Leave it to Gwyneth Paltrow to star in the season's most fashion-forward new show. The Politician – the new Netflix series about fabulously wealthy and intensely ambitious high-schooler Payton (Ben Platt), campaigning to be student body president – has landed. Co-starring Gwyneth as Payton's mum, and produced by her husband Brad Falchuk, it mixes a Wes Anderson aesthetic with a maximalist, Gucci-esque style, the brainchild of costume designer Claire Parkinson. It is Claire's responsibility to make everyone - including co-stars Lucy Boynton, Zoey Deutch and Jessica Lance - look incredible.
'Gwyneth has a wonderful fashion sensilbity', Claire tells Grazia. 'Everything is such a collaboration. Every single fitting helps the character come alive through the clothing and the actor.' Through this process, Claire and her team created a character who 'really cares about humanity and the world', says Claire, 'inspired by icons such as [American socialites] Talitha Getty and Babe Paley.'
We first meet Georgina Hobart, Gwyneth's character, painting a landscape in the garden of her mansion, draped in an elegant green kaftan. 'It was very much a '70s California vibe,' Claire says. 'Georgina cares about humanity in the world, and is always ready to go to a charity event, but everything she wears shows her power.' - giant rings, chunky bracelets - and the drama of her domestic outfits: she wears a majestic white cape to meet with lawyers, a floaty red dress (with matching leather gloves) for gardening.
Lucy Boynton, star of Bohemian Rhapsody and girlfriend to its Oscar-winning star Rami Malek, also brought 'a fashion strong fashion sensibility' to her character, Payton's political rival, Astrid. 'She's very much a princess who wears a lot of trends and loves fashion,' Claire explains. 'Her character is all about the details.' Indeed, she wears knee-high socks, ruby rings and dainty black bows over ruffled shirts. 'Lucy was always asking when she can buy her clothing,' says Claire. 'She loved a lot of her outfits.'
A particular favourite was a Chanel tweed pinafore found at Pixie Market, a vintage store that Lucy and Claire both love. In one scene, she dances around her room wearing tiny shorts and a bejewelled Marc Jacobs jumper. Zoey Deutch, one of Hollywood's up-and-comers, didn't get to be so sophisticated with her wardrobe. She plays Infinity, a childlike character who Payton enlists to his campaign for the sympathy vote, as she is receiving cancer treatment. 'She's super naïve,' Claire says, explaining why Infinity's look is all about butterflies, rainbows and Disney. 'It's fun to dress characters that aren't trendy, who are more influenced by other things, like her grandmother, who dresses her like a doll.' when dressing Zoey, Claire bought 'almost everything' from charity shops.
It sounds like a fun job, but the costume is a crucial component of the show and has the power to shape performances. 'It's really lovely to help them figure out who the character is,' says Claire. 'It allows them to get more of an idea of what this character's voice is through how they dress.'
READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About Your Next Netflix Obsession: The Politician