The Gilded Age Season 1 is coming to DVD, and with it comes behind-the-scenes bonus features about the costumes of the glitzy period drama. TV Insider has an exclusive clip from the upcoming box set, The Gilded Age the Complete First Season, available Tuesday, July 26 from Warner Bros Home Entertainment, and in it, viewers learn about how Agnes Van Rhijn approaches fashion compared to her neighborly nemesis, Bertha Russell.
Played by Christine Baranski and Carrie Coon, Agnes and Bertha represent the old and new money of 1800s New York. The stubborn, by-the-book Agnes only fraternizes with the old wealth of society, refusing more than most in her circle to let people like Bertha in. Bertha and her husband, George Russell (Morgan Spector), on the other hand, are so ridiculously wealthy, it seems the most close-minded of their social scene will have to make space for them as their family fortunes dwindle.
The families of the Gilded Age displayed their riches through material things. And to that end, the fashion depicted in the HBO period drama is filled with vibrant colors and intricate patterns that are true to the era, but with a contemporary twist. In the costumes of The Gilded Age clip, above, costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone breaks down the inspirations behind the thousands of pieces she procured for Season 1. And Agnes’ approach to fashion unsurprisingly aligns with her social ideology.
“For Agnes, we chose a very conservative approach. Even if she bought them in Paris … she probably kept them in her closet for two years until the very newest of the fashions became less new and less provocative,” Walicka-Maimone says. “On the other hand, Bertha would buy the newest of the fashions and display them and be quite bold with them.”
Alison Rosa/HBO
“I was completely unfamiliar with this period,” she admits, adding, “I felt like it was that response, like ‘is this exciting? Is this interesting to my eye, which is a contemporary eye, do I see that as interesting?’ I felt like every day, I was discovering something new about that period.”
Learn more about the costumes of The Gilded Age Season 1 in the above video before the box set comes out July 26. The complete first season will also be available for digital purchase from major retailers for those without HBO Max. The Gilded Age Season 2 is currently in production.
The Gilded Age, Season 1, Streaming Now, HBO Max