Wicked's costume designer on how to tell stories with clothes | Paul Tazewell

Summary

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TED Talks Daily | Paul Tazewell: Wicked's Costume Designer on How to Tell Stories with Clothes

Episode Date: November 18, 2025
Guest: Paul Tazewell (Oscar-winning costume designer for Wicked, Hamilton, West Side Story)
Summary Prepared By: TED Talks Daily Summarizer

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Main Theme & Purpose

This powerful episode features Paul Tazewell, the Oscar-winning costume designer for the film Wicked and other iconic productions (Hamilton, West Side Story). Tazewell dives into the art and intention behind costume design, explaining how clothing tells a parallel story, influences audience perceptions of heroism and villainy, and serves as a subconscious language in storytelling. He examines the dualities, stereotypes, and provocations embedded in costume choices, both challenging and reinforcing cultural narratives. A brief Q&A with TED's Monique Ruff Bell follows his talk, exploring the evolution of costume design in upcoming productions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Subconscious Language of Clothing

• Perception through Costume

  • Tazewell compares his work not to fabric and sequins, but to "perception" and storytelling.
  • Costumes influence whether we are drawn to characters or respond with suspicion – all before they speak.
  • "My language is clothing. Through silhouette, color and texture, I shape how you see someone before they speak a word." — Paul Tazewell [04:40]

• Costume's Power to Signal & Shape Bias

  • Clothing establishes who is hero or villain, expressing emotional arcs and evolving with storylines.
  • Costumes even "tell lies" and illustrate growth or conflict.

Major Works and Their Costume Narratives

Hamilton: Reframing History Through Modern Eyes

• Challenge: Tazewell was asked to portray the Founding Fathers "through today's lens," specifically with a diverse cast.
• Techniques & Symbolism:
  • Neutral tones for ensemble allow diverse skin colors and voices to dominate.
  • King George III shown in exaggerated regality, emphasizing the divide between old world and new.
• Visual Storytelling:
  • Jefferson dressed as a "rock star" in loud purple, referencing pop culture to provoke and energize history.
  • Key quote on contrast:

    "That visual duality, modern bodies in period shape, versus one man preserved in all his pomp, is what makes the story...so compelling." — Paul Tazewell [07:28]

• Finale Symbolism: Both Hamilton and Burr stand "together, both in black capes, equal in power, equal in tragedy, balanced not in life, but in history's memory."

West Side Story: Dismantling Stereotypes

• Us vs. Them Narrative:
  • Jets shown in denim and sneakers, embodying blue-collar toughness.
  • Sharks in vibrant, Latin-inspired textiles, expressing aspiration and heritage.
• Blending Instead of Separating:
  • In the gym scene, costume colors "bleed together," visually mixing identities beyond simplified opposition.
  • "Even in conflict cultures mix, the borders are never as fixed as we pretend." — Paul Tazewell [09:32]
• The Deeper Antagonist:
  • Tazewell suggests the city's systemic forces are the real enemy, not the gangs' superficial differences.

Wicked: Questioning the Visual Language of 'Wickedness'

• Challenging Familiar Cues:
  • Iconic "good vs. wicked" visuals: Elphaba's black and green, Glinda’s pink and glitter.
  • Tazewell reframes: Elphaba as misunderstood, Glinda not always as kind as she appears.
  • "I wasn't designing stereotypes — I was designing questions." — Paul Tazewell [12:20]
• Personal Connection:
  • As a Black, gay man, Tazewell finds resonance in stories of “othering” and marginalization.
  • "Wicked isn't just about a witch. It's about anyone who has ever been judged without speaking a word." — Paul Tazewell [12:54]

Design as Commentary

• Memory & Culture in Objects:
  • Clothes capture makers’ fingerprints, ambitions, and biases — “They shape our identity. They create culture.”
• Final Provocation & Hope:
  • "Design is never neutral."
  • The idea that ‘wickedness’ itself is designed:

    "Because wickedness can … be designed. And if it can be designed, then maybe together it can be redesigned." — Paul Tazewell [13:50]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I can telegraph an entire emotional arc in the fit of a jacket. The fraying of the hem, the way fabric breaks down under stress." — Paul Tazewell [05:29]
• “Costume allowed me to underline that truth. The beauty wasn't in the separation. It was in the blend.” [10:52]
• “Why put so much care into costumes? Because clothing carries memory... These things are our costumes, too. They shape our identity. They create culture.” [12:45]

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Q&A with TED's Monique Ruff Bell

[14:01] Bell: Will there be evolution in costumes for Wicked for Good, matching character evolution?

[14:17] Tazewell:

“Absolutely. ... To create a reality, even within the world of fantasy, is what helps people relate to the story.”

[14:36] Bell: Where will we see your magic after Wicked for Good?

[14:41] Tazewell:

“Oh, gosh, who knows? ... Look to Broadway first and then hopefully again on the big screen.”

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Timestamps — Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 04:12 | Paul Tazewell’s talk begins – defining the subconscious power of costume | | 06:12 | Hamilton: Reimagining history and visual dualities in costume | | 08:30 | West Side Story: Dismantling stereotypes with color and textile | | 11:12 | Wicked: Questioning villainy and ‘othering’ through costume | | 13:40 | Conclusion: The cultural power and possibility of redesigning “wickedness” | | 14:01 | Q&A: Evolving costumes and future projects with Monique Ruff Bell |

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Tone & Style

Tazewell’s tone is reflective, provocative, and poetic, inviting listeners to examine their own assumptions about good, evil, and the “costumes” we all wear. The episode flows with vivid descriptions, cultural awareness, and a call to empathy and complexity—mirroring the transformative spirit of his design work.

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For those interested in how clothing and design shape not just the stage but our collective perceptions and values, this talk is a fascinating meditation on the unseen language all around us.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

What makes someone wicked? Is it the color of their skin? Is it the story we've been told? Or is it what they wear? How do we make those judgments? What clues do we rely on? What assumptions do we carry? Sometimes, without even realizing it? As a costume designer, it's my job to use those assumptions. For better or for worse. People often assume my job is all fabric and sequins, dresses, buttons, maybe a good hat. In truth, my job is about perception. I am a storyteller and my medium. My language is clothing. Through silhouette, color and texture, I shape how you see someone before they speak a word. I decide whether you lean forward with curiosity or pull back with suspicion. When I put a character in a shade of scarlet, or wrap them in velvet or cut them up in sharp black lines, I'm asking you to feel something about them instantly, Silently. That's what fascinates me, how simple fabric can tell us who is a hero and who is wicked. I seek out a thematic hook in every project. Something human, something that allows me to find myself in the story. I'm not just decorating a character, I'm telling a parallel story, one that lives in the clothing. Costumes are not static. They move with the body. They Evolve. Sometimes they even tell lies. They reflect growth, conflict resolution. I can telegraph an entire emotional arc in the fit of a jacket. The fraying of the hem, the way fabric breaks down under stress. What's extraordinary is this. You feel it, even if you don't realize it. Costume is a subconscious language. I'm using your power of perception to. To lead you through the story. This manipulation of perception carried me to Hamilton. At its core, Hamilton is a story of us versus them, colonists versus Empire, immigrants versus the establishment. But Lin Manuel Miranda handed me something radical. He said, I want the audience to see our Founding Fathers through today's lens. So imagine that challenge. Black and brown bodies dressed in 18th century coats and breeches, wrapping about revolution, history reimagined in real time. I designed period silhouettes, yes, but with restraint. Neutral tones on much of the ensemble, while allowing their skin to show through and the power of their voice to. To ring true in center stage. And then, in contrast, King George III appears in full regalia, bewigged, jeweled, painted in perfect detail from his portraitist. He is the old world. They are the new. That visual duality, modern bodies in period shape, versus one man preserved in all his pomp, is what makes the story of democracy unfolding so compelling. It takes the historically familiar to frame a modern perception of how our nation was formed. And suddenly, there's Thomas Jefferson, Tommy Kail, our director, and I decided, let's make him a rock star. So onstress. Jefferson in flamboyant purple, modeled after a pop icon. Not by chance. That was a statement. It was. History isn't dry or static. It's alive. It's charismatic. It's complicated. Even in subtle contrasts, like Hamilton's vibrant green suits versus Burr's muted raisin palette, I was planting seeds, setting up a visual duel. Until finally, at the end, the. The two men stand together, both in black capes, equal in power, equal in tragedy, balanced not in life, but in history's memory. The costumes weren't decoration. They were commentary, a way to ask, whose history is this? And who gets to own it? From the Founding Fathers, I jump to 1950s and New York with Spielberg's west side Story. Again, us versus them, jets versus Sharks, White versus Puerto Rican. For the Jets, I leaned into blue collar toughness, denim, polos, sneakers, the uniform of boys rooted in concrete. For the Sharks, I turned to Latin textiles, vibrant florals, colors inspired by sun and sea, but cut with elegance and aspiration. These young men and women were dressing for a life they were yet to claim. I rejected the impulse that these two gangs are just mirror images of each other, separated by language and skin color at the same time. I clung to what was iconic, like Anita's dress, but gave it my own twist. And then the dancing at the gym, that iconic scene where the two worlds collide. I let the colors bleed together. Warm tones crossing cool fabric, echoing across lines. Because even in conflict cultures mix, the borders are never as fixed as we pretend. Design here could have perpetuated stereotypes, but my goal was to dismantle them, to give both sides dignity, authenticity, complexity. The tragedy of west side Story isn't that these two sides were so different. The real antagonist was the city itself, a system of development and displacement that was tearing their neighborhoods apart. Both gangs were fighting for ground. They would lose regardless. Costume allowed me to underline that truth. The beauty wasn't in the separation. It was in the blend. Then came Wicked. Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the west, has green skin. She wears black. We are very familiar with the wizard of Oz story that tells us the Wicked Witch of the west is evil. Beside her, Glinda sparkles in pink and glitter. These colors confirm who is good and who is wicked. Or so we think. But when I read the script more closely, I realized Elphaba is intelligent. She's compassionate, she's misunderstood. Glinda, on the other side, isn't always kind. I wasn't designing stereotypes. I was designing questions. Who decides who is worthy of respect and who is shunned? Who decides who is cherished and who is ostracized? Who decides who belongs and who is cast out? As a black gay man entering into a field that wasn't always comfortable with my presence, I know what it feels like to be othered, to be misjudged at first glance. Maybe that's why I'm drawn to stories about marginalized characters. Wicked isn't just about a witch. It's about anyone who has ever been judged without speaking a word. Why put so much care into costumes? Because clothing carries memory. A dress, a chair, a lamp. These things hold the fingerprints of their makers. They capture a culture at a particular moment in time. They embody our aspirations and our biases. The clothes we wear, the furniture we sit on, the art we hang on our walls. These things are our costumes, too. They shape our identity. They create culture. Design is never neutral. So I ask the question again. What makes someone wicked? It isn't the color of their skin. It isn't the story that we've been told. And it isn't what they wear. It's our perception, it's the costume we've been handed and whether we choose to believe it. My job, my joy, is in making you reimagine the answers to those questions. Because wickedness can, can be designed. And if it can be designed, then maybe together it can be redesigned. Thank you.

[C]

Paul, I have a quick question for you. It was beautiful to see your journey of inspiration. Now, with the release of Wicked for Good, is there going to be an evolution in the costumes, with the lead characters, with the evolution of the story?

[B]

Absolutely. Yeah. And it's continuation of how they evolve. And I mean, that's really what I'm talking about, you know, is that, you know, to create a reality even within the world of fantasy is what helps the story relate to other people or helps people relate to that story.

[C]

Absolutely. And when will we see the magic of your handiwork again after Wicked for Good?

[B]

Oh, gosh, who knows? No, look, I would say look to Broadway first and then hopefully again on the big screen.

[C]

Okay, thank you so much, Paul.

[A]

That was Paul Tazewell at TED Next 2025. If you're curious about TED's curation, find out [e-mail] curationguidelines and that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This talk was fact checked by the TED research team and produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little and Tansika Songmani Vong. This episode was mixed by Lucy Little. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Ballarezzo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening. Foreign. TED Talks Daily is sponsored by Capital One. In my house, we subscribe to everything. Music, tv, even dog food. And it rocks. Until you have to manage it all, which is where Capital One comes in. Capital One credit card holders can easily track, block or cancel recurring charges right from the Capital One mobile app at no additional cost. With one sign in, you can manage all your subscriptions all in one place. Learn [e-mail] subscriptions terms and conditions apply.

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[E]

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