“Elle” costume designer Sarah Bybrow says she leaned into the nostalgia of “Legally Blonde.”
“For us, it was about not focusing on the designer’s work,” she told Page Six exclusively at Tuesday night’s Amazon series premiere, referring to the prequel’s other costume designer, Sophie de Rakoff.
“It was more about finding something that felt true to Elle, something that was true to the nostalgic feeling we were trying to create, and something that was true to our ‘Legally Blonde’ worldview,” she added.
Elle follows Elle Woods during her teenage years as a high school student in Seattle, before she transforms from a marriage-obsessed sorority girl to a wisecracking Harvard law student.
Bybrow explained that although there are some “designer” pieces in the series, which has already been greenlit for a second season, many of the costumes were found on “hunts” rather than by calling designers and requesting clothes.
“We were rather looking for something that felt true to us,” she added.
Bybrow explained that he doesn’t care where the costumes come from, as long as they work.
“We saved money,” she said. “We have vintage stuff. We archive designer stuff. We have stuff we’ve made ourselves. We also have new stuff. It’s really a combination of the whole range of clothing.”
Bybrow, who also worked on “Fire Country,” says being a part of “Elle” was “100 percent a dream come true.”
She added: “This character is so iconic and has really stood the test of time, so to have the opportunity to help tell that story…I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
The pink premiere was attended by the show’s cast and Reese Witherspoon, who played the original Elle Woods.
Witherspoon brought along her and Ryan Phillippe’s son Deacon as her plus one, and the 22-year-old recreated his father’s red carpet look from the 2001 premiere of Legally Blonde in a black suit, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and pink tie.
