As you take in all the blood and gore on the show, Eulyn Womble gets inside your head with her unique costume designs for the show’s characters. Approaching wardrobe the way any actor would approach and dissect an on-screen role, The Walking Dead costume designer utilizes a psychologically-inspired combination of style, color, texture, and accessories to build a character’s storyline and enhance the plot. Such is the nature of her job that if she is able to get it right, you don’t even notice it. Instead, you feel it.
“Not only does Eulyn have a great eye and a tremendous sense of style, she also understands that the design of a character’s costume signifies their emotional state. She has been very creative in portraying how our characters feel about themselves as well as each other through how they dress. She has taught me a fair bit about how people are likely to change their sense of style over time in different circumstances.”
(Executive Producer Glenn Mazzara)
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The hit TV series chronicles shows the physical and emotional upheaval experienced by a group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world where they have to battle zombies, rival groups, and even each other in order to survive. Womble designs and color coordinates outfits that reflect changes both in the characters as well as their relationships with others (best illustrated by the Rick Grimes Season 5 Jacket).
“I can immediately see people when I read a script. I start to draw pictures and make notes. After that, I put up ‘feeler boards’ to depict how a character makes me feel. Later on, I discuss the role with the actors and perform a quick character study to make sure that both the actor and I are on the same page. Glen and (executive producer) Gale get to make the final call. They give me the creative license to play with ideas, but sometimes they have to reign me in.”
(Eulyn Womble)
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And Womble’s quirky ideas tend to win them over more often than not. One of the best examples of this is how she puts people wearing the same color next to each other on the show. A general rule in films is to not put people wearing similar colors together, but Womble does it on the show pretty much all the time. She says it is portray togetherness among the characters.
At the same time, some other wardrobe choices have ended up becoming focal points on their own. Prime examples include the Walking Dead Rick Jacket and the fabric angel wings sewed onto Daryl Dixon’s (played by Norman Reedus) leather vest which created quite a buzz with fans of the show. Similar was the case with the warrior-tinged look of Michonne (played by Danai Gurira).
According to Womble, one of the biggest risks she has taken with any of the costumes was when she introduced Daryl’s poncho. Meant to evoke the Wild West and inspire practicality, Womble considered it a risk to introduce such a bold item of clothing due to the following reasons.
The colors are way stronger than what Daryl normally wears on the show.
It is a horse blanket cut and stitched with ugly overstitching.
The idea was to make it look like Daryl stitched it himself to be used while sleeping and also to cover himself during the cold.
The usual sleeveless vest had to give way to the poncho that would completely cover his arms and the ladies love his arms.
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Womble’s wardrobe designs tend to engage in a sort of empathic discussion with the actors themselves. Whereas she takes inspiration from the styles, personalities, and backgrounds of the actors, her costumes help in making informed acting choices.
