Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) stars in a Reese Witherspoon production of Where the Crawdads Sing. The Costume Design by Mirren Gordon-Crozier blends in with the swamps of the south; the environment is a character in the best-selling book by Delia Owens. Set in the rural south, the looks encompass classic-casual 1950s and early 1960s – not normally celebrated, but with shapes we might want to steal today. Scroll through as we break down the costumes worn by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Kya) in Where the Crawdads Sing.

New York based costume designer, Mirren Gordon-Crozier, (The Girl From Plainville, The Glass Castle, I Think We’re Alone Now,) not only creates her mood board from the script but studies photography too, how color appears on camera versus how it appears to the naked eye. Old magazines are a source; she also references history and paintings. The varying green of the reeds in the breeze, as the light catches their arcs, against the almost white of a saturated southern sky. These hues are echoed again and again, here, on Kya’s shirt, so she stands out and blends in. The faded pattern reminding us that this item has been much worn.

(l) Even though this is the 1960s Kya is dipping into her mother’s wardrobe from the 1930s. It shows her creativity in the way she chooses to update the dress. Like a Delacroix painting, the light highlights Kya’s arm against a sea of muted browns and greens – marsh colors always captured in the costume design – even indoors. The palette is on point for the faded ochres and softened sun-drenched colors of southern marsh grasses in the summer. 

(r) Kya’s a biologist of sorts; she studies shells and loves everything beautiful. This scalloped blouse reflects the shells she often sketches. The delicacy and detail hinting that it’s from her mother’s abandoned wardrobe.

While most people are harsh to Kya she finds kindred spirits in Jumpin’ (Sterling Macer, Jr.) and Mabel (Michael Hyatt) who surreptitiously take Kya under their wing and recognize her as a like soul. Their unity is echoed through a common language in their costumes. “The soft blues, patterns, and happy prints; no harsh colors,” Gordon-Crozier explains the choices to explicitly echo Kya’s garb, in the press notes. “We made them live in the same world, tying them together in their color palette and patterns.” 

(l) Men in the 60s were becoming more casual. The setting is rural, therefore even more so. Cotton shirts rolled back on the forearms against the heat. As Tate, (Taylor John Smith) is a student and lover of the swamp, the soft blue reflects his harmony with the environment in the colors of the sky paired against the sandbanks. He is a good guy at heart, his shirt closed higher, with respect. Kya experiments with brights as her confidence grows. The shirt is feminine beneath masculine dungarees.

(r) Chase (Harris Dickinson) is the high-school quarterback. Life comes easily to him and he is accustomed to getting what he wants – and taking what he wants. The black shirt is a sign of confidence and power. Note the exposed neck – a conscious choice not only due to the heat – but deliberately exposing his beauty.

Without much disposable income, Kya relies on ‘goodwill’ type donations from the local store. Her shoes, grubby from her exploration of the marsh. Her overall, likely her brother’s that she has improvised with, adding her own skinny tee, the dungarees, a little too short in the leg. (Though perfectly cropped for today’s trend.) “Kya is more rugged and cute,” Gordon-Crozier explains. “She goes at her own pace. We wanted to keep the colors in the town bright, ‘60s, and poppy – a palette we don’t really see in the marsh.” In the background Chase in the bright ‘varsity’ jacket, popular since the 1930s and moved beyond city trends to small-town staple too. In the late 80s it would evolve into the Bomber jacket worn by punks in London. It harkens to his sport’s star status and his need to be the center of attention.

The clothes Kya would have had at hand don’t begin to capture the swinging 60s. “One of the things that makes her different is that she wears her brother and father’s old clothes,” Gordon-Crozier continues in the press notes. “She’s not at all up to the trends of the times. Her color palette is muted, with colors like seafoam green and coral, pinks and peaches, floral prints. Everything worn is aged, stitched together, and really loved. We also see clothes repeated and reformatted in different combinations. The materials practical and cotton.”

The hair reflects Kya’s growing maturity and sexual awakening. Living with humidity, and a little wild, she has likely cut her hair herself. The bright blue dress is a nod to her growing confidence, her expression – though she’s in hiding – more assured. The green band on the strap of her carry-all is in an earth hue.

As the 60s close, Kya is fighting for her life in court. Nothing about her look say’s late 60s early 70s. Her hair is groomed and neat. Her dress demure – blue, the color of the sky – to epitomize hope. The fabric – cotton and flowered, the style simple by any standards, yet elaborate for her, in the neck detail. She’s made an effort. In many ways, the folds leading down to the embellishment at her heart, a shield of protection. She’s in a courtroom that can decide her fate.

Alongside her is Tom Milton (David Strathairn). As a retired lawyer who returns to law to defend Kya, his suit is worn and comfortable, but still impressive, that of a man who was once successful and used the suit often. The fabric good but not the city.