tried to really dive into each individual character, create their own story, color palette and types of fabrics they wear,” she said. “We separated them a little, while also keeping them in this friend group and having it be believable.”
More about Hulu’s Dollface
Dollface is about the story of four best friends. The roles are played by Kat Dennings, Shay Mitchell, Brenda Song, and Esther Povitsky, who reside in Los Angeles. The plot showcases how these four navigate through their friendships, careers, and love lives in their late 20s.
The second season of the same will manifest each character undergoing a personal change. It will all be about how the four are leading their lives, whether it be about starting a new business venture or a romantic relationship.
