On CBS’ Elsbeth, the titular character played by Carrie Preston cruises around New York’s crime scenes in big coats, flamboyant scarves, and an ever-changing array of oversized bags that have become her calling card. However, the geeky outfit is surprisingly a real physical challenge!
On Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, Preston said she found herself carrying Elsbeth’s pile of handbags for the entire day and how the production team had to rethink that design and how they were eventually inculcated as part of her attire.
The seemingly chaotic and inventive look that Preston’s work presents on screen is the result of an intricate process that includes tape, safety pins, strategic stuffing, and even physical therapy, which makes her highly eccentric appearance even more impressive.
Fashion is pain, especially when you’re carrying half of Manhattan
The bags are now more of an accessory at this point. Recently, Elsbeth star Carrie Preston has confessed to Variety about the task of carrying multiple bags during long shooting days, but that wasn’t doing her body any favors. The bags started as a quirky character detail, but eventually became a full production problem; the crew had to make the bags look full while also being light enough to shoot with.
Carrie Preston told Variety,
“Don’t ask any crew member to tell you what I really think about the bags at this point. They are wonderful, and of course, they are part of the character. But logistically, carrying them around and taking them on and off my shoulders, we’ve had to really work on it — because I was starting to have some physical problems.
She further added,
“Like, ‘got to go to physical therapy’ kind of issues. And so we had to figure out what we put in the bags to make them look like they have stuff in them — but be still light enough for me to have them on my shoulders all day long.”
The problem was getting them to look like they had a ton of Elsbeth’s many possessions while not loading Preston down. So, while the viewers watch Elsbeth dancing through crime scenes looking adorably crazy, Preston was working on preserving her shoulders between shots.
One of the most iconic aspects of her attire was one of the most difficult parts of her role.
The costume team’s secret weapon: tape and safety pins
As much as you might think TV magic is all CGI, there are times when it’s simply a matter of industrial-strength fashion tapes. Elsbeth star Carrie Preston admitted that keeping her character’s signature bags in the right spot while shooting the series was proving to be difficult, so the costume department has resorted to tape and safety pins to hold them in place between shots and to avoid the continuity from being lost.
On Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast, Carrie Preston stated:
“If one bag goes off the shoulder, they can’t use that take. So my on-set costumer, who’s amazing, will put top stick tape on the the bags to make them stick to my shoulders. She’ll safety pin them sometimes, and so they won’t fall off. But then it’s very hard between scenes for me to take them off. So, it’s like a whole thing! It’s a real production, those bags.”
Preston quipped that the bags felt like being built into her body and handbag management became an art form. Once the shoot ended, it was a whole thing for the crew to get rid of everything. The story heightens the already chaotic charm of the series.
However, the bags are also a very important part of Elsbeth’s personality. They convey the energy of the character in the most chaotic, practical, lovable way, and that is why you will see every strap in this production perfectly arranged.
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Edited by Subho Mukhopadhyay