Ane Crabtree

Costume Designer


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About
About this interview

In her six-hour interview, Ane Crabtree talks about her childhood in Kentucky and her early interest in art, fashion, and design. She discusses studying fashion and leaving school to work for designer Miriam Klein in New York. She describes how she transitioned from the fashion world to costume design and talks about her early jobs working on music videos and projects for Japanese and Chinese television. Crabtree then talks about her first union costume design job in the U.S. -- on the show Swift Justice. She shares how she became the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos, and talks about the research she conducted for the show and memorable looks she selected for "Tony Soprano" and "Dr. Melfi." She recalls her work as costume designer on season one of Justified, and details her work as costume designer for the first two seasons of The Handmaid's Tale -- outlining her choices for the Handmaids, Commanders and their wives, Aunts, Guardians, Econopeople, and the Unwomen. She discusses how she felt when costumes similar to those she designed for the show began to be worn at political protests, and what it means to her to have Elisabeth Moss' costume from The Handmaid's Tale in the Smithsonian. Crabtree then discusses her work on Pan Am, the first season of Rectify, the first two seasons of Masters of Sex, and season one of Westworld. She concludes with remarks on the role of a costume designer and the fight for pay equity for costume designers, and on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted production. She also speaks about her designs for Darren Aronofsky's Postcard from Earth at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and offers advice to aspiring costume designers. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on March 13, 2023 in La Canada Flintridge, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"I want to leave beauty and inspiration and thought-provoking ideology."

People Talking About ...
Highlights
Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks
03:04
Ane Crabtree on costume design for Timothy Olyphant's character on Justified
04:53
Ane Crabtree on designing for and working with Michael Sheen (who played "William Masters") on Masters of Sex
01:04
Ane Crabtree on choosing the teal and red colors for the costumes for the Commanders' Wives and the Handmaids, respectively, on The Handmaid's Tale
04:48
Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character
06:26
Ane Crabtree on the role of a costume designer
06:09
Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On her childhood in Kentucky; on her interests when she was growing up; on television shows she watched as a kid; on her early interest in fashion; on being a shy child; on the first clothing items she ever made -- clogs made out of milk cartons -- thanks to how-to instructions from Captain Kangaroo
On wanting to study fashion in college; on attending the University of Evansville and studying in England; on moving to New York, studying fashion design at FIT, and leaving school to work for designer Miriam Klein
On transitioning from fashion to costume design; on being a freelance stylist and working for Elle; on her start in television - working in music videos and for Japanese and Chinese television; on her first union job in U.S. television -- Swift Justice -- and Don Kurt hiring her for the job; on how the pace of working in fashion compared to working in television
On becoming the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos; on David Chase sending her to New Jersey to do research for the pilot of The Sopranos; on getting Yves Saint Laurent clothes for Lorraine Bracco's character, "Dr. Melfi" in The Sopranos pilot and how her outfits aligned with the color of her office; on collaborating with other departments to finalize costume designs for the pilot of The Sopranos; on her first meeting with James Gandolfini; on what happens during fittings with actors; on "Tony Soprano's" robe; on David Chase directing the pilot and what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director; on how working on The Sopranos pilot impacted her career

Chapter 2

On her work as costume designer of season one of Justified; on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects
On her process when she first reads a script, on how she finds creative ideas and how listening to music helps her creatively
On her inspiration for the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale; on first meeting Elisabeth Moss for costume fittings for The Handmaid's Tale, on the music she played during the fitting, and her approach to costumes for the show; on how she first got involved with the show; on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders; on some of the inspirations for the Aunts' costumes on The Handmaid's Tale

Chapter 3

On additional secrets that she built into the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale -- wanting to give the Commanders' wives something special; on hiding actress Yvonne Strahovski's real-life pregnancy on The Handmaid's Tale; on choosing the teal and red colors for the costumes for the Commanders' Wives and the Handmaids, respectively; on the obi in the Handmaids' costumes
On additional elements of Handmaids' costumes for The Handmaid's Tale -- wings, cape, boots, and winter and summer versions of the costumes; on costume designs for season two of The Handmaid's Tale -- her inspiration for the Unwomen and the Econopeople
On how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests; on speaking at the United Nations in relation to her work on The Handmaid's Tale and her own personal journey as a survivor; on Elisabeth Moss' costume from The Handmaid's Tale now being part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian

Chapter 4

On costume design for Pan Am, which was set in 1963 -- on her research for the costumes, making a lot of costumes herself, period-accurate undergarments, and how budgets impact her work; on assembling her team for a show and differences between New York and LA shows
On her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify; on her parents visiting the set
On her work as costume designer on Masters of Sex; on research for the show; on meeting with showrunner Michelle Ashford; on designing for and working with Michael Sheen and Allison Janney; on often working on the first or first and second seasons of shows and why she left Masters of Sex
On how she became the costume designer for season one of Westworld; on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character; on "Dolores'" two main looks and a third that never saw the light of day; on Delos headquarters in Westworld and what it meant to her to design Samurai costumes

Chapter 5

On the role of a costume designer; on the fight for pay equity for costume designers; on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production
On her then-current project: designing for Darren Aronofsky's Postcard from Earth at the Sphere in Las Vegas
On working on dystopian and utopian projects; on how television has changed since she first started in the industry; on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews
On advice to aspiring costume designers; on the value of oral histories; on where she sees herself in ten years
Shows

Captain Kangaroo

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on the first clothing items she ever made -- clogs made out of milk cartons -- thanks to how-to instructions from Captain Kangaroo
01:20

Handmaid's Tale, The

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on her inspiration for the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale
01:33
Ane Crabtree on first meeting Elisabeth Moss for costume fittings for The Handmaid's Tale, on the music she played during the fitting, and her approach to costumes for the show
06:52
Ane Crabtree on how she first got involved with The Handmaid's Tale
05:30
Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders
12:50
Ane Crabtree on some of the inspirations for the Aunts' costumes on The Handmaid's Tale
19:30
Ane Crabtree on additional secrets that she built into the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale -- wanting to give the Commanders' wives something special
02:33
Ane Crabtree on hiding actress Yvonne Strahovski's real-life pregnancy on The Handmaid's Tale
02:09
Ane Crabtree on choosing the teal and red colors for the costumes for the Commanders' Wives and the Handmaids, respectively, on The Handmaid's Tale
04:48
Ane Crabtree on the obi in the Handmaids' costumes for The Handmaid's Tale
07:16
Ane Crabtree on additional elements of Handmaids' costumes for The Handmaid's Tale -- wings, cape, boots, and winter and summer versions of the costumes
04:01
Ane Crabtree on costume designs for season two of The Handmaid's Tale -- her inspiration for the Unwomen
13:24
Ane Crabtree on costume designs for the Econopeople in season two of The Handmaid's Tale
04:57
Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests
21:12
Ane Crabtree on Elisabeth Moss' costume from The Handmaid's Tale now being part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian
10:04

Justified

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer of season one of Justified
14:41
Ane Crabtree on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects
06:02

Luck

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on Michael Mann sending her to research gamblers for her work on Luck
00:50

Masters of Sex

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on Masters of Sex
09:00
Ane Crabtree on her research for Masters of Sex
01:12
Ane Crabtree on often working on the first or first and second seasons of shows and why she left Masters of Sex
06:36

Pan Am

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of Pan Am
08:40
Ane Crabtree on making a lot of costumes for Pan Am herself
01:01
Ane Crabtree on period-accurate undergarments on Pan Am
01:21
Ane Crabtree on how budgets impact her work, particularly on Pan Am, and on shopping for vintage pieces
03:10

Rectify

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify
10:26

Sopranos, The

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on becoming the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos
04:04
Ane Crabtree on David Chase sending her to New Jersey to do research for the pilot of The Sopranos
06:16
Ane Crabtree on getting Yves Saint Laurent clothes for Lorraine Bracco's character, "Dr. Melfi" in The Sopranos pilot and how her outfits aligned with the color of her office
05:35
Ane Crabtree on collaborating with other departments to finalize costume designs for the pilot of The Sopranos
04:08
Ane Crabtree on her first meeting with James Gandolfini for The Sopranos
02:32
Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks
03:04
Ane Crabtree on David Chase directing The Sopranos pilot
01:58
Ane Crabtree on how working on The Sopranos pilot impacted her career
03:44

Swift Justice

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on her first union job as a costume designer in television -- Swift Justice -- and Don Kurt hiring her for the job
02:08
Ane Crabtree on the pace of working on Swift Justice
02:56

Westworld

View Show Page
Ane Crabtree on how she became the costume designer for season one of Westworld
05:10
Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character
06:26
Ane Crabtree on "Dolores'" two main looks on Westworld, and a third that never saw the light of day
03:59
Ane Crabtree on Delos headquarters in Westworld and what it meant to her to design Samurai costumes
04:19
Topics

Advice

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin
15:52

COVID-19 Pandemic

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production
09:55

Classic TV series episodes

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks
03:04

Drama

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks
03:04

Health and Medicine

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production
09:55

Historic Events and Social Change

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders
12:50
Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests
21:12
Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of Pan Am and researching JFK's death
03:12
Ane Crabtree on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production
09:55
Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews
07:40

JFK Assassination and Funeral

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of Pan Am and researching JFK's death
03:12

MeToo Movement

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests
21:12

Memorable Moments on Television

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks
03:04
Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character
06:26

Pivotal Career Moments

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on her inspiration for the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale
01:33

Pop Culture

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks
03:04

Representation on Television

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders
12:50
Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests
21:12
Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews
07:40

Television Industry

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on how television has changed since she first started in the industry
06:20
Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews
07:41
Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin
15:52

Underrepresented Voices

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests
21:12
Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews
07:40

Women

View Topic
Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders
12:50
Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests
21:12
Professions

Costume Designer

View Profession
Ane Crabtree on what happens during costume fittings with actors
05:09
Ane Crabtree on what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director
04:02
Ane Crabtree on learning about color from director of photography Alik Sakharov for the pilot of The Sopranos
01:39
Ane Crabtree on her early interest in costume and fashion design
04:06
Ane Crabtree on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects
06:03
Ane Crabtree on her process when she first reads a script, on how she finds creative ideas and how listening to music helps her creatively
09:58
Ane Crabtree on assembling her team for a show and differences between New York and LA shows
03:03
Ane Crabtree on how budgets impact her work, particularly on Pan Am, and on shopping for vintage pieces
03:10
Ane Crabtree on the role of a costume designer
06:09
Ane Crabtree on the fight for pay equity for costume designers
09:26
Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin
15:50

Designers

View Profession
Ane Crabtree on what happens during costume fittings with actors
05:09
Ane Crabtree on what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director
04:02
Ane Crabtree on learning about color from director of photography Alik Sakharov for the pilot of The Sopranos
01:39
Ane Crabtree on her early interest in costume and fashion design
04:06
Ane Crabtree on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects
06:03
Ane Crabtree on her process when she first reads a script, on how she finds creative ideas and how listening to music helps her creatively
09:58
Ane Crabtree on how she decompresses after emotionally taxing work -- getting away during filming of The Handmaid's Tale
01:47
Ane Crabtree on assembling her team for a show and differences between New York and LA shows
03:03
Ane Crabtree on how budgets impact her work, particularly on Pan Am, and on shopping for vintage pieces
03:10
Ane Crabtree on the role of a costume designer
06:09
Ane Crabtree on the fight for pay equity for costume designers
09:26
Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin
15:50

Directors

View Profession
Ane Crabtree on what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director
04:02
Genres

Drama Series

View Genre
Ane Crabtree on her first union job as a costume designer in television -- Swift Justice
02:08
Ane Crabtree on her work as the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos;
41:38
Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer of season one of Justified
20:44
Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on seasons one and two of The Handmaid's Tale
46:28
Ane Crabtree on additional secrets that she built into the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale, her designs for season two of the show, how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests
01:10:29
Ane Crabtree on costume design for Pan Am, which was set in 1963
14:12
Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify, and on her parents visiting the set
10:26
Ane Crabtree on costume design for Masters of Sex; on often working on the first or first and second seasons of shows and why she left Masters of Sex
16:48

Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series

View Genre
Ane Crabtree on costume designs for season one of Westworld
19:56
People

Alik Sakharov

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on learning about color from director of photography Alik Sakharov for the pilot of The Sopranos
01:39

Allison Janney

View Interview Page
Ane Crabtree on designing for Allison Janney on Masters of Sex
01:26

Beatrice Arthur

View Interview Page
Ane Crabtree on Bea Arthur being an inspiration for the Aunts' costumes on The Handmaid's Tale
10:51

Bruce Miller

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on how she first got involved with The Handmaid's Tale - via Bruce Miller and Warren Littlefield
05:30

Darren Aronofsky

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on her then-current project: designing for Darren Aronofsky's Postcard from Earth at the Sphere in Las Vegas
06:41

David Chase

View Interview Page
Ane Crabtree on meeting with David Chase and becoming the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos
04:04
Ane Crabtree on David Chase sending her to New Jersey to do research for the pilot of The Sopranos
06:16
Ane Crabtree on David Chase directing The Sopranos pilot
01:58

Don Kurt

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on her first union job in television -- Swift Justice -- and Don Kurt hiring her for the job
02:08
Ane Crabtree on Don Kurt hiring her to work on Justified and on her approach to the show
06:18
Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify and working with Don Kurt and Ray McKinnon
05:10

Elisabeth Moss

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on first meeting Elisabeth Moss for costume fittings for The Handmaid's Tale, on the music she played during the fitting, and her approach to costumes for the show
06:52
Ane Crabtree on Elisabeth Moss' costume from The Handmaid's Tale now being part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian
10:04

Evan Rachel Wood

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on "Dolores'" two main looks on Westworld, and a third that never saw the light of day
03:59

James Gandolfini

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on her first meeting with James Gandolfini for The Sopranos
02:32

Jimmi Simpson

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character
06:26

Jonathan Nolan

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character
06:26

Lisa Joy

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character
06:26

Lorraine Bracco

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on getting Yves Saint Laurent clothes for Lorraine Bracco's character, "Dr. Melfi" in The Sopranos pilot and how her outfits aligned with the color of her office
05:35

Madeline Brewer

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on working with Madeline Brewer (who played "Janine") on The Handmaid's Tale
01:17

Margaret Atwood

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on a beautiful moment on The Handmaid's Tale: dressing Magaret Atwood as an Aunt on the show, and Margaret's response to her costume
02:06

Michael Mann

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on Michael Mann sending her to research gamblers for her work on Luck
00:50

Michael Sheen

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on designing for and working with Michael Sheen (who played "William Masters") on Masters of Sex
01:04

Michelle Ashford

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on meeting with showrunner Michelle Ashford about designing for Masters of Sex and why she wanted to work on the show
01:40
Ane Crabtree on meeting with showrunner Michelle Ashford to create original pieces that would enhance the story for Masters of Sex
02:00

Ray McKinnon

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify and working with Don Kurt and Ray McKinnon
05:10

Reed Morano

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on choosing the teal and red colors for the costumes for the Commanders' Wives and the Handmaids, respectively, on The Handmaid's Tale
04:48

Timothy Olyphant

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on costume design for Timothy Olyphant's character on Justified
04:53

Walton Goggins

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on costume design for Walton Goggins' character on Justified
01:39

Warren Littlefield

View Interview Page
Ane Crabtree on how she first got involved with The Handmaid's Tale - via Bruce Miller and Warren Littlefield
05:30

Yvonne Strahovski

View Person Page
Ane Crabtree on hiding actress Yvonne Strahovski's real-life pregnancy on The Handmaid's Tale
02:09

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