‘The 1890s was a design dream’

Designer Christine Wada discusses styling the second season of Loki

The recently-released Season 2 of Loki sees the Sacred Timeline in danger and the God of Mischief, played with gusto by Tom Hiddleston trying to repair the damage, with help from Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Ouroboros (Ke Huy Quan). In the fantasy-drama, there is much whizzing through time and space, from a glitzy movie premiere in the ‘70s to the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Hence, research and designing costumes was fun, says designer Christine Wada, known for styling films such as Bridesmaids (2011), and The Terminal (2004).

A lot of that research is thanks to the incredible amount of actual film footage of ‘70s premieres, and still photography, says Christine. Speaking over a video call from Los Angeles, she says, “I landed on a photo of Donald Pleasence, and he had this shirt with ruffles. Immediately Tom (Hiddleston) and I gravitated towards bringing back the 1970s ruffle shirts. I thought who better to do that than Tom.”

The research for the 1890s Chicago World’s Fair, was thanks to the pamphlets of the time, says Christine. “I researched old catalogues from that era. It was interesting because there was not a lot of ready-to-wear menswear at that point. The women’s wear catalogues on the other hand, were incredibly detailed and fun to look through.”

Though Christine says she liked the impact of the glamour of the ‘70s, in terms of execution and detail, the 1890s was a design dream. “To be able to work with milliners and embroiderers, finding those old fabrics and techniques that are barely used anymore, it was a fantastic era to recreate.”

Christine finds it difficult to pick a favourite character to dress. “Every character while you’re doing it seems like the most fun. I love them all.” If she had to, Christine picks Ravonna Renslayer’s (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) 1890s costume. “It was cool to pay attention to all the detail of that era, and all sorts of understructure. That suit is built on an old bicycle suit from the Victorian era, which ticked a lot of boxes in terms of research and construction.”

Figuring out the colour of the suit was part of the process, says Christine. “I was trying to figure out how to make the 1890s feel like colourised black-and-white photography. That colour felt like it had a coolness like Renslayer does. And is feminine and masculine, which is an important part of her character. That is why in season one, she has a coat that feels like it could be a dress or a coat. It is always the masculine and the feminine and that colour stayed true to that thread of her character.”

For all who felt that Tom’s shirts were on the tight side, Christine says, “They’re made of a traditional Oxford cloth that you would see in the 1950s or even now. They are fitted specifically to him.”