‘I knew within myself that as a designer, I would have failed if these clothes were funny. This is a person who has been made fun of for so many decades: we don’t need that movie. That for me is the most important aspect of costume design: to be really sincere, never funny or artificial unless it’s called for.’ When dressing Margot Robbie as the disgraced ‘90s figure skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, this was Jennifer Johnson’s self-imposed brief: to bring a sincerity, even dignity, to the film’s cast of imperfect misfits in 'a love letter to Tonya's skating costumes.'
For years, the name Tonya Harding has been synonymous with an episode that’s almost definitely the most scandalous in figure skating history, and one of the biggest sporting controversies of the ‘90s. In 1994, Harding’s Olympic teammate and arch rival Nancy Kerrigan was attacked after a practice session, jeopardizing her chances at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics that year; later, an FBI investigation revealed that the thug had been hired by Harding’s abusive ex-husband Jeff Gillooly. Harding’s reputation was tarnished by association, the former champion banned for life from the sport she’d practiced since the age of three. ‘As a nation, we were really riveted. This was before the Internet, before Instagram and Twitter: the fever it incited was fascinating, this slow simmering that finally blew up,’ recalls Johnson. ‘I went in having this idea of Tonya that was not at all positive, but then I read the script, I watched ESPN’s documentary 30 for 30, and that really opened my mind to who she was. Everything I thought of her was not true at all.’
Following Tonya from childhood to ‘the incident’ and its aftermath, I, Tonya has a manic energy, a pitch-black sense of humour, and a plot that’s stranger than fiction – all fertile territory for kitsch, larger-than-life fashion. It’s much to Johnson’s credit that her costumes don’t stray into caricature. ‘There’s so much absurdity in the actions and the dialogue,’ the designer explains. ‘You have these moustaches, perms, scrunchies, then the skate costumes are so garish in colour and feel: I felt like we could have fun on the ice, because those outfits are accurate replicas of Tonya’s actual costumes, and then in person, it felt like it was really important to give all the characters dignity.’
Away from the ice rink, this was a case of ‘taking colour away, softening the shoulders a bit and removing pattern’ from ‘90s staples to ensure that Tonya’s off-duty wardrobe didn’t appear fresh from today’s high street. ‘The fashion of the late ‘80s, early ‘90s – it’s so of the moment, you can walk into any Topshop, Urban Outfitters, all the way up to Balenciaga and see it. I could’ve made an ironic comment about millennial fashion but I didn’t want to go near that,’ Johnson reveals. Instead, she created distinct ‘chapters’ of Tonya’s wardrobe: ‘First she’s a kid, her mom’s dressing her and making her costumes. Then she’s a teenager, [her coach] Diane is dressing her, she’s kind of preppy. Then she leaves Diane and she has this very dignified, simple way of dressing: a set of turtle necks, high waisted jeans, her bomber, her Louis Vuitton handbag and her Chanel earrings.’
For those earlier chapters, Johnson’s research took her down some unexpectedly lo-fi avenues: a home movie-turned-documentary by one of Tonya’s childhood friends, and ‘a treasure trove of tabloid clippings from a super fan,’ bought on Ebay. ‘Her friend in high school was a budding film maker. She followed Tonya round with a VHS and later this became her film thesis at Yale. You really get a sense of her psychology during her teenage years, and how much pressure and abuse she was under with her mom. You also see shopping trips with her coach trying to dress her in Laura Ashley, and Tonya rolling her eyes at being groomed into this ice princess she never wanted to be,’ Johnson says. ‘Another really fascinating research surprise was the clippings – we had a great stack of international tabloid publications that had all kinds of interesting family photos.’
It’s Tonya’s skating costumes, in all their shimmering, spandex-ed glory, which are the film’s real standouts, of course. From the handmade creations worn at the start of her career to the professionally designed outfits at Lillehammer, each was painstakingly researched and recreated by Johnson and her team. Matching the outfit to the skating fixture was no mean feat, requiring hours spent combing through grainy home videos on YouTube. ‘Skate competitions are often labelled incorrectly, especially on YouTube, plus skaters would often have a set of costumes that they’d wear for a year or two, so the costumes didn’t necessarily signify the event,’ the designer explains. Once she had checked and double checked that the outfit lined up with the script, the footage would be ‘really bad, almost like old VHS quality, especially when she moved. She’d be flying through the air and we’d freeze frame it: the seamstresses and I became obsessed with getting it right.’
‘Getting it right’ often meant deliberately recreating a poor fit or uncomfortable choice of fabric, reflecting Tonya’s outlier status, branded ‘white trash’ in a sport populated by nice middle class girls. In one memorable moment, we see Margot Robbie hunched over a sewing machine as Tonya aggressively stitches a sugar-pink frou-frou concoction (as Johnson reminds me, her rival Nancy Kerrigan could call on Vera Wang to design new costumes each season). In another, Tonya becomes the first woman to pull off the elusive triple axel spin in competition. Her bejeweled turquoise costume is the sleekest, most ‘establishment’ style we’ve seen her in so far – in fact, it’s one of the few styles with which Johnson used a little creative license, adding a silver underlay to the leaves of her skirt – but the arms are still bunched up, the material still thick and unwieldy. ‘That was intentionally made with single stretch jumbo spandex which is really thick and kind of awkward,’ says Johnson. ‘That would’ve been what she had access to in Portland at the time. The arms would be a little baggy, thy wouldn’t stretch in the right places: we could’ve easily found a great stretch material now, but it just felt wrong.’
It’s this level of authenticity that earned Johnson’s costumes a stellar review from the person who mattered most: Tonya herself. ‘I came up to her at the bar where our after-party was, and she told me, “I was so sure that you had got hold of all my costumes, and I didn’t understand how you’d done that,”’ the designer recalls. ‘Then without me saying anything, she said “You nailed that ’91 costume, that thick uncomfy spandex – I love that you thought of that, it’s so important to show I made it myself.” She’s still so proud of that even now, and that was the best review I could have. Tonya deserves a lot of credit for designing those costumes – they deserved to be recreated and showcased.'
I, Tonya is out now
NOW READ: The Films You Need To Watch In 2018
Best films 2018 grazia SLIDER
1 of 21Ocean's 8
The prospect of a gender-flipped re-boot doesn't always fill us with anticipation, but that's not the case with Ocean's 8, which has managed to cast - deep breath - Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, rapper and comedian Awkwafina and Rihanna as a gang of con artists orchestrating a jewel heist at the Met Gala (Anne Hathaway plays their target). Given the star power involved, here's hoping they pull it off…Summer
2 of 21On Chesil Beach
Having earned her first Oscar nomination (aged just 13) for Atonement a decade ago, Saoirse Ronan returns for another Ian McEwan book-to-film adaptation (this one with a script by McEwan himself). Based on the Booker-nominated novella and set in 1962 (the year before sex 'began,' as Philip Larkin would put it in Annus Mirabilis) On Chesil Beach follows a newly married couple on their honeymoon, tentatively preparing to navigate the physical and emotional awkwardness of their first night together. Billy Howle stars opposite Ronan, alongside Emily Watson and Anne-Marie Duff.15th June
3 of 21Thoroughbreds
Playing out like a millennial Cruel Intentions with darker laughs and an even darker ending, Thoroughbreds is as poised and fast-paced as its title would suggest. Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke make a compellingly twisted duo as Lily and Amanda, two privileged Connecticut teens who'd drifted apart until the latter's mum bribes the former to assist her daughter with SAT prep. Type-A Lily soon becomes fascinated by Amanda – and by whispered rumours about her pet horse's grim fate, too – and recruits her into an increasingly sinister campaign against her hateful stepfather.9th March
4 of 21Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!
Everyone's favourite guilty pleasure musical (OK, my favourite guilty pleasure musical) is back for a sequel that's also a prequel: Lily James plays the twenty-something iteration of Meryl Streep's Donna, who's torn between younger versions of the three love interests we met in the first film. As the story jumps from past to present, the old gang of Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth et al is back, but a question mark hangs over Donna's fate – luckily, Cher has been drafted in for a cameo to distract from her absence. The question that no one's asking, though, is how have the producers eked out a sequel when the first film tore through almost every song on ABBA: Gold? 20th July
5 of 21Mary Poppins Returns
53 years after Mary Poppins floated into the London sky, umbrella in hand, Emily Blunt will take on Julie Andrews' iconic role in an all-singing, all-dancing sequel – and as far as re-castings go, this one appears to be practically perfect in every way. Set in 1930s London, Mary Poppins Returns picks up with Jane and Michael Banks (played by Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw) as adults with children of their own. Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Julie Walters and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda (who's also worked on the musical numbers) round out an all-star cast.25th December
6 of 21First Man
Ryan Gosling re-teams with La La Land director Damien Chazelle for a new biopic that's stratospheres away from his love letter to old Hollywood musicals. First Man follows Neil Armstrong (Gosling) as he prepares to make the first landing on the Moon. The Crown's Claire Foy joins him as Janet, Armstrong's wife, in what will doubtless be her most awards-friendly role since taking on Queen Elizabeth II. Chazelle's film, which he's previously described as 'a mission movie' over a straightforward biopic, has been in development since 2014, and features a script by Josh Singer, who wrote 2016's Best Picture winner Spotlight.
7 of 21The Post
Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and the Pentagon Papers leak: everything about The Post implies guaranteed success come awards season. Its subject matter, too, couldn't feel more timely. Streep plays Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham, the lone woman in the editorial boys' club, as she grapples with the ethical implications of her paper publishing (or not publishing) a classified report which reveals how successive US governments had stepped up the conflict in Vietnam. In other words, it's about holding those in power to account. A must-watch.19th January
8 of 21Black Panther
It doesn't arrive in cinemas until next month, but Black Panther – the first standalone movie in Marvel's extensive stable to be fronted by a black superhero – is already setting records, beating Captain America: Civil War to become the studio's most pre-ordered film in the 24 hours after tickets became available. As T'Challa, the hero of the title, Chadwick Boseman heads up a cast that features Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan and Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya. Here's to a future where Marvel movies don't exclusively star white guys named Chris…12th February
9 of 21Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald
After 2016's inaugural Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them comes the second in a planned five-part series, bearing the ever-so-slightly cumbersome title The Crimes of Grindelwald. Plot details have, of course, been kept largely under wraps, but we can expect to see Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander teaming up with Jude Law's Young Dumbledore to take down the dark wizard of the title. Johnny Depp's casting has (rightly) proved controversial: can the producers' decision to stand by the star in the wake of domestic abuse allegations stand up in the Times Up era?16th November
10 of 21A Wrinkle In Time
Madeleine L'Engle's fantasy epic isn't widely read this side of the Atlantic, but it's a beloved childhood favourite for many US readers. Now, the novel is getting the Disney blockbuster treatment with Ava DuVernay, the woman behind Selma and last year's The 13th, on directing duties. Joining her to tell the story of Meg (played by 14-year-old Storm Reid), a young girl who travels through space and time in search of her missing scientist father are Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Chris Pine.9th March
11 of 21Solo: A Star Wars Story
Fashioning a back story for one of the most iconic screen characters of all time is no small task, and for a moment, it seemed like the latest addition to the Star Wars spin-off universe would end up trapped in development hell: the film's two directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller parted with Disney due to the classic 'creative differences' halfway through production, with Ron Howard drafted in at last minute to wrap things up. All this behind-the-scenes drama only serves to make Solo: A Star Wars Story the more intriguing. Set to mark a tonal shift from past installments (it's been billed as having a comedy-meets-western feel, whatever that means), it'll see Alden Ehrenreich stepping into Harrison Ford's shoes, with Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian and Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in as-yet-undisclosed roles.25th May
12 of 21Isle Of Dogs
Wes Anderson's follow-up to The Grand Budapest Hotel__ was this doggie treat. A stop-motion animation in the vein of his Fantastic Mr Fox, Isle of Dogs is set in a dystopian Japan in which dogs have been confined to a garbage-strewn island after an outbreak of canine flu. This being an Anderson movie, the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston and Jeff Goldblum are among those voicing the menagerie of canine characters.
13 of 21Phantom Thread
Daniel Day Lewis' last role (or so he says – the three-time Oscar winner has a habit of announcing a career break then making a suitably dramatic return) sees him play a twisted 1950s couturier in Phantom Thread. So far, the film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, has garnered five star reviews across the board and a clutch of awards nominations, too, while the dreamy New Look-style ball gowns are worthy of a real-life runway.2nd February
14 of 21I, Tonya
They say the truth is stranger than fiction: that seems, at least, to be entirely correct when it comes to the curious case of Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, who fell from grace when she became implicated in a brutal attack on Nancy Kerrigan, her team mate and rival. To play Tonya (and to play against her superlative looks), Margot Robbie was transformed with layer upon layer of prosthetics. A classic awards tactic, yes, but one that's apparently paid off: her performance has so far earned nominations from both the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs.16th February
15 of 21Red Sparrow
Jennifer Lawrence goes full femme fatale in Red Sparrow, playing a Russian ballerina who's forcibly recruited by the secret service. Once she has been trained up as a super-spy, she begins to question her loyalties when she embarks upon a relationship with a CIA agent. Based on that synopsis, we're expecting glossy, high octane thrills, with J. Law back in quasi-superheroine mode after a post-*Hunger Games *and X-Men lull. Charlotte Rampling, Joel Edgerton and Matthias Schoenaerts also star. 2nd March
16 of 21The Shape Of Water
If you were enchanted by the dark dreamscape of Pan's Labryinth, Guillermo del Toro's fantastical Spanish Civil War allegory, prepare to get excited for The Shape of Water, a 60s-set love story that's also a B-movie thriller. Sally Hawkins is expected to pick up an Oscar nomination for her performance as a mute cleaning lady who's captivated by a fish-man hybrid held in the high-security lab where she works. A touching romance that's far from the Hollywood norm unfolds, and like many of this year's awards hopefuls, it's not hard to read between the lines to infer a timely message, one of tolerance and acceptance.14th February
17 of 21Molly's Game
If you haven't already caught Molly's Game, the directorial debut from West Wing screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, may we kindly recommend that you do so, ASAP? Flawlessly delivering Sorkin's trademark mile-a-minute dialogue, Jessica Chastain gives an electrifying, can't-take-your-eyes-off-the-screen performance as Molly Bloom, the former Olympic skier who became the host of an underground Hollywood poker game which eventually counted A-listers and billionaires among its players. Out now
18 of 21Mary, Queen of Scots
Saoirse Ronan stars as the ill-fated Mary Stuart, the Scottish queen who became embroiled in intrigue when she made a play for the British throne, in this first screen effort from Josie Rourke, the departing Donmar Warehouse creative director. It also marks Margot Robbie's second film make-under of the year, decked out in ashy white make-up and a flaming red wig to play Elizabeth I, Mary's cousin and rival. The likes of David Tennant, Guy Pearce and Joe Alwyn also star.November
19 of 21Annihilation
From the director of Ex Machina, Alex Garland, comes Annihilation, a sci-fi-horror-thriller mash-up that promises to be just as cerebral and troubling as its predecessor. Based on the novel by US writer Jeff VanderMeer, it'll star Natalie Portman as a biologist who joins an all-female expeditionary group (featuring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson) venturing into an environmental disaster zone. If new reports prove correct, it's set to sidestep a cinema release in the UK, instead dropping onto our Netflix dashboards this spring. Spring
20 of 21Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
A pitch-black tragicomedy from the writer of In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri sees Frances McDormand as a grieving mother burning with righteous anger: after local police are no closer to catching her daughter's killer one year on from the murder, she rents a trio of billboards in an attempt to shame them out of their stupor. While the film has already proved critically divisive (with its problems centring around the racist cop played by Sam Rockwell), McDormand's blistering foul-mouthed performance is certainly worth your attention.Out now
21 of 21Lady Bird
As far as concepts go, Greta Gerwig directing Saoirse Ronan in a coming-of-age story set in early Noughties California might sound too good to be true, but that's Lady Bird's exact premise. Having already proved a major hit with US cinemagoers and critics (landing – for a time – the coveted 100 percent rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes), it'll finally arrive on UK screens in the thick of awards season in February. Manchester By The Sea's Lucas Hedges and Call Me By Your Name's Timothée Chalamet pop up as the self-nicknamed 'Lady Bird's love interests, while Laurie Metcalf is generating Oscar buzz with her nuanced performance as the title character's mother.16th February