In a musical, all of the design elements need to fuse together to create a cohesive look and atmosphere for the show. When it comes to the costumes in the In The Heights movie, Mitchell Travers went hyperlocal to bring the world of Washington Heights to audiences worldwide.
“My approach was to intensely study the street style of the neighborhood and interpret it through a musical lens,” says Travers. “Colors and silhouettes were exaggerated to underscore the film’s energy. It was always about balancing the reality of everyday street wear with the larger-than-life spectacle of an entire community breaking into song and dance. I worked to subtly shift the color palette to support each musical number, and evolve our characters as they get closer towards achieving their dreams. Lin’s work inspired me to break the rules and experiment with clashing patterns and textures to create a visual world that felt as kinetic as his sound.”
Check out the gallery below, highlighting some of Travers’ favorite looks throughout the film.
