How Marvel's WandaVision Pays Homage To Audrey Hepburn

By Pierre Chanliau Updated:
WandaVision, Audrey Hepburn

Warning — This article contains spoilers for WandaVision.

Fans have gotten the chance to see a lot from WandaVision through clips and trailers, but one thing that has stood out is the amount of period-accurate clothing the cast has to wear for several eras of sitcoms. This is not to mention the proper superhero costumes that we'll see Elizabeth Olsen and Teyonah Parris wearing for the first time in this series.

New details about WandaVision have been trickling out, such as an outline about the very first episode and what Darcy Lewis has been up to since Thor: The Dark World.

Now, fans can hear about the amount of work that went into the show's costumes and how one dress that Wanda wears paid tribute to Audrey Hepburn.

NEWS

In an enormous media kit release for WandaVision, a production brief was included with multiple interviews with everyone in the cast and the crew working on the show.

An entire section of the brief is dedicated to the costumes, with an interview from costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo, who ensured the wardrobe in WandaVision would enhance each episode's authenticity:

“It is rare to find a story that arcs through so many decades, without the characters aging...Jac [Schaeffer]’s concept of the story, and the brilliant way that Matt directed each episode made the work so exciting.”

Rubeo noted that her favorite costumes were “The suit Vision wears and the wedding dress we made for Wanda,” which was itself a homage to the wedding dress worn by Audrew Hepburn:

“The suit Vision wears and the wedding dress we made for Wanda for the opening titles were my favorite creations from that episode...They were both made from scratch, and Paul loved the suit and tie so much he was sad it couldn’t be used for the whole episode. Wanda’s dress was a beautiful homage to Audrey Hepburn.”

As the show will be jumping between black and white to color, Rubeo collaborated with the director of photography and production designer to ensure accuracy to the overall look of past and modern sitcoms.

Rubeo went so far as to describe the first three episodes of WandaVision as “particularly stunning,” with the third episode showing Wanda is a psychedelic 1970s print dress.

She says that one of the wonders of WandaVision is how “strong and fast” the changes between the sitcom eras are and that everything sets the scene “beautifully:”

“I think part of the wonder of this show is the strong and fast change between eras and broadcasting styles...The sets, hair, make-up and costumes, as well as the photography, set the scene beautifully.”

WHAT THIS MEANS

It's interesting to hear that the transition between eras will be “strong and fast,” along with the broadcasting style that matches those eras. It would certainly be a testament to the costume and production design to have a sequence in the show rapidly change from one unique period to another in rapid succession.

The coordination that went into making sure that Mayes C. Rubeo's costume designs would pop whether a scene was shot in black and white or in color sounds nothing short of spectacular and pecuilar.

It will be interesting to see what other inspiration Rubeo took for the clothes on the show and what other layered tributes and homages she has sprinkled throughout the production.

- In This Article: WandaVision
Release Date
January 15, 2021
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- About The Author: Pierre Chanliau
Pierre Chanliau began as a news & feature writer for The Direct at the site's launch in 2020. As a longtime reader of superhero comic books, Pierre's knowledge of Marvel and DC is extensive, informing his reporting and editorial pieces regarding the MCU and DCU.