Voice Of Costume - The Untold Stories of Unseen Artists

Sterling Point costume designer Marissa Schwartz reveals the thrifted secrets and Chanel dreams behind Amazon Prime's breakout summer drama.
Marissa joins Voice of Costume with Catherine Baumgardner to share her creative origin story — from color-coded childhood outfits to a fashion-school detour that led her, unexpectedly, into television costume design. She opens up about the "kismet" chain of connections that landed her the Sterling Point job despite union barriers, and dives deep into building the show's heavily thrifted, 70% vintage wardrobe rooted in Muskoka nostalgia. 
Hear the emotional story behind the brown wool sweater that became the show's poster image, the legal hurdles of clearing vintage graphic tees for camera, and how a borrowed Chanel dress and accessories became a defining moment for her teenage lead character, Annie.
Marissa also discusses the whirlwind of brand partnerships flooding in after the show's viral fashion moment, learning to trust her instincts while leading a costume department without prior relationships, and balancing motherhood with the demands of film and TV production. Plus, a heartfelt detour into the films and shows that move her and Catherine most.
A must-listen for costume design lovers, thrift and vintage fashion fans, Sterling Point superfans, and anyone curious about the emotional storytelling power of costume design.

Talking Big Bang Theory spinoffs to superhero suits and 3D-printed icicles — costume design 'behind the seams' at its best!
Costume designer Valerie Klarich returns to Voice of Costume to unpack her wild ride designing "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe," the HBO Max spinoff of The Big Bang Theory. Valerie shares how a decade-long friendship with Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is the New Black) led to the job of a lifetime, and how she battled imposter syndrome before landing it. She dives deep into the creative process behind dressing familiar characters across wildly different dimensions — post-apocalyptic wastelands, 1950s primitive worlds, and comic-book superhero universes — all while honoring original designer Mary Quigley's iconic Big Bang Theory looks for nostalgic fans.
Hear how Valerie built roughly 75 costumes for a single 25-minute episode, used 3D body scanning and fabric printing to create Mr. Freeze's icicle-textured suit, and paid tribute to classic Stuart Bloom with an exact plaid-and-robot-tee callback. Plus, behind-the-scenes stories of dressing guest stars Penn & Teller, Weird Al, and Wil Wheaton (including his surprise Star Trek reunion with director Jonathan Franks!).
Valerie also opens up about leading a 17-person costume department with collaboration and humor at its core, and teases what's ahead for season two. 
A must-listen for costume design lovers, Big Bang Theory fans, TV production nerds, and anyone curious about the magic of superhero costume creation.

Costume designer Vera Chow joins Voice of Costume for a fascinating conversation about Hulu's The Season—and how culture can completely change the meaning of what we wear.
Growing up in Hong Kong before building a career across the U.S. and Asia gave Vera a unique understanding of the invisible rules behind clothing. She breaks down the difference between Hong Kong's British-influenced old money and flashier new money, why presentation carries different expectations there than in America, and how those cultural codes shaped the characters and visual world of The Season.
Vera's explaning the difference between bullying in China vs the USA is worth the price of admission alone, much less the myriad of other cultural insights she shares about designing overseas and what a lot of other designers do not realize when they work there.
Then Vera reveals one of the most unconventional design processes we've ever discussed on the show: instead of always building costumes from scratch, she often buys existing garments, cuts them apart, and rebuilds them into something completely new—a process she jokingly calls "Frankenstein." Cheap street-market finds, K-pop-inspired pieces, vintage Japanese fabrics and unexpected materials can all become costumes that look extraordinarily expensive on screen.
She also shares how her experience on The Walking Dead led her to stunt training, why understanding local crews and resources matters when working internationally, and how costume design must balance beauty with movement, safety and story.
This is a must-listen for fans of The Season, costume designers, filmmakers, fashion lovers, thrifters, Asian and Asian-American creatives, and anyone fascinated by how culture shapes the way we dress. It's one of the most unconventional approaches to costume design we've ever explored on Voice of Costume one every listener will be fascinated by.

Come for Little House on the Prairie. Stay for one of the great conversations we've had about living a creative life.
Costume designer Mitchell Travers joins Voice of Costume for one of our favorite conversations in the history of the show—a deeply thoughtful look inside the new Little House on the Prairie, and an unexpectedly inspiring conversation about creativity, history, collaboration, and building a meaningful career.
For fans who grew up with the beloved Michael Landon series, Mitchell explains why this new Little House isn't intended as a reboot, but a fresh interpretation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books—one that approaches the familiar story through Laura's eyes and expands parts of the American story audiences may not have seen before.
And the details are fascinating. Mitchell reveals how Laura's hand-me-down dresses literally tell the history of the Ingalls family through faded dyes, patches and wear; why getting the historically accurate foundations underneath the costumes was so important; and how one massive river sequence required eight versions of Laura's dress, along with costumes engineered for stunt performers, water and child actors. The result is costume design doing something almost invisible: telling us who these people are before anyone says a word.
Mitchell also opens up about the production's collaboration with Osage artists and cultural consultants, including the profound experience of visiting Osage Nation and discovering things that books, photographs and research simply couldn't teach him. His takeaway—that authentic representation requires not one voice but a chorus of voices—becomes one of the episode's most meaningful discussions.
But some of the best moments aren't really about clothes at all.
Mitchell talks candidly about spending years as an assistant, why he doesn't believe careers are built around one magical "big break," why relationships and kindness matter, and how he handles enormous creative pressure: solve the problem in front of you instead of wasting energy becoming overwhelmed.
And for fans already looking ahead, Mitchell offers just enough of a tease about Season 2—a different world, new characters, new storylines, a new visual direction, and a finale requiring more preparation than anything they've attempted before.
This is an episode about costume design—but it's also about how great creative work gets made, how careers are built slowly, and why curiosity, gratitude and collaboration still matter.

John Glaser is back and this time... in black!
For Bridgerton fans of Season 4, this conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the costumes shaping Sophie and Benedict's love story—from Sophie's silver masquerade gown and Cinderella-inspired transformation to Benedict's softer country wardrobe, the redesigned Bridgerton maid uniforms, the long-awaited masquerade ball, and the surprising use of black in a world known for pastels, romance, and fantasy. John Glaser reveals how costume design plants clues before the audience even knows who Sophie is, how one dress helps Benedict fall for a mystery woman, and how Bridgerton's visual world is becoming more mature, grounded, and emotionally layered while still delivering the beauty fans expect.
Costume designer John Glaser returns to Voice of Costume to discuss Bridgerton Season 4, the Netflix romance phenomenon known for lush period fashion, romantic spectacle, and unforgettable character reveals. This episode dives straight into the visual language of the new season: the surprising use of black, the shift into darker autumnal tones, and how the costume team kept Bridgerton beautiful while making the world feel more mature and grounded.
The conversation also goes behind the scenes of the masquerade ball, where 172 background characters each received their own costume story, plus the hidden complexity of maid uniforms, wet costumes, doubles, action garments, and Francesca's powerful funeral veil.
The "Voice of Costume" is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. A behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world. Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation with Catherine Baumgardner.
Audio available wherever you get podcasts.
https://voiceofcostume.com/