Because we had all the scripts, Ramy and I tracked the progression of where he was going to go over the season so that at the end, we knew what that disassembled, falling apart look was – which is why we planted it at the beginning. 

We wanted to elevate him so that around episode four (when we hit the Muslim conference)  we have a very certain look that feels close to, but different. 

I thought, why don't we bringing a really great wool overcoat that's not something we've seen on you and we can do something similar with your dad. There's little moments where both he and Farouk have a similar style of overcoat, which you don't see on other characters in the show. 

And I really want to make sure to incorporate turtlenecks, it just adds a little bit of elevation. It's simple, but we were mindful of putting things together and styling them so it feels nuanced and cool.

Seek:  We just love his whole vibe! That's how we wanna dress this fall.

Smith:  That's what a couple of my girlfriends have been saying! That touches my heart because the styling really is non-gender. 

It's just about what looks good on a body and realizing that style crosses all gender, all religions.

Seek:  Given that Ramy is this entrepreneur coming out of the Diamond District, jewelry is critical to the storyline.

Smith:  Ramy let us know that there's some jewelers that he grew up with. We went to visit Mark (Shami) at the M Jewelers shop in Soho. 

It was these cool guys talking about jewelry and fashion in a way that just felt approachable and engaging. We were talking about bevel size, cut, clarity. 

They're so smart and they're so good at what they do. We ended up getting him a really great signet ring that he wears throughout the show. 

Smith:  I started the conversation with Bella (Hadid) over Zoom. 

We talked about her character and I showed her the mood boards. We discussed the inspiration of Pam Beasley: it's not a copy, it's an inspiration. 

How could we create a silhouette that feels very much of the world of who this woman is? 

I told her we were going to use sheer black Wolford pantyhose. She was very down for whatever worked best for the character. 

I really enjoyed working with Bella. She was always happy to be there. 

I think that extends from Ramy – he writes these characters that are interesting and engaging and actors come into it excited to be a part of the world.

Seek:  Let's get into your thoughtful collaboration with Seattle-based, female-owned Nuura Collection. 

Smith:  I myself am first generation American. I'm a minority. 

Whenever I'm telling a story that centers around a specific community, I reach out to women who are part of that community. 

It's really important that as costume designers we are using our platform to showcase brands that people may never have heard of – brands that really identify with who your characters are. 

I sent a cold email asking to incorporate some of their pieces into the show. I think the colors and construction are beautiful. They are young women based out of Seattle whose hijabs saved the show. 

Almost every woman with a hijab wore Nuura. It made it easier for us to create an authentic look that we could keep in continuity.

Seek:  Yasmina (played by Rana Roy) is stunning.

Smith:   She's so beautiful and so kind. It was the easiest fitting: everything looked good on her. Everything looks good on everyone. 

It was one of the easiest casts to work with. People came in, they brought their culture and they were excited to share.

Smith:  It was the same thing for Sarita Choudhury playing Olivia, who's a sex worker. Amazing, stunning, you just saw her in And Just Like That. She was a goddess. 

For Ramy, we talked about what would be appropriate for a sex worker. It's not about lace and luxury. It's about taking your clothes off off quickly. Putting your clothes on quickly. 

And then we're also thinking about the practicality of fabrics. It's not going to be chiffon and silk – it's going to be something you can wash. And we talked about those things in a way that felt very thoughtful and present.

Olivia's looks were very sexy New Jersey. 

Tight, sexy, stretch pants with laces and cut outs. The over the new boots that she wore, and the faux fur little bomber. My assistant found that jacket, so I'm going to give her her credit for it.

Smith:  We took Dena from this unsure young woman to looking like she's so put together. When we find out that she didn't take the bar, she's secretly falling apart.

She's falling in love with some guy that she was not into, sneaking out to this house, doing all this crazy stuff. 

It's kind of great to create a juxtaposition of how she wants to be perceived versus how we see her really unfold.

Seek:  Dress to impress?

Smith: Dress to be the person you wish your family thinks you are.

Seek:  We love Steve's style this season! He's got a little bit of a seventies rockstar look. Can you tell us about that, and creating a safe environment on set?

Smith: One of the things we're really mindful of is Covid. It was important to limit how many people were in the fitting with him. 

Steve (Way) brought his own community to help support him and get him dressed. It was great seeing these young dudes be down for their friend.

We really wanted to see Steve with a girlfriend, and how it changes who he was before. He's dating this cool girl who likes him. He's the apple of her eye. That changes someone. 

We wanted to reflect that in the leather jacket and plaid shirts. In the fitting we decided to cover his neck bags in a fabric that matches what he's wearing.

Seek: Did you also make the elven and feline costumes?

Smith:  The cat woman is custom built. Shout out to Jules, who's a local artist in New York, craft extraordinaire. We built the base and then she painted all of it.

For Silva, played by Chris Abbott, that is one of the tricks of costume. We rent things from different places, and we built things on top of it. And then what you see is the finished product. 

It was a little faux fur here, some leather there. Throw some paint on it.

We had to think about what Silva would wear when he's inside his weird, lofty, low light lair. What would she wear when she's on the couch? 

It was a weird conversation. But that's what makes interesting TV.