About
"My job is to help the actor to feel like they’ve become another human being. The costume is a visual cue for the audience... But it’s also sort of a cocoon for the actor to live in, that surrounds them with the person they have to become... It’s important for me to listen and respect and understand where they’re coming from because they’re the ones that have to step on that stage... It is such a magical craft, full of beauty and wonder, and I absolutely love it."
In her four-hour interview, Lyn Paolo describes growing up in Sunderland, England in a working-class town and developing an early interest in the movies and Hollywood of the 1960s. She talks about studying English literature and history and becoming a teacher and her decision to move to the United States and Los Angeles. She explains the difficulty of finding work as a teacher and turning to television and film production for work. She then discusses the first television show she worked on, Dallas, and how she came to become the costume supervisor on the show. Paolo recalls how she was recommended to work on the period show Homefront, which was based in the 1940s, and transitioning to costume director and what that role entailed. She talks about her first Emmy nomination for that show and the challenge of working with vintage materials and fabric. Paolo explains how a chance encounter led to her work on ER with producer John Wells. She describes how she came to work on The West Wing and her research process as a costume designer. She discusses her work on Wells' show Shameless. She talks about meeting Shonda Rhimes and her long working relationship with both Rhimes and Wells. She details the designs on Rhimes' show Scandal and creating the "Gladiator" look for Kerry Washington's character. Paolo talks about designing for How to Get Away with Murder, Little Fires Everywhere, and Inventing Anna, and discusses how she came to work on another period show from Shondaland, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and the intricate detail that went in to hand-making all the clothes for that production. Paolo discusses working through the COVID-19 pandemic, how she sees her role as a designer in relation to the production she's working on, the changes in her profession due to AI, and advice to those starting out in the industry. Jenni Matz conducted the interview on October 30, 2023 in Valley Glen, CA.
Highlights
Lyn Paolo on the role of a costume designer: "we create the fabric of the world"
Lyn Paolo on the advice she received from unit production manager Mike Salamunovich on one of the first shows she worked on, Homefront, who encouraged her to believe in herself, be strong, and to be her own advocate
Lyn Paolo on her favorite part of being a costume designer: being in the fitting room with the actors
Lyn Paolo on her process for designing costumes for shows like The West Wing, including her research and methodology and finding the "nuggets" through research that say, "this is where I am in a time, an era, or a city"
Lyn Paolo on loving her job as a costume designer and enjoying creating costumes from scratch, like she had to do on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Lyn Paolo on the role of a costume designer: to both provide a visual cue for the audience to understand who a character is through clothing and to help the actor find the character in the role and the person they have to portray through costuming, and on the importance of listening and creating through teamwork with the actor
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her childhood and growing up in Sunderland, England, an industrial working-class town; on being an avid reader
On being interested in movies and Hollywood growing up during the 1960s; on the fashion scene in England and how music and musicians informed the fashion of the day; on going to college to become a teacher and studying English literature and history; on meeting her husband Pasquale Paolo; on her decision to leave England for the United States; on moving to Los Angeles and not being able to find work as a teacher
On how her first experience in television and film production came about; on working at the Film Consortium; on her first job answering phones; on working for Richard Kerns and being offered a job as a commercial stylist
On the first television show she worked on, Dallas, and how she came to be hired; on working with actors Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy who advocated for her to take over the women's costume department as costume supervisor on the show when Nanrose Buchman left; on what the job entailed; on how Agnes Henry, another costume supervisor, showed her what to do; on how Dallas impacted her career; on how she was recommended to work on Homefront, which was set during World War II, and on working on a period show; on working with Christopher Chulack; on transitioning from costume supervisor to costume director and what that entailed
On what her role as a costume supervisor was on Homefront and what differentiated a supervisor from a costume designer; on how the Costume Designers Guild differentiated the roles; on being nominated for her first Emmy for Homefront, and on finally joining the Costume Designers Guild; on what Homefront meant to her in her career; on what is involved with designing a period show; on where she sourced vintage materials, and on the challenges of working with vintage materials for a period show; on her detailed process for how she approached designing for a show once she receives a script; on working with actors and her role in helping the actor "feel like they've become another human being"; on actors being amazing chameleons
On the the two back-to-back Emmy wins she received for Homefront; on attending the Emmys ceremony with Christopher Chulack; on not being able to get a job after her Emmy wins because she was typecast as doing period shows; on how Patrick Duffy helped get her hired on his show Step by Step; on working on a multi-camera sitcom; on working with Suzanne Somers; on how Step by Step led to her getting hired on ER; on meeting John Wells, the show runner and executive producer of ER; on balancing work on both shows at the same time
On her role as costume designer on ER; on the challenges of designing clothes for the voluminous number of extras on a show based in a hospital emergency room; on her frustration that the audience thought the extras wore their own clothes to set; on how she worked to tell the story of a character in an instant by how they were dressed; on what makes a good working relationship with a producer, and on working with John Wells; on the crew she worked with in the costume department on ER; on the specific challenges of the 360 Steadicam shooting style of ER, which meant every person in view in each scene had to be costumed; on preparing to work on the ER live episode
Chapter 2
On how she came to be the costume designer on The West Wing; on her creative process designing for the show, and on the research she did about Washington D.C. to prepare for the job; on how costumes must set the tone for the show, but then "disappear"; on working with Aaron Sorkin and his specific vision for the series, and on working with producer John Wells
On working on The West Wing episode "The State Dinner," and dressing actress Stockard Channing as "First Lady Abbey Bartlett"
On working on the special "A West Wing to Benefit When We All Vote" during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020; on the legacy of The West Wing; on meeting producer Shonda Rhimes due to her work on The West Wing and not initially wanting to do another show about Washington DC; on Shonda Rhimes being a "Wing Nut" (a term for fans of The West Wing)
On working on Shameless with producer John Wells; on being familiar with the earlier British version of the show; on representing the city of Chicago through the clothes; on each Shameless character and how they were represented through clothes, and on how poverty was part of that story; on William H. Macy never having a character-fitting for costumes on Shameless, since he was supposed to be a "mess at all times"; on the challenge of making the show "visually interesting without making it sad"; on the fun she had with actress Shanola Hampton's character, "Veronica"; on her process of consciously re-using clothing as the Shameless characters would necessarily do in real life as hand-me-downs; on age-dyers and distressing clothing; on actress Emmy Rossum's character, "Fiona"
On meeting with and working on Scandal with producer Shonda Rhimes; on the role colors (whites, creams, baby pinks) played on the show and evoking the idea of the "Gladiators"; on being concerned that the director of photography, Oliver Bokelberg, would not want to light white costumes but finding he was open to doing it; on why she felt the costumes should reflect the character "Olivia Pope" as high-end, fashionista because "when she walks in the room you want to feel her presence"; on what Kerry Washington brought to the role of "Olivia Pope"; on "Olivia" being a "pants girl" not a "skirt girl"; on cutting the pants to the ground to give Washington, who is petite, a longer look
On the social media aspect of Scandal, and on the actors tweeting live when the show aired and becoming involved in live tweeting the show; on having her team create "Look Books" for the cast every Thursday, which listed every costume and designer so they could communicate that back to the fans during the broadcast via Twitter; on not getting comps from designers for the show; on "Olivia's" first purse being Lyn's personal Prada bag; on her process of breaking down the script and designing for a show like Scandal; on working with Kerry Washington; on building closets for actors on most of the shows she works on; on not re-using costumes for the women on Scandal; on working on multiple shows at the same time and how she balances the workload
On her use of color on the costumes on Scandal to frame characters and tell the story, and on how different colors affects the viewer; on her story for "Olivia Pope" being the "white knight" or "Gladiator in a suit"; on some of the major designers used on the show: Armani, Prada, Escada, Dolce, and the budget for the show; on having to be a good manager with money and crew
On how she allocates budget for a given show and scene; on not needing to spend much on jewelry on Scandal; on situations where she was asked to have a design or designer become part of a script for a show; on how hats were a big part of "Olivia Pope's" character's story on Scandal; on how Kerry Washington's real-life pregnancy affected the costume design on Scandal; on how Scandal impacted the real-world fashion landscape and the "Olivia Pope Look" became influential; on how Scandal changed how leading ladies dress on television; on how the Scandal clothing line in partnership with The Limited came about; on her Bridgerton bridal collection
Chapter 3
On how she came on to the Shonda Rhimes show How to Get Away with Murder in Season 3; on specific changes she made to Viola Davis' costume when she came on; on her collaborative working relationship with Shonda Rhimes
On Little Fires Everywhere and reusing costumes from The West Wing on the show since both were set during the 1990s, and on the clothing from that period being oversized; on dressing Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington and some of the staple designers from the era like Dooney & Burke and Forever 21; on the challenge to design for the massive volume of clothing required for Little Fires; on "crossboarding" which meant that two episodes of the show would be shot simultaneously, and on the value of having as much information about the shooting schedule and script as possible; on how costume design is really about sticking to a schedule which can be the most complicated part of the job
On designing for another Shonda Rhimes production, Inventing Anna; on the challenges of designing a show based on real people, and on the deep-dive Lyn's team at Shondaland did to "follow" Anna's real-life associates and friends for clues and information about the clothing on social media; on how the costume department sourced from designers and vintage sites to replicate as much of the real-life clothing worn by the real people as possible; on dressing Julia Garner, Laverne Cox, Alexis Floyd, and Anna Deveare Smith
On her assistant costume designer Laura Frecon, and on the importance of bringing up younger talent and advocating for them to move up in the business; on the filming of Inventing Anna beginning in New York City right before the COVID-19 pandemic, and on working on various shows during the pandemic, including working in full hazmat suits; on the impact of COVID on production, and on working on Maid during this time; on the inspiration for the outfit for "Anna Delvey" wears in a pivotal suicide-attempt scene in Inventing Anna; on dressing the character "Vivien Kent" on Inventing Anna; on selling many of the high-end fashion items from the show on The Real Real, an online outlet
Chapter 4
On how she came to work on the Shonda Rhimes' miniseries Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, a spin-off from Bridgerton, and on her working relationship with Rhimes; on being typecast as a "period" costumer even though she's designed for so many different time periods in her career; on wanting to remain true to the Georgian period of the 1760s, and on that period having a very specific silhouette and imagery; on working on Queen Charlotte during the COVID-19 pandemic; on Shonda telling her it would be a "small, intimate show" but it actually being a huge show with a lot of costume changes, and on Queen Charlotte being a lot more work than Bridgerton which was set in the Regency period due to the sheer volume of the fabric and clothing used in the Georgian period; on loving the challenge of a period show
On working intimately with actors in her profession and how the COVID-19 pandemic presented a challenge for her; on not borrowing any clothes from Bridgerton for the flash-forward scenes in Queen Charlotte; on making every costume for the show, and on "Charlotte's" wedding dresses; on the Coronation dress and how true to history the costumes of the show were; on the costumes for the "Stars and Moon Ball" episode of Queen Charlotte and some of the inspiration for the design; on the living statues representing the Zodiac for the ball scenes; on her favorite part of her job: being in the fitting room with the actors
On the role of a costume designer: "we create the fabric of the world"; on creating real worlds through costume design, and on her design process once she receives a script; on decorating her workspace with pieces of fabric when she's working on costume designs; on using pencil and paper over computers in her process; on the commercialization of costumes and the questions involving intellectual property and ownership over the designs involving AI; on how the business of television is changing and the struggle to make a living, since the runs are much shorter (6-8 episodes) than when she started on series television; on her role models in fashion who were outside the television industry like Vivienne Westwood
On what can be learned from the stories of elders in the industry who came before; on the value of being a mentor and mentoring; on the value of documenting oral histories and why it's valuable to the industry; on the advice she would give to those who want to get started in costume design and some of the sacrifices she's made; on mentors she had along the way and advice she received, particularly from actors she's worked with; on reflections about her legacy as a costume designer; on Queen Charlotte being her current-favorite show that she's worked on; on her career regrets and pilots that never developed into television shows; on where she sees herself years from now: "still costume designing"
Shows
ER
Lyn Paolo on her role as costume designer on ER, on the challenges of designing clothes for the voluminous number of extras on a show based in a hospital emergency room, and her frustration that the audience thought the extras wore their own clothes to set (which producer John Wells told her was a compliment because she made the clothes look so real)
Lyn Paolo on how she worked to tell the story of a character in an instant by how they were dressed, as costume designer on ER and striving for realism, and on the groundbreaking look, scope, and impact of ER
Lyn Paolo on working with producer John Wells on ER and what makes a good working relationship between a producer and costume designer
Lyn Paolo on the crew she worked with in the costume department on ER, and on what she looked for when hiring her crew on that show
Lyn Paolo on the challenge of costuming ER due to the pace of filming and the number of people who needed to be costumed for each episode
Lyn Paolo on why the 360 Steadicam shooting style of ER made the challenge of costuming even more difficult, since so many people would be visible in each scene and each person needed a costume, and on the other departments she interacted with most frequently
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for the live episode of ER, including needing to dress the crew for the episode
Homefront
Lyn Paolo on working as a costume supervisor on Homefront and the challenges she faced from the Costume Designers Guild due to her work veering into design, and on eventually joining the Guild and winning her first two Emmy awards for her work on the show
Lyn Paolo on where she sourced the vintage material for the costumes on Homefront, which was a period show, what she bought versus what she designed and created, and on creating the undergarments for the show
Lyn Paolo on the advice she received early in her career from Mike Salamnunovich, the unit production manager on Homefront to be her own advocate
How to Get Away with Murder
Lyn Paolo on how she became the costume designer on the Shonda Rhimes show How to Get Away with Murder in Season 3, and on the challenges of coming onto a show that's already been established, including being respectful to what has been done previously and gaining the trust of the actors
Lyn Paolo on specific changes she made to the costumes for Viola Davis' character, "Annalise Keating," when she joined How to Get Away with Murder in season 3, and on tailoring "Annalise's wardrobe" and collaborating on the character with Viola Davis
Inventing Anna
Lyn Paolo on costume designing for Inventing Anna and the challenges a show based on real people, and on the deep-dive Lyn's team at Shondaland did to "follow" Anna's real-life associates and friends for clues and information about the clothing on social media
Lyn Paolo on the shoot for Inventing Anna starting right before the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020, on working as a costume designer on various shows during the pandemic including working in full hazmat suits, and on the impact of the pandemic on production
Lyn Paolo on "Anna Delvey's" (played by Julia Garner) costume for the pivotal suicide-attempt scene in Inventing Anna was inspired by "Norma Desmond" from the film Sunset Boulevard
Lyn Paolo on dressing the character "Vivien Kent," played by Anna Chlumsky on Inventing Anna, and on the outfits specific to a working writer and how they contrasted with the other characters on the show
Little Fires Everywhere
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer on Little Fires Everywhere and reusing costumes from The West Wing, since Little Fires was set in the 1990s, and on the challenges of the tight shooting schedule of the show
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Lyn Paolo on how she came to work on the Shonda Rhimes show Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, a spin-off from Bridgerton, set in 1761, and on the scope of the costume-work on the series -- a huge show with lots of costume changes and gowns made of 22 yards of fabric a piece
Lyn Paolo on working intimately with actors in her profession and how COVID-19 presented a challenge for her during the pandemic, and on not being able to see because of the safety visors she had to wear because of the pandemic protocols on the set of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Lyn Paolo on not borrowing any clothes from Bridgerton for the flash-forward scenes in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and on making every costume for the show
Lyn Paolo on the wedding dresses "Charlotte" wore on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story -- one that was given to her and the second which the character brought with her to England, and on the embellishments to the dress, as well as the long cape, all of which were handmade
Lyn Paolo on the Coronation dress worn by actress India Amarteifio, who played "Charlotte" on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Storyand how true to history the costumes of the show were, and on the costumes for the "Stars and Moon Ball" episode of Queen Charlotte
Scandal
Lyn Paolo on her work as the costume designer on Scandal with creator Shonda Rhimes, on her use of white and other light colors in the costumes and working with the director of photography on the show, and on working with Kerry Washington as "Olivia Pope"
Lyn Paolo on how she came to join the live-tweeting of Scandal when it aired on Thursday nights, and on having her team create look books for the cast every week, which listed every costume and designer so they could communicate that back to the fans during the broadcast via Twitter
Lyn Paolo on not getting comps from designers for Scandal, and on "Olivia Pope's" first purse being Paolo's own personal Prada bag
Lyn Paolo on her process of breaking down the script and designing for a show like Scandal, on working with Kerry Washington, and on building wardrobe closets for actors on most of the shows she works on
Lyn Paolo on her use of color in the costumes on Scandal to frame characters and tell the story, and on the story for "Olivia Pope" being the "Gladiator in a suit" and manifesting that character in a lot of whites initially, akin to a "white knight"
Lyn Paolo on the psychology of how different colors affect the viewer, and on her use of color on Scandal
Lyn Paolo on the major designers she used in the costume design for Scandal, and on the budget for the show's wardrobe
Lyn Paolo on the signature white hat worn by "Olivia Pope" on Scandal, and on designing costumes around Kerry Washington's real-life pregnancy with coats and big Prada purses
Lyn Paolo on how Scandal impacted real-fashion world, and on how her work designing and sourcing costumes for the show and particularly the character "Olivia Pope" opened doors for her with fashion designers whose items were featured on the show
Shameless
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer on Shameless, and on developing costumes for a working-class family in a blue-collar Chicago neighborhood
Lyn Paolo on designing for the character "Veronica" on Shameless, played by Shanola Hampton, and on the characters's high heels and leopard prints, costumes which she often found at swap meets and on Santee Alley in Los Angeles
Lyn Paolo on her process of consciously reusing clothing as hand-me-downs on Shameless, as those characters would necessarily do in real life, and on age-dyers and distressing clothing
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for Emmy Rossum's character "Fiona" on Shameless, and on the writing on the show and the joys and challenges it presented
Step By Step
Lyn Paolo on how she came to work in the costume department on Step by Step after not being able to find work after winning two Emmy awards
Lyn Paolo on the specific challenges of designing costumes for a multi-camera sitcom on Step by Step, and on working on Mystery Dance, ER, and Step by Step simultaneously
West Wing, The
Lyn Paolo on how she was asked to be the costume designer on The West Wing by John Wells and Aaron Sorkin, and on working on the pilot for the show and knowing the first day on set that the show was "magical"
Lyn Paolo on her process and research designing costumes for The West Wing, and on visiting the White House during President Bill Clinton's administration; on Aaron Sorkin's input on the costuming and how it enriched her point of view, and on Thomas Schlamme's input on the costumes and wanting them to "set the tone" then disappear
Lyn Paolo on Aaron's Sorkin's vision for the costume design for The West Wing's "President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett," played by Martin Sheen, and on how Sheen was not originally scripted to appear on the entire series
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for The West Wing's for "C.J. Cregg," played by Allison Janney
Lyn Paolo on dressing Stockard Channing as "First Lady Abbey Bartlett" on The West Wing episode "The State Dinner," and on the controversy the dress invited
Lyn Paolo on reuniting with the cast and crew of The West Wing to work on a pre-election benefit special in 2020 "A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote" and how it came about
Lyn Paolo on the legacy and impact of The West Wing, and on how it opened doors for her career, particularly with producer/show creator Shonda Rhimes, who was a "Wing Nut" (what fans of the show are called)
West Wing, The: "The State Dinner"
Lyn Paolo on dressing Stockard Channing as "First Lady Abbey Bartlett" on The West Wing episode "The State Dinner," and on the controversy the dress invited
Topics
Advice
Lyn Paolo what can be gleaned from the stories of elders in the industry and learned from their experiences, and on the value of being a mentor and mentoring, as well as the value of documenting oral histories and why it's valuable to the industry
Lyn Paolo on the advice she would give to those who want to get started in costume design and on the best advice she's recieved
Lyn Paolo on advice to those starting out in the industry: "find your people," and on staying with the same producers, like John Wells, throughout her career
COVID-19 Pandemic
Lyn Paolo on reuniting with the cast and crew of The West Wing to work on a pre-election benefit special in 2020 "A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote" and how it came about, and on working on the special during the COVID-19 pandemic and how that impacted production
Lyn Paolo on the shoot for Inventing Anna starting right before the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020, on working as a costume designer on various shows during the pandemic including working in full hazmat suits, and on the impact of the pandemic on production
Emmy Awards
Lyn Paolo on winning her first Emmy, for costume design on the World War II period show Homefront, and on attending the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 1992
First Big Break
Lyn Paolo on how an initial job working at Film Consortium in commercial production eventually led to being hired by Sandy Martin as a stylist though she had no prior experience in production
Lyn Paolo on how she came to get her first job in a costume department on a television show, on the hugely popular Dallas in its second season
Health and Medicine
Lyn Paolo on reuniting with the cast and crew of The West Wing to work on a pre-election benefit special in 2020 "A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote" and how it came about, and on working on the special during the COVID-19 Pandemic and how that impacted production
Lyn Paolo on the shoot for Inventing Anna starting right before the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020, on working as a costume designer on various shows during the pandemic including working in full hazmat suits, and on the impact of the pandemic on production
Historic Events and Social Change
Lyn Paolo on reuniting with the cast and crew of The West Wing to work on a pre-election benefit special in 2020 "A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote" and how it came about, and on working on the special during the COVID-19 Pandemic and how that impacted production
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes on The West Wing for "C.J. Cregg," played by Allison Janney, and on thinking about how to dress a female member of a (fictional) presidential administration
Lyn Paolo on dressing Stockard Channing as "First Lady Abbey Bartlett" on The West Wing episode "The State Dinner," on the controversy the dress invited, and on why she felt it was unwarranted to shame a woman's body that way
Lyn Paolo on the shoot for Inventing Anna starting right before the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020, on working as a costume designer on various shows during the pandemic including working in full hazmat suits, and on the impact of the pandemic on production
Pivotal Career Moments
Lyn Paolo on how an initial job working at Film Consortium in commercial production eventually led to being hired by Sandy Martin as a stylist though she had no prior experience in production
Lyn Paolo on how she came to get her first job in a costume department on a television show, on the hugely popular Dallas in its second season
Lyn Paolo on her proudest career achievement, and on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story being her current-favorite show that she's worked on
Representation on Television
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes on The West Wing for "C.J. Cregg," played by Allison Janney, and on thinking about how to dress a female member of a (fictional) presidential administration
Lyn Paolo on dressing Stockard Channing as "First Lady Abbey Bartlett" on The West Wing episode "The State Dinner," on the controversy the dress invited, and on why she felt it was unwarranted to shame a woman's body that way
Technological Innovation
Lyn Paolo on the commercialization of the industry, and on the questions and uncertainty involving intellectual property and ownership over the costume designs involving AI
Television and the Presidency
Lyn Paolo on Aaron's Sorkin's vision for the costume design for the character of "President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett" on The West Wing
Television Industry
Lyn Paolo what can be gleaned from the stories of elders in the industry and learned from their experiences, and on the value of being a mentor and mentoring, as well as the value of documenting oral histories and why it's valuable to the industry
Lyn Paolo on the advice she would give to those who want to get started in costume design and on the best advice she's recieved
Lyn Paolo on advice to those starting out in the industry: "find your people," and on staying with the same producers, like John Wells, throughout her career
Lyn Paolo on her proudest career achievement, and on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story being her current-favorite show that she's worked on
Women
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes on The West Wing for "C.J. Cregg," played by Allison Janney, and on thinking about how to dress a female member of a (fictional) presidential administration
Lyn Paolo on dressing Stockard Channing as "First Lady Abbey Bartlett" on The West Wing episode "The State Dinner," on the controversy the dress invited, and on why she felt it was unwarranted to shame a woman's body that way
Professions
Costume Designer
Lyn Paolo on her first job in television, as costume supervisor, on Dallas starting in its second season
Lyn Paolo on the difference between the role of a costume supervisor and a costume designer, and on how this distinction played out during her time on the show Homefront
Lyn Paolo on where she sourced the vintage material for the costumes on Homefront, which was a period show, and on what she bought versus what she designed and created for the show
Lyn Paolo on the challenges of working with vintage material and period costumes, as she experienced working on Homefront, which was set during World War II
Lyn Paolo on her process as a costume designer on a period show such as Homefront or Queen Charlotte, and on her process working with actors
Lyn Paolo on not being able to find any work despite winning two back-to-back Emmys for her work on Homefront because she was typecast as a "period" costume designer
Lyn Paolo on her role as costume designer on ER and the various challenges presented by the scope and style of the show
Lyn Paolo on her process for designing costumes for The West Wing, her research and methodology, on visiting the White House during President Bill Clinton's administration, and on Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme's input on the show's costumes
Lyn Paolo on her working relationship as a costume designer with producers like John Wells and Shonda Rhimes, and on how a good producer can "protect the integrity" of the writers' words, including how they handle network notes
Lyn Paolo on the art of costume design and on working on Shameless
Lyn Paolo on what she loves about costume design: "We get to go places and see things that no one else does. We get to create worlds. Every job we do is different. So, there's just no way to be bored in our industry. Every new project brings all these glorious gifts"
Lyn Paolo on her process of consciously reusing clothing as hand-me-downs on Shameless as those characters would necessarily do in real life, and on age-dyers and distressing clothing
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for Emmy Rossum's character "Fiona" on Shameless, and on the writing on the show and the joys and challenges it presented
Lyn Paolo on her work as the costume designer on Scandal with creator Shonda Rhimes, and on how the show was very different from her work designing on The West Wing
Lyn Paolo on how she became the costume designer on the Shonda Rhimes show How to Get Away with Murder in Season 3 of the show
Lyn Paolo on working as the costume designer on the Shonda Rhimes show How to Get Away with Murder
Lyn Paolo on re-using a character's costume from The West Wing on the show Little Fires Everywhere since both were set during the 1990s; on the clothing from that period being oversize; on dressing stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington for the show and some of the staple designers from the era like Dooney & Burke, Forever 21; on the challenge designing for the massive volume of clothing required for the show; on "crossboarding" which meant that two episodes of the show would be shot simultaneously; on the value of having as much information about the shooting schedule and script as possible, on working with producer Merri D. Howard on the show; on how costume design is really about sticking to a schedule which can be the most complicated part of the job
Lyn Paolo on the challenges of "crossboarding" on a show like Little Fires Everywhere, when two episodes of a show are shot simultaneously
Lyn Paolo on costume designing for Inventing Anna, which was based on the life of a real person, and on the challenges of designing a show which had real people with real clothing that had been well-documented on social media
Lyn Paolo on the costumes for Little Fires Everywhere, which was set in the 1990s, and on how actor Joshua Jackson wore one of Bradley Whitford's overcoats from The West Wing, which she had also designed costumes for and was shot in the '90s
Lyn Paolo on her fellow costume designer Laura Frecon with whom she worked on How to Get Away with Murder and Inventing Anna, and on the importance of bringing up younger talent and advocating for them to move up in the business
Lyn Paolo on how the Sunset Boulevard character "Norma Desmond" was the inspiration for the costume worn by Julia Garner as "Anna Delvey" in the a pivotal scene in Inventing Anna
Lyn Paolo on dressing the character "Vivien Kent," played by Anna Chlumsky on Inventing Anna, in stark contrast to the wardrobe of the main character, "Anna Delvey"
Lyn Paolo on her favorite part of being a costume designer: being in the fitting room with the actors
Lyn Paolo on the role of a costume designer: "we create the fabric of the world"
Lyn Paolo on her design process once she receives a script, on decorating her workspace with pieces of fabric when she's working on costume designs, and on using pencil and paper over computers in her process
Lyn Paolo on the commercialization of the industry, and on the questions and uncertainty involving intellectual property and ownership over the costume designs involving AI
Lyn Paolo on how the business of television is changing and the struggle to make a living since the runs are much shorter (6-8 episodes) than when she started on series television, on the business being mostly comprised of male designers when she was starting her career, and on her role models in fashion outside of the film/television industry, like Vivienne Westwood
Designers
Lyn Paolo on her first job in television, as costume supervisor, on Dallas starting in its second season
Lyn Paolo on the difference between the role of a costume supervisor and a costume designer, and on how this distinction played out during her time on the show Homefront
Lyn Paolo on where she sourced the vintage material for the costumes on Homefront, which was a period show, and on what she bought versus what she designed and created for the show
Lyn Paolo on the challenges of working with vintage material and period costumes, as she experienced working on Homefront, which was set during World War II
Lyn Paolo on her process as a costume designer on a period show such as Homefront or Queen Charlotte, and on her process working with actors
Lyn Paolo on not being able to find any work despite winning two back-to-back Emmys for her work on Homefront because she was typecast as a "period" costume designer
Lyn Paolo on her role as costume designer on ER and the various challenges presented by the scope and style of the show
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for Emmy Rossum's character "Fiona" on Shameless, and on the writing on the show and the joys and challenges it presented
Lyn Paolo on her work as the costume designer on Scandal with creator Shonda Rhimes, and on how the show was very different from her work designing on The West Wing
Lyn Paolo on her process of consciously reusing clothing as hand-me-downs on Shameless as those characters would necessarily do in real life, and on age-dyers and distressing clothing
Lyn Paolo on what she loves about costume design: "We get to go places and see things that no one else does. We get to create worlds. Every job we do is different. So, there's just no way to be bored in our industry. Every new project brings all these glorious gifts"
Lyn Paolo on the art of costume design and on working on Shameless
Lyn Paolo on her working relationship as a costume designer with producers like John Wells and Shonda Rhimes, and on how a good producer can "protect the integrity" of the writers' words, including how they handle network notes
Lyn Paolo on her process for designing costumes for The West Wing, her research and methodology, on visiting the White House during President Bill Clinton's administration, and on Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme's input on the show's costumes
Lyn Paolo on dressing the character "Vivien Kent," played by Anna Chlumsky in Inventing Anna, in stark contrast to the wardrobe of the main character, "Anna Delvey"
Lyn Paolo on how the Sunset Boulevard character "Norma Desmond" was the inspiration for the costume worn by Julia Garner as "Anna Delvey" in the a pivotal scene in Inventing Anna
Lyn Paolo on her fellow costume designer Laura Frecon with whom she worked on How to Get Away with Murder and Inventing Anna, and on the importance of bringing up younger talent and advocating for them to move up in the business
Lyn Paolo on costume designing for Inventing Anna, which was based on the life of a real person, and on the challenges of designing a show which had real people with real clothing that had been well-documented on social media
Lyn Paolo on the challenges of "crossboarding" on a show like Little Fires Everywhere, when two episodes of a show are shot simultaneously
Lyn Paolo on the costumes for Little Fires Everywhere, which was set in the 1990s, and on how actor Joshua Jackson wore one of Bradley Whitford's overcoats from The West Wing, which she had also designed costumes for and was shot in the '90s
Lyn Paolo on working as the costume designer on the Shonda Rhimes show How to Get Away with Murder
Lyn Paolo on how she became the costume designer on the Shonda Rhimes show How to Get Away with Murder in Season 3 of the show
Lyn Paolo on her favorite part of being a costume designer: being in the fitting room with the actors
Lyn Paolo on the role of a costume designer: "we create the fabric of the world
Lyn Paolo on her design process once she receives a script, on decorating her workspace with pieces of fabric when she's working on costume designs, and on using pencil and paper over computers in her process
Lyn Paolo on the commercialization of the industry, and on the questions and uncertainty involving intellectual property and ownership over the costume designs involving AI
Lyn Paolo on how the business of television is changing and the struggle to make a living since the runs are much shorter (6-8 episodes) than when she started on series television, on the business being mostly comprised of male designers when she was starting her career, and on her role models in fashion outside of the film/television industry, like Vivienne Westwood
Genres
Comedy Series
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer for Shameless
Drama Series
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for Homefront
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer for The West Wing
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer for Scandal
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer for How to Get Away with Murder
Medical Dramas
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer for ER
TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer for Little Fires Everywhere
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer on Inventing Anna
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
People
Oliver Bokelberg
Lyn Paolo on designing the costumes for Scandal with creator Shonda Rhimes, executive producer Betsy Beers, and director of photography Oliver Bokelberg, including the role colors (whites, creams, baby pinks) played on the show and on being concerned the Bokelberg would not want to light white costuming (thoughe he ended up being very accommodating)
Stockard Channing
Lyn Paolo on dressing Stockard Channing as "First Lady Abbey Bartlett on The West Wing episode "The State Dinner," and on the controversy the dress invited
Viola Davis
Lyn Paolo on working as the costume designer on How to Get Away with Murder, on specific changes she made to Viola Davis' character, "Annalise Keating's"
wardrobe, and on collaborating on the character with Viola Davis
Patrick Duffy
Lyn Paolo on how Patrick Duffy (who she had worked with on Dallas) recommended her for the job of costume supervisor on his show Step by Step
Laura Frecon
Lyn Paolo on her fellow costume designer Laura Frecon with whom she worked on How to Get Away with Murder and Inventing Anna
Julia Garner
Lyn Paolo on "Anna Delvey's" (played by Julia Garner) costume for the pivotal suicide-attempt scene in Inventing Anna was inspired by "Norma Desmond" from the film Sunset Boulevard
Shanola Hampton
Lyn Paolo on designing for Shanola Hampton's character "Veronica" on Shameless
Agnes G. Henry
Lyn Paolo on how Knots Landing costume designer Agnes G. Henry helped guide her in her career as a costume supervisor then costume designer on Dallas, and on how Agnes further helped Lyn get recommended for a job on Homefront, which would garner Paolo her first two Emmy wins
Merri D. Howard
Lyn Paolo on "crossboarding," when two episodes of a show are shot simultaneously, and on working with producer Merri D. Howard on the show Little Fires Everywhere
Allison Janney
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for The West Wing's for "C.J. Cregg," played by Allison Janney
William H. Macy
Lyn Paolo on costume designing for William H. Macy's character "Frank" on Shameless and his wardrobe appearing as "a mess at all times, on Macy being "instrumental" on his clothing choices
Mark Mylod
Lyn Paolo on being the costume designer on Shameless with producer John Wells and director Mark Mylod
Shonda Rhimes
Lyn Paolo on how The West Wing opened doors for her career, particularly with producer/show creator Shonda Rhimes, who was a "Wing Nut" (what fans of the show are called), and how that led to her being hired by Rhimes for Scandal, another DC-based show
Lyn Paolo on designing the costumes for Scandal with creator Shonda Rhimes, executive producer Betsy Beers, and director of photography Oliver Bokelberg, including the role colors (whites, creams, baby pinks) played on the show and on being concerned the Bokelberg would not want to light white costuming (thoughe he ended up being very accommodating)
Lyn Paolo on how she came to join the live-tweeting of Scandal via Shonda Rhimes, the show's creator, which was a new phenomenon, creating direct interaction between the fans and the cast and crew of a show, and on Rhimes loving fashion
Emmy Rossum
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for Emmy Rossum's character "Fiona" on Shameless
Mike Salamunovich
Lyn Paolo on the advice she received early in her career from Mike Salamnunovich, the unit production manager on Homefront to be her own advocate
Thomas Schlamme
Lyn Paolo on Aaron Sorkin's input on the costuming for The West Wing and how it enriched her point of view, and on Thomas Schlamme's input on the costumes and wanting them to "set the tone" then disappear
Martin Sheen
Lyn Paolo on Aaron Sorkin's vision for "President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett's" character on The West Wing, played by Martin Sheen, who originally was only supposed to appear in a couple of episodes of the show
Aaron Sorkin
Lyn Paolo on Aaron Sorkin's input on the costuming for The West Wing and how it enriched her point of view, and on Thomas Schlamme's input on the costumes and wanting them to "set the tone" then disappear
Lyn Paolo on Aaron Sorkin's vision for "President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett's" character on The West Wing, played by Martin Sheen
Kerry Washington
Lyn Paolo on her work as the costume designer on Scandal, particularly for "Olivia Pope," as played by Kerry Washingtonon
Lyn Paolo on her process of breaking down the script and designing for a show like Scandal, on working with actress Kerry Washington, and on having just an hour to dress Kerry through multiple costume changes
John Wells
Lyn Paolo on being introduced to John Wells by Christopher Chulack on the show Mystery Dance, and on being hired by Wells to be the costume designer on ER
Lyn Paolo on working with producer John Wells on ER and what makes a good working relationship between a producer and costume designer
Lyn Paolo on how she was asked to be the costume designer on The West Wing by John Wells and Aaron Sorkin, and on owing a lot of her professional luck in television to John Wells
Reese Witherspoon
Lyn Paolo on working on the 1990s-set show Little Fires Everywhere with actress Reese Witherspoon, and on the difference between fashion in the 1990s and fashion of the 2020s