Interview with Costume Designer Dahlia Foroutan
Bella’s style is feminine and incorporates a lot of bright colors. How did you come up with the wardrobe for Bella?
I came up with the feeling of the wardrobe for Bella by thinking of our audience. Our audience is young and likes visual stimulation so we keep her in a lot of bright colors. We keep her relatable as well though.
Originally, we wanted Bella to be the girl that all girls aspire to be. Last season, she did a lot more as far as accessorizing and putting outfits together. This year, after establishing that character, and getting the girls hooked to her character and her style, we pulled her back a little bit to make her more realistic and her outfits more attainable.
We incorporated a lot more of her love for sports, but kept the colors and the boldness. The general style is still aspirational but attainable and relatable for the girls. Last year may have been less relatable for the girls, but they enjoyed her and fell in love with her. Now we want them to feel like they can be her as well.
What I love about Bella is that she’s not only an athlete but she’s also admired by the boys in her school. In what ways do you address her status in her wardrobe?
I feel like her wardrobe shows both sides of her. We don’t want her to lose her femininity by being athletic so I think it’s important to show that a girl can still be a girl and also be tough. I love the new [promotion] right now where they say .≤Run like a girl, play like a girl.’ I think it relates to us and our character here. We don’t try to make Bella one of the boys, style-wise at all. She’s not trying to be one of the boys. She’s not trying to change for them. She is who she is, and that is a feminine girl that’s still colorful and stylish. Even when she wears her letterman jacket on school spirit days, she still adds her personal style to it. I think it’s really important to show girls that you don’t have to be one of the boys. You can be a girl and be equal to them. You can still be yourself and be just as great.
Do you incorporate Brec’s preferences in the wardrobe?
We definitely consider and respect her opinions. I always ask her how she feels in [what she’s wearing]. Every fitting, I’m not just a costume designer; I’m also a mom and a psychologist. I try to read her even if she’s uncomfortable saying it .≤cause she’s such a sweet girl and doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But I don’t consider her own personal style because that has nothing to do with the character.
