Costume Drama

Summary

---

Fashion People Podcast: "Costume Drama" (Jan 2, 2026)

Host: Lauren Sherman (Puck, Line Sheet)

Guest: Stacy Batat (Costume Designer: "Priscilla," "The Better Sister," "On the Rocks," etc.)

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Lauren Sherman sits down for an in-depth conversation with critically acclaimed costume designer Stacy Batat. They take listeners behind the scenes of Batat's career, from her early Marc Jacobs shopgirl days to her long-standing creative partnership with Sofia Coppola, and her recent work on television, including "The Better Sister." The conversation offers a unique look at the artistry and logistics of costume design—for both period pieces and contemporary projects—as well as industry insider perspectives on collaboration, actor relationships, and how to authentically dress "fashion people" onscreen.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Stacy's Path to Costume Design

• Origins: Marc Jacobs Shopgirl

  • Stacy started her fashion career working retail at Marc Jacobs’ iconic Mercer Street store in NYC.
  • "I worked in his shop on Mercer Street...It wasn't like working at a retail store where there's a pressure to meet a certain quota or whatever...You got free clothes." (07:01)
  • The shop was a “hangout” for creative types, including Sofia Coppola and Zoe Cassavetes, both of whom would later collaborate with Stacy.

• Transition to Costume Design

  • While at Marc Jacobs, friendships and serendipitous encounters led Batat to her first film work.
  • "Zoe said to me...I'm writing a movie. When I make my movie, I want you to do the costumes." (15:30)
  • Assisted Alex White and began working in editorial/fashion styling before moving into costume design for film.

2. Insights into the World of Costume Design

• Creativity and Character Building

  • Costume design isn’t just about clothes—it’s about collaborative storytelling, using wardrobe to signal character traits.
  • "We're the visual representation of who they are...a combination of costume, hair and makeup is a visual representation of who somebody is." (19:04)
  • Fashion training is helpful, but understanding character, psychology and narrative comes first.

• Differentiating Film and TV Workflows

  • TV and film demand different timeframes and processes. TV moves faster, requires more on-the-spot decisions, and actors generally have more say in their wardrobes.
  • "TV moves too fast. On film, you have...a second to, like, you can see something in movement before a mistake is made." (44:38)

• Organizational Tactics

  • Costume supervisors manage continuity and logistics, particularly across different locales (the role differs in New York vs. LA).
  • "In LA, they do the budget, and in New York, they don't. And that's the big difference." (37:22)

3. The Coppola Connection

• Working with Sofia Coppola

  • Stacy and Sofia have collaborated for fifteen years, working on films like "Priscilla," "The Beguiled," and "On the Rocks."
  • Their shared "visual lexicon" streamlines the creative process:
    • "One of the things that I find different about working with Sofia...is how easily we understand each other...We can just work in a way that's harmonious." (23:23)

• Approaching Period Pieces vs. Contemporary Stories

  • Research is fundamental (especially trips to the Met Textile Library).
  • "You can make an appointment at the Met Textile Library, and you can look at all the textiles from whatever period..." (25:15)
  • Period costume: Focus on historical accuracy, color palettes, and finding subtle ways to make the characters feel modern and relatable.
    • "When you do a period film...to bring in period-appropriate but modern flections...does help to make those characters more relatable to a modern viewer." (31:01)

4. Industry Wisdom: Relationships, Actors & Collaboration

• Working with Actors

  • The key is trust and openness to collaboration, balancing the actor's comfort with the needs of the character.
  • "Hopefully, that [trust] happens in the beginning stages...Whenever an actor has had an idea for their costume, it's always made my original idea better." (34:44)

• Relationship with Hair/Makeup & Other Departments

  • Early alignment is essential, usually via lookbooks and joint planning sessions.
  • "If you can work well with hair and makeup...everybody goes and does their thing. I wish I had time to go in the hair and makeup trailer every morning." (35:57)

• The Importance of Getting Fashion "Right" Onscreen

  • Batat and Sherman discuss why authenticity matters, especially when portraying the "fashion elite" or specific wealthy subcultures.
  • "The thing that I think...If you...don't have to get everything exactly right...but that is so specific...if it's not right, the fashion people will know." (50:18)

5. Real Life in the Industry: Anecdotes & Observations

• On Trends, Watches & Accessories

  • Fun asides about the Cartier Panthère watch, Dries Van Noten pants, and decisions about bags.
  • "I like my basic bee Panthère, too. I think it's great." (43:30)

• Letting Go of Perfection

  • In TV, things can move too fast to control every detail—sometimes you have to make peace with small mistakes.
  • "I've learned to let go...There are moments where, like, somebody doesn't want to wear what they were supposed to wear, or they're like, oh, shit..." (40:48)

• LA vs. NYC: The Joy of the Walkable City

  • Discussion on what makes LA and NYC unique to live and work in, including the luxury of never having to leave your neighborhood in LA, and the contrasting accessibility of NYC.
  • "The luxury in Los Angeles...is not having to leave your area. That's the thing. That's the only reason to live here..." (52:27)

6. AI, The Future, and the Irreplaceable Human Touch

• Thoughts on AI in Costume Design
  • Both agree: AI won’t replace human costume designers—taste, nuance, and on-set realities are irreplaceable.
  • "AI is never going to understand texture...movement...the light and the shot." – Stacy Batat (57:33)

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Marc Jacobs:

  • "I'm still very intimidated by [Marc Jacobs]...he was the god of all gods." – Stacy Batat (06:23)

• On Collaboration with Sofia Coppola:

  • "We have a similar visual lexicon." – Stacy Batat (24:20)
  • "Being friends for 20, 25 years probably helps with that." – Lauren Sherman (24:27)

• On Why Period Research Matters:

  • "Those color palettes are also so much about what makes period feel...period." – Stacy Batat (27:39)

• On Actor Collaboration:

  • "You have to gain their trust but also allow for collaboration...whenever an actor has had an idea for their costume, it's always made my original idea better." – Stacy Batat (34:44)

• On the Limits of AI:

  • "AI is never going to understand texture. It's never going to understand movement. It's never going to understand the light and the shot." – Stacy Batat (57:33)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment / Topic | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------|:----------:| | Introductions/Breakfast/LA life | 03:16–06:19| | Marc Jacobs days & meeting Sofia Coppola | 06:19–09:42| | Path to Costume Design | 15:19–17:15| | The Art of Costume Design: Process & Philosophy | 17:15–20:35| | Working with Sofia Coppola | 23:23–24:38| | Period Research & Met Textile Library | 24:59–27:39| | Developing Color Palettes for Period Pieces | 27:40–28:41| | Creating "Real" Modern Characters | 28:42–31:01| | Working with Actors and Directors | 32:28–34:44| | Department Collaboration (costume/hair/makeup) | 34:44–37:22| | TV vs. Film: Process & Challenges | 38:56–44:38| | The "Better Sister": Details & Authenticity | 44:07–49:08| | Getting Fashion/Wealth Onscreen Right | 49:35–51:54| | LA vs. NYC Lifestyle | 52:27–54:48| | Upcoming Project: "No One Cares" (J. Eisenberg) | 55:31–57:00| | The Limits of AI in Creative Professions | 57:02–57:51|

---

Memorable Moments

• The delightful Marc Jacobs retail anecdotes and the “free clothes” perk (07:34).
• In-depth discussion of color and textiles from the Met and surprising period costume details like orange and purple dye in the 1860s (26:10).
• Candid confessions about managing tricky TV wardrobe mishaps—down to which bag Jessica Biel carries in a courtroom scene (40:35).
• Shared mutual affection for basic-but-cool Cartier watches (43:30).

---

Tone & Language

The episode is intimate, witty, and insider-y, with a laid-back “fashion people talking shop” vibe. Lauren Sherman and Stacy Batat’s candidness—about career anxieties, creative obsessions, and the realities of industry collaboration—offers a refreshing, authentic window into the intersection of fashion, film, and pop culture.

---

Useful For:
Anyone interested in fashion, film, TV, costuming, or simply fans of Lauren Sherman’s sharp, personable industry coverage. This episode is packed with actionable creative wisdom, real-world examples, and a healthy dose of glamour, relatability, and humor.

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

The holidays are behind us and it's the perfect time to shift focus from gift giving to a little self treating. Macy's After Christmas Sale makes it easy to start the new year refreshed and ready.

[Lauren Sherman]

Stock up on the things that have.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Been on the wish list or items that didn't make it under the tree. Macy's has wellness essentials like activewear, beauty, skin and hair care, plus home items for cleaning, storage and organization. Transition fashion for a fresh start is also on full display heading into New Year's Eve. Macy's has party and cocktail dresses sparkling with sequins and shimmer, plus women's wool blend coats to stay cozy in style. Brands like avec, Le Fille, BCBG, DKNY, Ann Klein and KLP are on sale for 33% off with coats at 50% off. New activewear save 25 to 40% off on Nike, Adidas and more. The Macy's After Christmas sale runs now through January 1, making it easy to treat yourself while saving big Refresh the wardrobe, refresh the home, refresh the mindset. Start the year off right with Macy's.

[Advertisement Voice]

Just got a new puppy or kitten.

[Stacy Batat]

Congrats.

[Advertisement Voice]

But also, yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune. Which is where Lemonade Pet Insurance comes in. It helps cover vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds. Lemonade offers a package specifically for puppies and kittens. Get a'llemonade.com pet your future self will thank you. Your pet won't. They don't know what insurance is.

[Lauren Sherman]

Hello and welcome to Fashion People. I'm Lauren Sherman, writer of Pucks and Fashion and Beauty Memo Line Sheet. And today with me on the show is Stacy Batat, the costume designer behind everything from Priscilla to the Better Sister. We discuss being a Marc Jacobs shop girl, working with Sofia Coppola for the last 15 years, and so much more. Before we get going, I wanted to remind you that if you like this podcast, you'll definitely love Puck, where I send an email called Line Sheet. If you're a fashion person, you get that reference. It's an original look at what's really going on inside the fashion and beauty industries line. She is scoopy, analytical and above all, fun. Along with me, a subscription to Puck gains you access to an unmatched roster of experts reporting on powerful people and companies in Entertainment, media, sports, politics, finance, the art world, and much more. If you're interested listeners of Fashion People get a discount. Just go to Puck News slash Fashion People to join Puck or start a free trial. Happy Friday, everyone. I hope you had a great New Year's. These holidays are always overrated, but I have to say I'm very psyched for 2026. I'm off this week from everything but line sheet will be back in full force starting Monday. So enjoy this conversation. And if you need me, you have my phone number, you have my email text. I don't mind.

[Stacy Batat]

Bug me.

[Lauren Sherman]

Stacey Petat, welcome to Fashion People.

[Stacy Batat]

Thank you. I'm so happy to be here.

[Lauren Sherman]

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

[Stacy Batat]

I eat breakfast late, but I had a yogurt with berries and a cup of my favorite tea, which is Palais de Te Dreamy Tea. It's the tea of dreams tea.

[Lauren Sherman]

Does it have a. Does it have caffeine in it?

[Stacy Batat]

It does have caffeine in it. I have coffee when I first wake up, which I know is quite bad, but then with.

[Lauren Sherman]

I do the same thing.

[Stacy Batat]

A cup of tea and it's oolong with flowers and lemon.

[Lauren Sherman]

So nice. That sounds really, really nice. Stacy, how do you know our mutual friend Lori Trott?

[Stacy Batat]

I've known Lori for many, many years. I don't really know how she and.

[Lauren Sherman]

I. I feel like I remember meeting you at her apartment in. In. We shouldn't name the apartment complex, but it's basically Melrose Place.

[Stacy Batat]

Oh, yes, yes. That Melrose Place complex.

[Lauren Sherman]

It's so great. But I was wondering if you live there too, but you don't.

[Stacy Batat]

I don't live there. I. Yeah, I live in Los Angeles as well, but not there.

[Lauren Sherman]

Not there.

[Stacy Batat]

Okay, we can talk about that later.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yes, yes. That place is so magical. And I guess there are these. For people who don't live in Los Angeles and have not seen Melrose Place, there are a lot of these, like, in West Hollywood and Hollywood, there are all these, like, apartment complexes that are, I guess from like the 60s and 70s or 40s. And 30s.

[Stacy Batat]

And 40s, 30s, 20s and 30s. That's like, from old.

[Lauren Sherman]

Old 20s and 30s.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

And they're so. And there's a courtyard and people, like, ask each other for flour and sugar. Not that anyone eats sugar, but, you know, asking for syringes for their GLP ones. But everybody's friends at these things and it's. I feel like I've had many fun experiences at Laurie's house.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah. I think part of that is Also, Lori. That Lori fosters community.

[Lauren Sherman]

It's true. It's true. She loves to get people together. So how did you end up in Los Angeles?

[Stacy Batat]

And.

[Lauren Sherman]

And you're a costume designer, which is why. Why you're ostensibly here. But what. What brought you here?

[Stacy Batat]

Well, I actually came here because of my partner. I met him, and he lived in Los Angeles.

[Lauren Sherman]

How long ago?

[Stacy Batat]

10 years ago. I'm. You can ask him, but I'm bad at that. That's my. Yeah, everything is always five or ten years ago. But, yeah, he lived here, and then I, like, kind of resisted that. I lived here for a very long time, and then I just one day was like, okay, I guess I live here.

[Lauren Sherman]

Well, when did you get into costume design? Because it was before that.

[Stacy Batat]

Right. Costume design, about 20 years ago. So I used to work for Marc Jacobs, who I'd like to mention I'm still very intimidated by. I just think, like, when I was, you know, 20 years old, he was the be all end all, like, God of all gods. And for some reason, he's never left that in my mind. So whenever I see him, I'm just like, oh, my God, there's Mark.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, I feel similarly about him.

[Stacy Batat]

I don't know.

[Lauren Sherman]

He's, like, the reason I wanted to be a fashion journalist. So it's a little bit.

[Stacy Batat]

I wanted to work in fashion, too. I just, like, loved him so much.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah. What did you do for him?

[Stacy Batat]

I worked in his shop on Mercer Street.

[Lauren Sherman]

Wow.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, it was, like, years ago, so that shop was kind of iconic. Like, there was like the. Like, the office downstairs, and, you know, it just was like, like a hangout. There was no kind of pressure to, like, I don't know, it wasn't like working at a, like a retail store where like, there's a pressure to meet a certain quota or whatever to sell stuff. And I don't know, it was just a nice experience. And you got free clothes.

[Lauren Sherman]

Oh, my God, that's so cool. And that was like, how this is, like, 20 years ago. Yeah.

[Stacy Batat]

Maybe more Sad to say.

[Lauren Sherman]

That was like the peak, the height of his, like, the pointy ballet flat and the bags mouse flat. Oh, my God.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah. It might have even been, like, close to. I'm like, don't want to age myself because I'm still only 25, but it might have been closer to 25 or 30 years ago. That's so cool. Did.

[Lauren Sherman]

Did a lot of, like, cool people come through there?

[Stacy Batat]

Oh, my God, yes. That's where I met Sophia and I met this woman who I actually adore so much Mary Lee, who's still my close friend. She was my client. She's not famous, but she's still my close friend after all these years. She was, like, this woman that, you know, bought clothes there, and then, like, we would always talk on the phone because it wasn't, like, emailing back then. So we would talk on the ph and then we'd be on the phone. You know, she'd be like, I, like, look five. And then we talk about look five, what I like, I don't know. And talk about other stuff. And she's still. I'm still very close to her, which is funny.

[Lauren Sherman]

What a dream.

[Stacy Batat]

It was a great. It was a great job, and I loved working.

[Lauren Sherman]

Did it feel like you were at the center of the fashion world, or was it because it was in New York and, like, very cool. Did it feel private in some way?

[Stacy Batat]

I didn't understand until way later in the game that it was cool because I kind of assumed that, like, everywhere was like that. Like, I didn't know that if you worked at a different designer store, there would be some other, like. Like, I thought, like, you always get to pick your clothes from the Runway. Like, you know, like. Like, those are the. Like, you get to choose whatever you like. Like, I didn't realize there was a you stores. There's, like, a uniform. Like, these are the things that Prada employees wear or whatever. I thought, like, it was across the board. Like, whatever place you worked at, you got to pick. And, you know, because that was the best part. The free clothes.

[Lauren Sherman]

Oh, my God. Did you. I'm so curious because you have an amazing curly hair. How did you wear your hair? Back then?

[Stacy Batat]

I went through lots of hair phases, so I really can't remember. I probably wore it curly, but then. Because the keratin thing happened later, right?

[Lauren Sherman]

Oh, my God. Yeah. That was 2009.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, 2009 to 2009. I was, like, curious by care. Like, I feel like I was like, oh, maybe I want straighter hair.

[Lauren Sherman]

I know. You know, there's this new thing that I did about three years ago, like a de frizzing treatment. Oh, I don't. You shouldn't do it. I have my hair blown out now. I don't have a done anymore. But it's incredibly addictive because it's like keratin, but it doesn't totally make your hair straight, so it just takes the frizz out and makes your hair wavy curls, and it looks amazing, and it's really easy to blow out.

[Stacy Batat]

So then why don't you recommend it?

[Lauren Sherman]

Because the problem is it screws up your curl pattern. So, like. And I already. I don't. I. Do you. I don't know if you dye your hair, but I dye mine.

[Stacy Batat]

I do.

[Lauren Sherman]

So that has already messed my curl pattern up from the dying. But like, basically the first time I did it, it looked awesome. And I was like, my life is changed.

[Narrator/Announcer]

I.

[Lauren Sherman]

Now I'm a girl with like curl wavy hair that can just like, I wake up and I. It's fine. And I don't need to like, wash it or re. Rewetted and reshape everything. And then it would basically be like some straight pieces, especially in the front where my curls are looser anyway.

[Stacy Batat]

Do you think that's because they didn't do a good job?

[Lauren Sherman]

Well, the issue with this guy who does it, I don't want to call him out. He says it's a quote unquote proprietary treatment, because it is, it is a nice treatment. But the issue is he is obsessed with, with your hair being straight, even though he says it's not for straight hair. So he kept. Because I have such frizzy hair, he kept being like, can you. Can I put something stronger at your roots? And I was like, no, I want my hair to be curly and full. I don't want it to be flat. And so. But you're supposed to get it done like every three or four months and it becomes this. You become addicted. Because then up top, your hair is really course. And so you need to keep doing it. And I finally. I haven't gotten it done in like a year and a half, but every single time I go to Europe or I'm in New York, I'm like, I have to do it because my hair gets so puffy. Whereas in la, like, it's.

[Stacy Batat]

It's dry. Yeah. No. Well, I will tell you this. I don't know if this is interesting to your listeners, but my sister lives in Brazil and has for a very long time. And so when I go visit her, so the keratin thing, like, that's where I first discovered it. And what I have learned over these years is that it's all the same product. It's how long you. You straighten it. Like, you could do a keratin treatment with like, they do sometimes do it with this curling iron thing. And so, like, you just have really beautiful, non frizzy curls.

[Lauren Sherman]

I mean, it's tempting.

[Stacy Batat]

So I'm. I'm just saying I think it. We're not calling the Guy out. But I think there might be some technique involved and like, like if he's using, you know, heat. Too much heat on the parts that are.

[Lauren Sherman]

I agree. And my friend Claire, who also goes to him, who has hair like ours, has very similar hair texture to you, actually.

[Stacy Batat]

I know Claire. Claire Mas.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Oh, yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yes.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

So Claire's. Claire is the one who got me hooked on this.

[Stacy Batat]

Gotcha. Yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

And she gets it. She can't. She's. It's so. She's addicted. She can't stop. She just.

[Stacy Batat]

I'm just like, I cannot deal with anything anymore that has maintenance. Like, I can barely get my nails painted. They're always chipped.

[Lauren Sherman]

Well, you look, you look great.

[Stacy Batat]

So.

[Lauren Sherman]

So you ended up somehow working. I'm sure you, your hair looked very cool and that's one of the reasons you got the job of Marc Jacobs. But how did, why did you move to New York? You just wanted to work in fashion and work for Marc Jacobs or did you.

[Stacy Batat]

I moved to New York because I grew up in Connecticut and I love New York. Obviously I wasn't. Not very Connecticut in my. As you can see.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah.

[Stacy Batat]

You know, not blonde. I feel like I didn't really, you know, just. I'm not waspy. Like all of those things that feel very Connecticut are kind of not who I am. And I never felt like I belonged in my world there. And then like the city always seemed so open and appealing and so I really just like when I went to college, I knew what I wanted to do was go to New York. I didn't really care if I went, yeah, Barnard or Columbia or like I was like, is it in New York City? That's where I'm going. And then I wanted to go to. So I considered going to fit, but in like a classic, you know, thing that 18 year old girls do. I had a fight with my best friend who was this wonderful gay guy named Matt, and he was going to fit. And I was like, well, I don't.

[Lauren Sherman]

Want to go there because that's very funny.

[Stacy Batat]

I went to Hunter College and I studied women's studies and sociology. And then my last year I was over the fight. I mean, I just didn't care anymore. And then I was like, I'm going to go to fit. And then I started working for Mark. And in my last year of college, so it was all.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, and, and what did you do after Mark? Like, how long did you work there for? And what. How did you. Did you go into costume design from there or.

[Stacy Batat]

Kind of. So when I Worked there. Zoe Cassavetes worked at the Mercer Hotel, and she and I worked next door to each other because the Mercer Hotel is right next to the store. And we would, like, hang out, you know, and Sophia would come in the store. So then we kind of all became friends. And then Zoe said to me one day, I'm writing a movie. When I make my movie, I want you to do the costumes. And I said, like, okay, cool. And then at that point, I kind of had also, like, learned that there's more jobs in the fashion industry. Like, there's not just a designer. Like, you could be a stylist. You could be totally all these other things. And then I started. So I left Mark to start assisting as a stylist or to be a stylist. And then when I left, I started assisting Alex White. And then Sophia had lost in translation coming out, so she would ask me to like, do the little, like, front of book things in W magazine when she would be in, like, not the. The main. Well, but just like, little, like, one page. Because she wasn't the same Sophia Coppola that she is now. And so she would just get, like, a little blurb or whatever. And then I started, you know, doing that. And then Zoe said, like. Like, she also quit her job at the same time as me and was like, I'm gonna make my movie. And then do you wanna do the costumes? So then I did the costumes on a movie, and I think it was, like, two years or three years before I did the costumes on another movie. And anyway, I just. I liked it. I thought, like, oh, this is. So it's like, the same, but it's different.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah. Well, what. What is the same and what is different?

[Stacy Batat]

Well, I think the same is that there's, like, a creativity involved, and you're using fabrics and clothes and silhouette and drape and st. To convey an idea. But instead of it being a trend or creating a trend like it is in fashion, it's about character.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah. Yeah. So it's really, like, not just the archetype of a person, but an actual person.

[Stacy Batat]

Yes. And I think, like, having a knowledge of fashion is. Is very helpful because, you know, I know how to make patterns, and not great. I'm not. And I don't know how to sew very well either. But just, like, having that kind understanding of, like, what is capable, like, what you're able to manipulate does help in the design process. So.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, so I. We've had many costume designers on I. Because I've done a lot of Live events with costume designers. But I don't think that I've had a costume designer on one on one. So it would be fun to kind of walk through what does it entail. And I'm sure it's different with each director and each film or each television show. But like, the thing that always amazed me thinking about it, like, I used to do a lot more one on one interviews earlier in my career with costume designers of the level of organization it requires. But like, what is your process when you are doing like say a film versus and then maybe we can talk about TV too, but just like getting it together.

[Stacy Batat]

I think the process actually weirdly is very different from TV to film, but which is anyway, regardless, the process for me normally is reading the script, understanding what I believe the characters to be, talking about that with the director so that we're kind of on the same page of like, this is who they are, and then kind of developing visual concepts that support who they are as a character so that you can subtly tell, you know, certain parts of their story. Like, the way that I think about it is like, we're the visual representation of who they are. A combination of like a costume, hair and makeup is a visual representation of who somebody is. And weirdly, today, and I am the New York Times mini crossword puzzle said, like a costume that would like, require a black trench coat. Like, there are certain signifiers. The, the thing was spy about go to hat and sunglasses. I don't remember what it was, but there are certain signifiers that we all kind of know to be something. And you know, there's things about, like the way that we dress that project confidence. There's things about the way that we dress that project insecurity. There's things about the way that we dr, you know, project sloppiness or whatever it is. There's a lot of ways in which the visual aspect of a costume can help to define a character.

[Advertisement Voice]

Get smoother, brighter skin instantly. In one easy step, Dermalogica's daily microfoliant gives you the smooth, glowy skin you want without damaging your skin barrier. This gentle exfoliating powder activates with water to smooth out rough texture and brighten skin. It's powerful enough to deliver results, yet gentle enough to use every single day, even on sensitive skin. See the results for yourself. Visit dermalogica.com and use code smoothart for an exclusive free gift with $65 purchase.

[Lauren Sherman]

So how do you organize it? Is it. Do you have to like, write it all out and be like, Each. Do you go through a script and say each scene is like this. This is the look that this person's going to wear in this scene and this person's going to wear. And then you have, obviously, for certain things, background actors and all that, too.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, it's definitely visual more than it is written down. So, I mean, I have different ways in which I do things. That also partly does depend on who, you know, you're working with. But normally I start with, you know, the main character, obviously, because they're whose story we're telling. And I work very closely with production design and camera because I like to know what the shots are and what the light is and because, I don't know. Like, a good example is in Priscilla, for example, there's a scene where they're at the casino and Cailee Spaeny has this big bow on her thing. The scene was cropped so it was short. So I knew that that was going to happen because I knew we couldn't shoot in the whole of the casino because part of it was another set. You know, whatever it was, I knew that we were going to be cropped. And I feel like I wanted that part of the, you know, I wanted it to be visually appealing in that, like, area, like, close to her face, because I knew we'd be there. So hence the big bow. Like, I feel like understanding what the shot and the light and, you know, you don't always get that, but when you can understanding what the shot and the light and the set look like help to define with something like Priscilla?

[Lauren Sherman]

Because obviously you're working with Sophia, who's very influential in the fashion industry, and you got a lot of custom stuff made. Like, how far ahead are you concepting that stuff? And how is it working with someone like Sophia versus a director who is maybe not as fluent in fashion? Like, there's no one as fluent in fashion as her.

[Stacy Batat]

I don't know. I mean, I think one of the things that I find different about working with Sophia that I don't always have with every director is how easily we understand each other. So, yeah, you know, there's like, a real gift in that, that we can talk about something and, you know, we don't have to look at a million photos or whatever. I mean, we do look at a lot of photos at the beginning, but that we can kind of just work in a way that's harmonious. And I know whatever I'm going to give her is something that she's going to like because we've talked about It. And I like the community, the way that we can communicate and our understanding of what something means is similar. So, like, if, you know, somebody says, oh, maybe she could be in a. I'm giving a random example. Navy blue sweater. I know what navy blue sweater is. The one.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yes.

[Stacy Batat]

You know, or, like, how to. We have the same. A similar visual lexicon.

[Lauren Sherman]

Got it. I understood. Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, being friends for 20, 25 years, probably. Probably helps with that.

[Stacy Batat]

Yes.

[Lauren Sherman]

A period piece like Priscilla versus, I don't know what is. Is it called some. Somewhere.

[Stacy Batat]

Somewhere, yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

How do you. How are those. Like, how do you approach a period piece versus something that feels like more contemporary?

[Stacy Batat]

Well, research. Right. So I think you do a lot of research. I love to go to the Met Fabric Library. I think it's the most incredible place that you could ever visit. Have you ever been there?

[Lauren Sherman]

No. Tell me about it.

[Stacy Batat]

They have a textile library. And I just want to point out, like, you can look in the catalog and you can say, and this, like, goes for anyone. And I'm not trying to make them work so hard, but you can look in the Metropolitan Museum's catalog and be like, you know, I would love to see this Anni Albers textile. Oh, my God, they'll bring it in for you.

[Lauren Sherman]

I just put it on my list of things to do next time I go.

[Stacy Batat]

It's amazing. It's a really amazing place. So you can make an appointment at the Met Textile Library, and you can look at all the textiles. Like, you can't touch them. You know, if they're very old, you're not supposed to touch them, but you can look at all the textiles from whatever period you can look through. Like, so for Beguiled, I went and I looked, you know, to kind of see what was available at that time. And you'd be surprised a lot.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah.

[Stacy Batat]

And weirdly, I don't know why I remember this, because the color combination's so awful. But orange and purple, they had just learned how to dye.

[Lauren Sherman]

That's so interest. Interesting.

[Stacy Batat]

So there was a lot of, like, orange and purple in combination with one another. We never did that, obviously, because it's gross.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah. It just reminds me of Basque. A basketball team.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, whatever.

[Lauren Sherman]

Which team is the orange? I guess it's the Lakers. I don't know. It's someone.

[Stacy Batat]

I don't know.

[Lauren Sherman]

I used to care about basketball in middle school.

[Stacy Batat]

Oh. I still kind of care about basketball. It's my favorite sports.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, it's great.

[Stacy Batat]

I mean, I like tennis, I guess.

[Lauren Sherman]

Tennis is Great, too. But I think basketball is the most fun to play.

[Stacy Batat]

Personally. Basketball is very elegant. I think it's kind of like ballet, which is my other love. Like, they're so. I don't know. Like, they just. The way they move is very graceful.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, I agree.

[Stacy Batat]

So the.

[Lauren Sherman]

So back to the textiles of the Met, the orange and purple. That's. That's amazing.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah. And they had, like, fake fur and metallic by 1860. Wow. I know. Weird. But, yes, they had all that stuff. And, I mean, it wasn't great quality fake fur. Like, it didn't look like a mink. It just was fake fur. But, yeah, I was impressed by that. And then for Priscilla, I did a similar thing, but, you know, just to get. Get, like, a sense, because I feel like those color palettes are also so much about what makes period feel. Period.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah.

[Stacy Batat]

So, you know, I did. I went there again and looked at all the, you know, textiles. So I start kind of there, weirdly. I don't know why. And then I like to develop a color palette depending. So, like, for Priscilla, there's a very distinct color palette from when she's like a child. So as she progresses into, you know. And those color palettes are based on things that I've seen in magazines. Like, it's not. I didn't make it up.

[Lauren Sherman]

Well, we were talking about this a bit before we started recording, but this idea of when you're doing period, that there needs to be something in it that feels that connects you to the. There doesn't need to be. But it's nice for some context that connects you with the modern world in some way. And I think sometimes I just watched it happen one night.

[Narrator/Announcer]

And.

[Lauren Sherman]

Which is from, like, 1934.

[Stacy Batat]

Right.

[Lauren Sherman]

And it was interesting because I guess it was before they started, like, having a bunch of rules about not being able. Like, she's. She's wearing Claudette Colbert is wearing, like, a slip dress with nothing. And they're, like, in the same bedroom. And I was like, how is this possible? But the point being that it felt really modern because. Not only because they just look like you need to make them look like humans, even during period films. And I think what you're talking about with the color palette and the accuracy, it brings a humanity to the work and to the film that if you don't have intention behind it, and that's what the great costume designers do and why I like your stuff so much is because there's so much intention behind every decision that you make.

[Stacy Batat]

Well, I really love costume design. I Think it's such an incredible art and I'm so grateful that I get to be a part of it. Really?

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah. You know, it's funny, I was just looking at your IMDb to go through, but I was thinking about when we were talking about new versus period or modern versus period, and I thought that your costumes in on the Rocks were so great.

[Stacy Batat]

Thank you.

[Lauren Sherman]

And it will bring me to my next thing. But like Jenny Slate, who plays this sort of mom in line at the. Which I think honestly the best part of the movie, I thought. I love everybody involved in the movie, but I thought the best part of the movie was her character of like the mom at school drop off. And I just thought you nailed it so exactly. Of what that woman would be wearing. And I feel like there was a gray sweats. I haven't seen it in a couple years. We had a gray sweatshirt or something that just. I was like, oh, my God, she nailed it. So clearly. And that's something that when you talk about you and Sophia having a similar sensibility, it's also just like understanding human nature and how people are. And you can say a lot in. In the clothes.

[Stacy Batat]

Well, I studied sociology. Maybe that helped.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, totally.

[Stacy Batat]

But I just wanted to go back to the period thing, I think. Yeah, that's kind of part of it too, is that when you are doing a period film, because we live in the modern world and our references come from the modern world and the modern world is so different. Like, you don't necessarily understand that, you know, women didn't wear their hair down or, you know, stuff like that. You don't understand that if you don't study it and if you don't live it. So to bring in period appropriate, but modern flections, I think does help to make those characters more relatable to a modern viewer.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yes. That makes a lot of sense. And it also must. It must be so fun to create a fantasy out of a reality.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

So how much we talked a lot about your relationship with Sophia, but how do you work with actors? Because actors. From the conversations I've had with costume designers, that can be interesting too. There was an amazing interview with Bella Freud and her on her podcast with Kristin Scott Thomas about her interest in costume design and working with the costume designers on her wardrobe for different TV series and films and things.

[Stacy Batat]

Things.

[Lauren Sherman]

I'm assuming a lot of actors don't have that interest and then also are deeply insecure and nervous and all of that. What's your relationship like? I'm sure I know it Varies. But, like, how do you approach working with actors and making them comfortable and helping them get into character through the clothes?

[Stacy Batat]

Well, I actually really like working with actors. I mean, yes, I've worked with actors that I didn't like, but I think for the most part, I just want to help to create the characters, and I do think about how they move and what's the scene and what are they saying and, you know, how to help kind of facilitate that. The movie that I just did, I just did a movie with Jesse Eisenberg called no One Cares. I think that's what it's going to be called. And Julianne Moore is in it, who I've worked with a bunch and I love. And there's a scene where. So her car interior is beige, and there's a scene in which she talks about something quite sad. And I don't want to give away the movie. And I kind of was like, she should be in her beige trench coat. And I brought that up with the director and the cinematographer because there's something really, like, appealing about her disappearing into her environment when she's telling this story of like. So I think there's. When you work with someone, so. Because, how do I say, I think it's nice to develop a certain amount of trust and that if you've never worked with someone, hopefully that happens in the beginning stages of collaboration because they are a very integral part of, you know, what the costume is going to be. You're dressing their body, but you're also aware of their physical movement and their. So I think, like, when you. You have to kind of gain their trust but also allow for collaboration because they will often have ideas that sometimes are good. You know, most of the time, whenever an actor has had an idea for their costume, it's always made my original idea better.

[Lauren Sherman]

And how do you work with the hair and makeup and the sets? People? Like, is it. Is it like bff, you have to be. Or. Or can you sort of run in parallel?

[Stacy Batat]

I think so for me, because I do a lot of projects that don't have tons of money. And I don't know if you work on a project that does have tons of money, if it's any different. I think that the initial stage of hiring hair and makeup people, it's something I always really like to be involved in. And a lot of people don't like that. But I'm always kind of like, look, I'm doing this. I want to know who hair and makeup are. Because I think once, you know, like, if you can work well with hair and makeup, and you know that they have a certain talent level. You can talk about concepts at the beginning, and then everybody goes and does their thing, you know, like, I give them a lookbook of, like. Like, this is what, you know, Julianne's wearing. So we do. You asked about writing things down, and I don't want to take away from this job. So there is a costume supervisor, and the costume supervisor's job is to ess. Well, it's actually different in New York and la, but there is a person whose responsibility is to go through the script and write down, basically when somebody changes what day it is. So, like, they go through and are like in scene one through five, you know, the character is in change one, and then in scene six, they go to sleep and they're in their pajamas, and that's change two. So I will give my breakdown of those costumes. So, like, I'll put photos in and I'll give that to the hair and makeup team. So, like, once we've kind of already established, like, this is who they are and these are the references that we like and whatever, then they can kind of just go with it. I wish I had time to, like, go in the hair and makeup trailer every morning, be like, hey, what's going on?

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, it's like a script coordinator. It's a similar thing.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

What's the difference with that job between New York and la?

[Stacy Batat]

That's funny. It's like in New York, the costume supervisor is actually called a wardrobe supervisor. Doesn't do the budget more like on a truck or like in the office. But like, they. And in Los Angeles, they. They do the budget. So they are kind of like, I don't know, like, the manager of the department.

[Lauren Sherman]

Got it.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah. It's just. It's a little bit different. I. I mean, this is very nuanced and I know.

[Lauren Sherman]

I love it. We love that. We love. We love attention to detail. That's interesting.

[Stacy Batat]

I know that in LA they do the budget and in New York they don't. And that's the big difference. And then there's probably a million other nuances, and I. I don't wanna.

[Lauren Sherman]

There's probably some license that you get in LA and some union support that you don't get in New York. That's what I would get.

[Stacy Batat]

No, because New York was mostly Broadway.

[Lauren Sherman]

Got it.

[Stacy Batat]

Okay. So, like, the. The way that it's set up is for Broadway, and the way that it's set up here is for Hollywood.

[Lauren Sherman]

Got it. Understood.

[Advertisement Voice]

So here's the thing with homemade meals. Eating them is great, but all the chopping and measuring and cleanup, not so much. With new One Pan assemble and bake meals from Blue Apron, you get all the flavor of homemade meals with a fraction of the work. Just assemble the pre chopped ingredients, bake in the oven and enjoy. Shop, assemble and [e-mail] get 50% off your first two orders with code apron50. Terms and conditions apply. Visit blueapron.com terms for more.

Did you know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere. And Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11 PC Mag. Reader's Choice. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

[Lauren Sherman]

Let's talk about tv.

[Stacy Batat]

Okay.

[Lauren Sherman]

Because I think the original reason I wanted to and now I'm remembering why wanted to have you on the show.

[Stacy Batat]

Is because the better sister.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yes, the better sister, which is connected to me to on the Rocks. And why you are so good at what you do because you. It's like the specific shirt. It's the. Like you said, it's the right navy sweater. It's the totem.

[Stacy Batat]

Did.

[Lauren Sherman]

Did Jessica Biel carry a toteme bag.

[Stacy Batat]

Or did she think it was a row? It wasn't the row, but it was like a ro. Robe.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, maybe. Okay. Yes. I mean, we can look through right now. The white dress was.

[Stacy Batat]

We had a really good prop department. So props normally handles bags.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah.

[Stacy Batat]

And you know, again, like, it's like a similar collaboration. Like, we'll talk about it at the beginning and I hope that the prop department is good. If they. They're not, then I just get my own bags and glasses. But generally, like, you. You talk about stuff at the beginning and then they understood and like, you kind of communicate like, I feel like when it came to court in that show specifically, I, I wasn't sure what Jessica was gonna wear. I was like, is it this or this? And I like by the time we, you know, because they have a lot of say, like actors will participate a lot more on t in tv.

[Lauren Sherman]

Interesting.

[Stacy Batat]

So, you know, we didn't know what was gonna be worn at that time. And then I guess, you know, I didn't communicate it fast enough. But at the court scene, there was a bag Snafu. I remember.

[Lauren Sherman]

That's funny. How worried are you about consistency and all of that? Does it stress you out if something isn't exactly right in the end? I'm sure it happens all the time. Right. Because there's retakes.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah. I've learned to let go. I think I strive for, you know, perfection, I guess you could say. But I also know that our work is very fast. It's, you know, there's only so much you can plan for. There are moments where, like, somebody doesn't want to wear what you were they were supposed to wear, or, like, they change and then you're like, oh, shit, now you know they don't want to wear this. So that person was wearing that, like, and you have to make all these decisions kind of on the fly. And I think when you have to do that in any profession, there needs to be a little bit of compassion when things aren't exactly right. And also, I don't think anybody else notices. Like, when I say to people, like, I'm annoyed about that bag, they go like, I don't even know what you're talking about.

[Lauren Sherman]

No, I'm looking through on a website called FemStella.com.

[Stacy Batat]

Okay. FemStella.com. i don't know what it is.

[Lauren Sherman]

Me neither. Which is basically, it's going through the. All the outfits from the Better Sister. Oh. First of all, the really nice Cartier Panthere that, Yes, I. I have in a less expensive version. But I. I do too. It's so good. I love it. That makes me feel good that you have it, because every once in a while I'm like, is it too basic? B that I got the Panthere, But.

[Stacy Batat]

Well, I will tell you that I did have to go to New Jersey recently. Yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

And a bunch of people had it.

[Stacy Batat]

Yes. I feel like all the, like, 17 year olds who are like 18 year olds who just graduated from college or whatever or high school, they all had what? What?

[Lauren Sherman]

I have the mix metal.

[Stacy Batat]

No, I just have. I can't wear gold. I'm allergic to gold.

[Lauren Sherman]

Okay.

[Stacy Batat]

I mean, I can wear it.

[Lauren Sherman]

So you have like a plaque, like the.

[Stacy Batat]

The stainless steel.

[Lauren Sherman]

Steel. Okay. I have steel and gold mix. But I will say, when it was on Zendaya and Challengers, which obviously I love the costumes in Challengers. And it was so good. I was like. And I know that's her. She wears it right. I was like, what should I have done?

[Stacy Batat]

Something.

[Lauren Sherman]

And I'm sure you know Tina Che very well. She has that, like, perfect. Really Tiny Cartier watch with, like, diamonds on it.

[Stacy Batat]

Oh, I don't know that watch. I mean, I don't see her that often. I do know her, but I don't know her that well. She.

[Lauren Sherman]

She has this per. And I'm always like, should I have gotten a vintage?

[Stacy Batat]

I mean, yes, if you can, someday.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Next time.

[Lauren Sherman]

I mean, I love my basic bee panther.

[Stacy Batat]

I like my basic bee panther, too. I think it's great. I used to have it a. Just a very simple tank, like a black stainless. And I love that too. I. I don't have that anymore, but I will one day maybe get another one.

[Lauren Sherman]

So really quickly on the better Sister. Just going through Jessica Biel's clothes in particular one. One time. Like, do you go shopping? Like, how do you find this stuff? Because. Oh, I have these. That's so funny. These Dries Van Noten. Plenty of beige, pleated, wide leg pants that she wore. I totally have those.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, those are very nice pants.

[Lauren Sherman]

They're so great.

[Stacy Batat]

They don't read so well on camera, but they are my nice.

[Lauren Sherman]

They don't look like. Let's. Let's be honest.

[Stacy Batat]

That's a TV mistake.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yes. Well, they're also like a very particular. They're pleated. They're very pleated, and they're a bit. It's a very particular shape that. You know who compliments me on them is menswear editors.

[Stacy Batat]

Oh, yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

They think they're cool. Like, they're like.

[Stacy Batat]

But they're much better in real life than they are on camera, which. This is the problem with tv. TV moves too fast. So on a film, you have like, a second to, like, you can see something in movement before a mistake is made. Yeah, right. Like, there's better. But with tv, like, you're fitting so fast. You're fitting a million people. You're moving at a very quick pace that sometimes those things get missed. Like, that is a bummer to me because they don't move well. Those pants are stiff. You know, they. But it was too late.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah.

[Stacy Batat]

By the time I saw dailies, it was shot. No one's going to reshoot because the pants are no good.

[Lauren Sherman]

Well, in some ways, I mean, she is just. She's a huge inspiration to me on many levels.

[Stacy Batat]

She's a lovely, lovely person. And I can't say enough great things about her and Elizabeth Banks. They're both amazing.

[Lauren Sherman]

They seem. I mean, it was such. I loved the show. It was so fun to watch it. And she. Sometimes it's, like, kind of nice when someone looks a Little bit wrong because it. That also feels realistic. Sort of like Keri Russell's hair on the. The Diplomat. I don't know if you. The costumes on that show are great.

[Stacy Batat]

You know, I haven't watched that show.

[Lauren Sherman]

I would only watch the third season. I. I watched all of it. I re. I really enjoy it. But, like, the third season, they got. I think they got a different showrunner or something. It's like a million times better from a story perspective. But she is. She plays the, like, ambassador to the UK or whatever, and she wears like. I haven't figured. I need to. I haven't looked at, like, they look like the theory suits, but like the fantasy of a theory suit. Like, exactly how a theory suit should look. I mean, she also has that, like, very delicate dancer's body, so she looks like they probably may.

[Stacy Batat]

I mean, they might make them. I don't really know.

[Lauren Sherman]

I don't think so. It's.

[Stacy Batat]

It's Netflix, so I don't. Oh, Netflix. You don't think they have a.

[Lauren Sherman]

No, I don't think they're doing that. You know what? I'm not. Well, we don't need to whisper it. They know. They know what they. How they manage things. But she. And she just, like, she looks perfect and everything, but the whole thing on that show is that her hair. Because she has hair like ours and she gets it straightened. And so it's. If you don't have, like, they, like, make it look like a. Kind of a mess all the time on purpose, and it's like a joke on the show.

[Stacy Batat]

Maybe she doesn't like sitting in the hair or makeup chair for hours.

[Lauren Sherman]

I would understand. She definitely needs no makeup. She's like the prettiest person that's ever lived.

[Stacy Batat]

But.

[Lauren Sherman]

But the point being that, like, I think sometimes it helps a little for someone not to look. Exactly. Right. But with Jessica Biel's character, it was just fun to watch. The two TV shows I also saw. Is it called I'm Becoming a God in Central Florida? Yeah, So I loved. And that was like 80s costumes, right?

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, late 80s. Yeah. It's maybe a little more 80s because it's Florida and it's early 90s, so.

[Lauren Sherman]

So, like, the budgets, I'm sure, because that show was originally for YouTube or something, right?

[Stacy Batat]

I can't remember.

[Lauren Sherman]

I remember I saw you when you were working on it.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lauren Sherman]

But, like, I'm assume the budget for something like that, which is also, period, is like, so different from Better Sister.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, the Better Sister had a decent costume, budget as I'm sure you can tell, like, there's a lot of expensive clothes there. And not. You don't always get that. But that's like a credit to the showrunners who are amazing. This woman, Olivia, and this other woman, Regina, who did understand that making sure she was in costumes, that felt aspirational for, you know, the people watching and the people who also knew. So some people don't understand that. That, like, they don't understand that if that you're not just speaking to the general audience, you're also speaking to the audience that the character is about or whatever.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah.

[Stacy Batat]

And yes. So I think, like, they understood the importance of having those, like, even though the bag wasn't the row, but like the row bag or those dries pants or so that's good. And. And unbecoming. God did not have a huge budget.

[Lauren Sherman]

I mean, it looked. It was. It was really fun to look at.

[Stacy Batat]

I love to go on Etsy. So I just looked for, like, vintage Bongo. And also we have great rental houses and I could rent from, like, Warner Brothers and Western and, you know, here, which are amazing resources and they have all the stuff from the 80s and the 90s, and that's awesome.

[Lauren Sherman]

It's interesting. Really quickly on Better Sister, and then I won't bug you for too much longer. But I think you're really right. This idea of, like, getting it right for the. I've. I've had a lot of conversations in recent months with people in Hollywood who want to do a show about the fashion industry.

[Stacy Batat]

Right.

[Lauren Sherman]

For, like, hours. Now I'm going to start charging. If you want me to do one of these things, I need to charge you because I'm just like, okay, fine, but I can't tell you what the story should be. I can tell you everything. I know that I can't tell you which one to pick. Like, there are many crazy stories. You need to pick one. And I can help you with the details. But the thing that I think I'll be.

[Stacy Batat]

When I think the story should be a bit off the record. Okay.

[Lauren Sherman]

Afterwards.

[Stacy Batat]

Yes.

[Lauren Sherman]

And maybe we can both become consultants on the TV show.

[Stacy Batat]

I'm a little dirty, but yeah. Okay. We can. Could.

[Lauren Sherman]

We could discuss it. Yes. Someone hired me to be the Andrew Ross Sorkin of the fashion TV show People. But. But. Or maybe you can do. You could do the costumes. But this is the thing. Someone like you needs to do the costumes. Because here is the problem. If you. It doesn't. You don't have to get everything exactly right. Like Emily in Paris is a great example. I think the first two seasons, of course, someone who moves to Paris to work in PR does or marketing or whatever, does not dress the way she does. But honestly, there was a lot of truth to the way she behaved. The way the. Like Sylvie, the woman who runs the PR agency. That feels like a real. There was a lot of. There was a lot of truth to the way things happen. The thing that wasn't true about Emily in Paris is this one detail that. That killed me, which was that they created a situation where there was a brand room, quote unquote, at the LVMH equivalent, where all the. A showroom with where all the brands. Products were in one room. And I was like, this would never happen. This would never happen. And I understand that, like, a lot of things would never happen. But, like, that is so specific. And that is, to me, what you're talking about. There's a TV show that's on right now about really wealthy people, and I'm not gonna name the show.

[Stacy Batat]

Okay. I don't know which one.

[Lauren Sherman]

Well, you know, I'm just gonna say it. You don't have to say anything to me. It's called the Beast in Me.

[Stacy Batat]

I've never even heard of it. We are. You know, my partner is like, let's watch a true film. And I'm like, don't you want to watch this trashy Netflix series?

[Lauren Sherman]

My friends last night went to see some Italian movie from the 1980s called Cinema Panettone. Do you know about this?

[Stacy Batat]

No, but I'm sure I'm going to be going soon.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yes, it's. It's some. It's in Culver City. You're gonna have to go all the way there. My friend was like, we don't.

[Stacy Batat]

We don't travel west.

[Lauren Sherman]

Can I just tell you the new. The luxury in Los Angeles? I was talking about this with my friend Jonathan, who works in real estate, who's been on this podcast, is not having to leave your area. So.

[Stacy Batat]

But you.

[Lauren Sherman]

It is that. That is the thing that is. That's the only reason to live here, is that you don't have that. Like, your luxury is that you are isolated. So if you hate being isolated, don't move to la.

[Stacy Batat]

But the thing that's so nice about New York, which I really love, is that you can be anywhere in 30 minutes.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yes.

[Stacy Batat]

And get like a whole. Like, I love doing things in New York because it's just like, I hate driving, obviously, because I'm an East coast gal, but same.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yes.

[Stacy Batat]

But there's just something so easeful about, like, a city that you can walk in and you can take public transportation from. Like, you can. And also, I think, like, here, what I've noticed is, like, taking the bus or the metro is, like, somehow shameful.

[Lauren Sherman]

My God. I mean, it's.

[Stacy Batat]

That's. And like, trying to figure out how to, like, get to the airport on a train so you don't have to.

[Lauren Sherman]

Someday with the purple line, maybe. You know, once I stayed at Marlene Rentmeester's house. Do you know her? She used to work at. She was like the west coast editor of Self and Lucky. Once I stayed at her house. This is pre Uber for. I was going to a wedding in LA. It was probably like 2011, 2012, and she was on vacation, so we stayed at her place in the Palisades and I wanted to buy her a gift and I wanted to buy her tarot cards from Hermes. So I took the bus from the Palisades to Beverly Hills.

[Stacy Batat]

Wow, that's amazing.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, it was really. Because I didn't have a license. Now I do, obviously, but good at.

[Stacy Batat]

Figuring out how to get places. Like, if I go to any country, I can figure out how to, like, take the metro and get to the beach and do whatever.

[Lauren Sherman]

But this is why we need to be bico. So. Okay, so really quickly on the Beast of Me. I have not seen the show, but what I was told is that they do not get the rich people clothes right? And I think that is what makes a great costume designer. And this the person who did that show. I'm not shitting on them. I'm sure they're amazing and they had their reasons. Yeah, we don't. We don't. We're not. I have no idea who it was, so I don't want to. But the point being, I always blame.

[Stacy Batat]

The producer, just so you know.

[Lauren Sherman]

You what?

[Stacy Batat]

I always blame the producer. If a costume doesn't look right, I always go, I'm sure there was, like, some annoying producer in the room, like, putting their two cents in. And like, at some point, I mean, sometimes you just, like, can't fight the fight. Like, you're just like, okay, fine. Like, you want her in a tutu. Okay, here. Here's your tutu. You want a chicken on her head? All right, here you go.

[Lauren Sherman]

Okay. Blame the producer.

[Stacy Batat]

So Stacy, always blame the producers.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah. This was so fun. I could talk to you forever. What are you working on right now? Or what are you excited about next? Like, are you. You don't have to give Details. I'm sure it's super secret, but are you researching? Are you taking a break? A mental break? Like, what are you up to right now?

[Stacy Batat]

I am at the moment excited about Jesse Eisenberg's upcoming film. No One Cares.

[Lauren Sherman]

Have you worked with Jesse before?

[Stacy Batat]

No, but I loved working with him. He's such a pleasure and a delight and such a genius. I don't want to give away the plot of the movie, but it's set in a musical theater. I'm sure you could find that on the Internet. And he wrote all the music.

[Lauren Sherman]

Oh, my God.

[Stacy Batat]

And the music is like. Like, sometimes I have this T shirt that we. Someone on the set made, and, like, anytime I see the T shirt, I immediately start singing the song.

[Lauren Sherman]

That's awesome.

[Stacy Batat]

They're, like, so catchy and great. And he's. He's truly brilliant. He's such a great. I'm so glad I met him. He was, like, the best thing that came out of 2025 life.

[Lauren Sherman]

That's awesome.

[Stacy Batat]

I got to work with Jesse Eisenberg. He's brilliant and very nice.

[Lauren Sherman]

And according to Google, AI, Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, and Halle Berry are also in the film.

[Stacy Batat]

Halle Berry is Halle Bailey.

[Lauren Sherman]

I was like, oh, yeah, Halle Berry. Then Bernadette Peters.

[Stacy Batat]

Halle Bailey and Bernadette Peters.

[Lauren Sherman]

Oh, Halle Bailey is in it. Okay.

[Stacy Batat]

Halle Bailey.

[Lauren Sherman]

I was like, that's hilarious. Because. Because the AI overview says Halle Berry.

[Stacy Batat]

Yeah, it's not Halle Berry. I was like, halle Berry.

[Lauren Sherman]

Hilarious.

[Stacy Batat]

Then I was like, oh, wait, Haley Bailey's in it.

[Lauren Sherman]

See, this is why you can't trust AI.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Stacy Batat]

I mean, you can't trust AI for anything. And actually, I would like to say one thing, because I know, like, now that there's AI, there's probably going to be, like, a push to, you know, a. Like, use AI instead of a costume designer. But I hope that anyone who thinks that's even possible, like, would understand that, like, you know, AI is never going to understand texture. It's never going to understand movement. It's never going to understand the light and the shot. And, you know.

[Lauren Sherman]

Yeah, I don't think that's gonna. I don't think that's gonna happen.

[Stacy Batat]

I certainly hope not.

[Lauren Sherman]

I don't think that's gonna happen. Not for anything worth.

[Stacy Batat]

Worth seeing, not for anything worth watching. But.

[Lauren Sherman]

No. Yeah, no, we like AI in some cases, but not. Not in that one.

[Stacy Batat]

I'm like, I don't even know what I'd use AI for. What do you use it for?

[Lauren Sherman]

We could talk about it offline because we need to talk about whatever you were going to tell me. Off the record. Offline. I can't remember. But Stacy, this was so fun. I'm so glad we did it.

[Stacy Batat]

I'm glad we did it too. Thank you. Thank you.

[Lauren Sherman]

Fashion People is a presentation of Odyssey in partnership with Puck. This show was produced and edited by Molly Nugent. Special thanks to our executive producers, Puck co founder John Kelly, executive editor Ben Landy and director of editorial operations, Gabby Grossman. An additional thanks to the team at Odyssey. JD Crowley, Jenna Weiss Berman and Bob.

[Stacy Batat]

Tabador.

[Advertisement Voice]

On January 9th. Greenland 2 is making an impact across the globe.

[Stacy Batat]

Hang on.

[Advertisement Voice]

Audiences rave. It's deeply emotional and better than the first.

[Stacy Batat]

I wanted you beginning first, Bob.

[Advertisement Voice]

You'll be holding your breath from start to finish.

[Stacy Batat]

Oh, my God. Grab onto something.

[Advertisement Voice]

Greenland 2 migration. Rated PG 13.