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Dressing Shane: "L Word" fashion |
by Josh Tager
When Cynthia Summers, the stylist for "The L Word," was called on to dress the cast for the seminal show, she faced an enormous challenge. How would she handle reductive lesbian fashion stereotypes and the inevitable criticism from every person who watches the show and thinks: "That's not what I look like!"
The reality is, lesbian fashion usually is discussed in stereotypes. There's the butch: husky jeans, T-shirt, blunt haircut and blue-collar work jacket. There's the lipstick lesbian: long, styled hair, makeup and a combination of pretty dresses and power suits. The sporty dyke: athletic wear, from sneakers to track jackets. And there's the granola lesbian: hemp fabrics dyed with organic earth tones, necklaces made with symbolic stones, Birkenstocks (often with socks) and lots of fragrant patchouli oil.
These are generalizations, of course, and there are countless more subgenres. But society loves its generalizations. Whether "The L Word" accurately captures its characters' niche -- the world of Los Angeles lesbians -- or is blasphemous for its failure to portray every single permutation of lesbian style in every episode, it successfully brings to the fore discussions of identity and representation on television.
Summers sat down to chat with us about her work on the show, lesbian archetypes, criticism from fans and dressing Shane.
Do you get feedback from fans of the show on the fashion?
Yes, we get tons of feedback, both positive and negative. The negative is only ever things such as, "There are too many lipsticks and not enough butches," which goes back to our demographics being L.A.
The positive is, "Where can I get that bra Bette wore in episode such and such." Or, "As a professional dyke in the corporate world, thank you for showing Bette in Dolce women's suits with a tough men's edge!" Or, "Where can I get that handbag that Alice used in ...?" Which proves to me that lesbians do in fact carry purses! Or maybe we should call them "bags."
Our readers express interest in all of the cast members, but we get the most feedback about Shane. Her look seems to have evolved a bit from last season. She's cut her hair, for example, and updated her clothes. What's your strategy around styling Shane?
Well, let me begin with: It is so easy! Kate brings so much to this character, as all the girls do, and she is so oozing with "standoffish" sex appeal that whatever I put on her, it just translates into "lady killer" -- in a positive way.
Shane's hair has been a well-debated subject with fans, and all I can say to that is, personally, I miss her longer hair. The shorter hair went with where the look moved in Season 2, so it made sense, and it was also driven by where her character is going.
But in Season 1 we start out with Mick Jagger/Keith Richards in the early '70s, mixed with a little dude from "Shampoo" and sprinkled with a little Tom Petty. It worked. She is devastating!
Then this season, as her character has developed and Shane has gotten away from being so "street" and is moving forward professionally, she's kept that rocker edge, but we really styled her after bands like The Strokes. A little preppy, rocker/boho, Village, I will wear whatever the fuck I want and you will love it and you won't know why. And we do love it!
So what about stereotypes, from crunchy granola to sporty? Are these archetypes realistic? Do they influence your work?
First, we have to remember that we are in L.A. The stories are about a specific group of women in L.A., in our lesbian community. That reflects hugely on the show. There has been criticism of our not representing some stereotypes, [such] as the butch, Birkenstock-wearing lesbian. True.
But remember, this is television, and we tend to make it a little more of something for, hopefully, some women to aspire to -- or at least appreciate that their "type" is being represented in a heightened fashion, much like Carrie on "Sex and the City." In Season 2, now that we've had time to tell more stories, we see more diversity, and that excites me!
Style is more than just labels. The Kennedys conveyed a mood to the nation with their style. And people dress to communicate on job interviews and dates. What are you communicating with the style of the "L Word" characters?
Fundamentally, what we are trying to communicate is that characters will represent themselves with individual styles. To establish them in their own socioeconomic class and personal circumstances as they relate to their story and the other characters, we are trying to reinterpret and present this on a newer, more fashion-forward level. That doesn't mean everyone shows up in designer clothes. It just means one character may take something historically "normal" to their type, add to it, embellish it and even perhaps just wear it more controversially, differently. More "Let's stand up and be noticed. We have arrived!"
You've had an interesting career so far. Tell me, how did you end up on "The L Word"?
I started out in life as a dancer. I moved into musical theatre (which I am a sucker for) and started producing costumes for dance when the knees gave out. After that, I went to the illustrious Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion Design and obtained my degree in fashion. While at the school, a film production in town was looking for someone to build a tutu for a scene. That was in 1994, which was also the year I designed my first indy film, "Double Happiness," by Mina Shum. I've luckily been crazy busy ever since.
I've done several productions for Showtime, and when the show came to producer Rose Lam, she put me forward. I had two interviews for the show with Ilene Chaiken to convince her I could translate the vibe of lesbian fashion in L.A. to television and the "outside" world and still retain some sense of realism for our lesbian audience -- while at the same time incorporating high fashion and fantasy to give the show a bit of whimsy and je ne sais quoi.
What's your personal style?
I am always suspicious of people who can clearly and succinctly define their personal style.
I'm most comfortable in styles like Marithe & Francois Girbaud, who use mostly black, with amazing fabrics and a tailored and slightly androgynous cut. I bought a raincoat in L.A. in black that is tucked up at the behind like roman shades -- fantastic! But I also love the decadent use of color, texture and baubles of Jean Paul Gaultier. Love it! So the way I dress really depends on the day, what city I am in and what I am doing.
For instance, for the premiere in New York, I wore this amazing vintage Victor Joris (remember Bianca Jagger in the '70s?) black jersey knit knee-length dress, trimmed with 12-inch faux fox around the hem of the huge circle skirt. It's so Doris Day. Then, to bring an edge to it, I added robin's-egg blue tights and spiky, pointy, four-inch-heeled, bejeweled Giancarlo Paoli shoes.
We hit a gay club later in the evening, and I ran into Boy George, who gushed, and immediately the "L Word" fan base in the club surfaced! I'm not sure, but it seems (in New York anyway) that there may be more gay men appreciating the fashion on "The L Word" than lesbians! Hmmm. Erin Daniels was gorgeous in Missoni, as was Leisha Haily in her Marc Jacobs and Marilyn Monroe hair!
So I invariably show up for the fitting in something of my own that "feels" like what I am proposing as the costume. Or sometimes when I shop, I buy "one for Jennifer and one for me; one for Pam, one for me." I am not going to get rich on this show, but oh, my own personal closet!
Does your style influence what you put on the "L Word" actors?
I think it's the opposite. When I am preparing a scene for a character, I take into account what I think that particular actor would see her character wearing, in that particular scene. I get inspired by that and where that character is going, what they are doing and whom they are doing it with or for. Then I try it on! Believe me, with all the fab couture we are using on the show, how yummy to try it on.
Oh, one funny story. Gianfranco Ferre has been so great to us, and when we were shooting the main titles, he sent hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gowns. I was in heaven. So, of course, to see which ones would work, I tried them all on. I'm not a sample size, but where there's a will. ... And shoes, they are my weakness. I am a size 8, but my battered dancer feet will curl up into a size 6 just to see the sparkles on them!
At one point, I shimmied into one fabulous black lace and what I thought was faux black leather. As I turned sideways into the mirror, I realized I was "inside" a real back and tummy of a crocodile painted black! Next came me running around the room with the heebie-jeebies yelling "get it off, get it off!" We didn't choose that particular gown.
Oh my God, enough about me! ...
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