When the opportunity to speak with Loki costume designer Christine Wada came up, I leaped at the chance, because there's one aspect of the Disney+ drama that I haven't been able to get out of my head: Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) button-down shirt. While at first glance the shirt, part of the wardrobe given to him by the Time Variance Authority, looks like a traditional business-appropriate top, the shoulder seams indicate that things are not quite what they seem.
In short, the shirt is a microcosm for the entire show in some ways, especially in relation to the mysteries of the TVA that we're just on the verge of understanding — the mark of some brilliant costume design. Below, Wada indulges my questions about the aforementioned shirt before talking more generally about the inspirations behind other TVA ensembles, what it's like knowing that her work will be studied by cosplayers for years to come, what you might not have noticed about Tom Hiddleston's pants, and of course that Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant) ensemble.
Collider: To start off, I'd love to learn more about the shirt that Tom Hiddleston is wearing for most of the show, because it's just different enough to really stand out.
CHRISTINE WADA: I know. Well, it's kind of an interesting journey we went on with that design, because, just to give you a little backstory, a lot of the design was just taking things that we all have seen before and twisting it a little bit, which is also what the story does.
So it was just re-imagining things a little bit and putting a spin on them. But that shirt, I remember Tom and I were not sure ... Sci-fi sometimes can get so corny and take over the emotional undercurrents of things in this sort of story. And so, we were worried at first that it would. And when he put it on, it was just like, oh no, it doesn't, you are completely pulling this off. And it was a really great moment, because it did feel like we needed a little something that wasn't of just this modern era, that took us into this weird world of the TVA. And I think it worked.
Was there any specific inspiration you had for it, specifically the yolk construction on the shoulders? It really does just stick in my mind.
WADA: There are some Japanese pattern-makers that do interesting origami-esque ways of constructing clothing. So I do have this book on that, and then we just did our own take on it. I think origami is a very good way of describing a lot of things about this show. It is just sort of the twisting up of the things to make them like all of a sudden magical. You know?
Of course. In a general sense, what can you say about the general inspiration for the TVA costuming?
WADA: Well, it was for sure we had this Mad Men thing as a launching place for our overall language. And then it was, well, what do we do? I tend to prefer to design from a place of reality. And so, we thought about a police station, or the DMV, or all of those things, to create a structure to the TVA. And then it was really just taking those cues and twisting on them a little bit. And I'd say there are definitely some elements inspired a little bit by Terry Gilliam, of really making things feel a little found. And that color palette, I definitely tortured a little bit over, because I mean, all that fabric like Tom and Mobius is actually all vintage '50s suiting fabric, the sharkskin.
I don't know if you really can see it, but what's really magical about Tom's pants is that sharkskin reflects two tones, and one is green and the other's brown on his pants, and green being very Loki. So it was always just like, ugh, the perfect fabric for him, and it's 1950s fabric. But I was tortured over it a little bit, because brown isn't always the most obvious choice for a sci-fi futuristic thing. I felt like it set the tone for the mystery of the TVA and that you think it's a benign sort of this benign organization. And I kind of took a gamble on that brown palette for portraying a more benign organization.
Another detail I love that is the flare on Ravonna's coat.
WADA: Thank you. Because that was also this weird, crazy conversation that I remember having very early on with Kate. It's just like, "Wait, what does this skirt mean versus a pant on a woman?" Because the lovely part of the show is just being able to really have these conversations for real about gender and what certain things mean. And do they add power, or do they take away power? What does a woman in a skirt versus a pant mean? You know? And that was a huge kind of conversation. We didn't really want to strip her completely of all femininity.
It is definitely an important detail, given that she is in menswear so much, or menswear-esque ensembles. So it does add something to that.
WADA: Right. And just saying something about that you can have power and be powerful as a female, with a female flourish. Right? There's nothing powerless in that.
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, I must ask about the classic Loki costume. What was your mandate there?
WADA: The mandate was just making it feel of that older era as much as possible. Which of course, I love because I've grown up on some of that all those old comic book shows, the Wonder Woman era. So the mandate was just to feel like he was really from that time, like we plucked him from that time of superheroes and that he'd been sitting in there for a while. You know?
Of course. I feel like I've seen some commentary from him on social media, mentioning Kermit, but I imagine that's what happens whenever you wear that much green of that color.
WADA: Yeah. I mean, geez, or if you wear those horns. What a pleasure to have somebody bring a costume to life like that man can.
Absolutely. This is a random detail, but is there something we should pick up on from the fact that Mobius and Loki end up being dressed pretty similarly?
WADA: I think it speaks more to the whole TVA and trying to strip people away from their origins, shall we say. It's just trying to take the personality out of it. And it's also a little nod to the film noir-type vibe.
As my last question, let me ask — in taking on a project like this, how conscious are you of the knowledge that what you're making for this show is going to be cosplayed at hundreds of conventions for the rest of the time?
WADA: Well, I mean, to be completely honest, I'm not really from this world. So it was a complete pleasure to see people's excitement over the costumes and just the MCU in general. I just think it's so cool that people pay attention to such detail. It just makes you want to do your job even better. To see people actually really pay attention to all that hard work you did and all those details, it's an incredible fan base that way. They're not there to rip you apart. It's amazing. You know? When does that happen?
Do you have people reaching out to you asking, "How do I make this?"?
WADA: Yeah. I've had a couple of people reach out, for sure.
The season finale of Loki premieres Wednesdays on Disney+.