How 'The Shards' nailed the optimistic nihilism of early '80s fashion
Bret Easton Ellis' novel of privilege and horror in 1980s L.A. was always going to be a visual feast for the senses with the fashion as a main character
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WHEN IT WAS confirmed that Ryan Murphy was adapting Bret Easton Ellis’ The Shards, his semi-fictional account of his senior year at an elite Los Angeles prep school in 1981, my first thought was “will they get the clothes right?”
Suffice it to say, any concerns were ill-advised. Within a minute of the opening credits of Murphy’s adaptation for FX and Hulu, we were already hearing about a brown Ralph Lauren polo shirt (with white accents), Calvin Klein jeans and Gucci loafers, all purring in the voiceover from Ellis’ novelised version of himself. This was quickly followed up with pastel knitwear draped over shoulders
When it comes to depicting the aesthetics and fashion from the 1980s, there can be a tendency to lean heavily on caricature. Too much neon. Too many pastels. Too much aerobic wear. In the book version of The Shards, Ellis treats clothing as a language. It’s a theme throughout all Ellis novels, to be fair, where Ellis treats fashion and clothing with a rare, sometimes sinister, reverence. It is both villain and hero, with main character energy. It’s also a language, clinically cataloguing the details of a mis-en-scene and adding another layer of economic code to the LA homes, restaurants and nightclubs that his characters populate throughout the pages. So it was important to get it just right.
Navigating how to capture the specific cusp season of 1981, just as Reagan was about to take office and disco’s dying beats were paving the way for renewed pop anthems, Murphy’s team tapped Joshua Marsh and Lou Eyrich to bring the wardrobes of his privileged protagonists to life.
For the most part, it’s grounded in a wearability that we’re seeing replicated on men’s runways recently at Ralph Lauren, Saint Laurent, Celine. Polo shirts worn with a tie, leather trousers under a school blazer, cropped and angular jackets inspired by the rising popularity of New Romantics and synth pop groups like Depeche Mode. There’s a good amount of fantasy thrown in, too. Jordan Roth’s wardrobe is an Andy Warhol-esque fever dream, while Wes Bentley’s Terry Schaffer delivers peak LA performative panache.
Getting those details right in a show set among people who notice everything took research, a strong point of view and a great deal of genuine period vintage. Esquire spoke to Marsh about the brands that defined 1981, the magazines and yearbooks on the mood board, the playlist in the fitting room, and how Jordan Roth’s Steven was assembled and the one film star the team kept returning to.
ESQUIRE: I love this period for menswear because it felt like they were having as much fun as the women, with colours and layers. What were some trends you were really excited to revive from 1981?
JOSHUA MARSH: Brighter/pastel colours were a trend we were really excited about, as well as the big shoulders, bold silhouettes and fine silk fabrication.
What brands were must-haves to feature? Ralph Lauren makes complete sense, who else?
Those must have brands in ’81 would have included Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein (especially denim), Pierre Cardin, Armani, Levi’s, Celine silks, Sperry Top-Siders, Gucci, Halston for elegant moments and lounge.
Did you chat to Bret [Easton Ellis] at all about his wardrobe as a teenager? What he was wearing?
We didn’t need to – we had his incredible novel, which provided a relentlessly detailed roadmap of pieces, brands, trends and the stylistic language of ’81. It helped us create a foundation for the world and elevate from the page.
You’ve really created a visual story for Robert, one that feels like quite the departure from the book (the leather pants to school!). What was the discussion around this?
The departure for Robert Mallory’s character was important in establishing the cinematic disaccord on screen. Prior to attending school in LA, Robert had been part of a very different world. Different colours, different textures, different stylistic influences; he has travelled the world and experienced fashion and culture, so it was important that his clothes felt like a departure from the norm. His leather pants, the infusion of the New Romantics sensibilities of the early 80s, and slightly more daring stylistic choices, were meant to inspire a sense of danger in the nonconformity and unprecedented presentation of a high school student in LA in ’81.
How did you choose Jordan Roth’s wardrobe? He has fast become my favourite element of this show, like a demonic hybrid of Andy Warhol and David Bowie.
Jordan Roths wardrobe was a truly singular and special collaboration. We started, of course, with a meeting to discuss the novel and also to deep dive into the throngs of runway shows from ’79-’81.
It was important to Ryan Murphy that the character feel sinister and lethal, while also representing 80’s glamour with a hint of danger. His hair was inspired by David Sylvian from ‘Japan’, and from there the character evolved as we went further into new wave/the new romantics. Once we found his signature silhouette – incredible ’80s shoulders and snatched/cinched waist. Steven had arrived. It was a mélange of archival, vintage pieces from Jordan’s collection, local vintage finds from LA, and a few custom gems (namely the lavender leather jumpsuit from Episode Five.)
What was on your mood board when pulling together the wardrobes for Kaia Gerber’s Susan and Hayes Warner’s Debbie?
It was important for us to remember that for both characters, money was no consideration. They could go anywhere and had access to anything, which made sourcing for them a dream, as it was about the individual stylistic integrity of a piece, as opposed to a particular brand/trend. Susan Reynolds is described in the novel as the quintessential Southern California girl. That was such a simple and informative description, as it was about finding looks that felt classic, effortless, stylish and elegant, without compromising her youth/sophistication. We thought a lot about who her contemporaries would have been and how that would inspire her style.
We saw Susan in denim, cashmere, silk blouses, leotards, Calvin Klein jeans (a la Brooke Shields in ’79), simple preppy classic. While Debbie is the wealthiest girl in school, she is less interested in the conformity of 80s prep with nothing but potential and access. She is heavily influenced by music, the fashion of early 80s rock, the dawn of MTV. While still maintaining a hint of her mother’s late 70’s glam aesthetic. Debbie is a young woman who’s really in the LA scene and has the taste and stylistic chops to dress like it.
I read somewhere that you didn’t want anything “new” for the wardrobe – are all the pieces that we see on screen vintage or archival?
We wanted to avoid contemporary reproductions/ or contemporary stand-ins for vintage pieces, as the fit and fabrication always have a different feel, it was as important for the clothes to look like ’81 as it was for them to feel like ’81.
What celebrity do you think sums up this point in time that the series takes place?
A celebrity of ’81 we constantly came back to was Richard Gere, and specifically his character in Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo.
The Shards is available to stream now on Disney+
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