Eric Daman, costume designer It all ends with usAdmitting he’s seen fan chatter online surrounding Blake Lively’s look in the film, he’s just happy to see people talking about his work.
In the spring of 2023, while filming was taking place in New Jersey and New York, some fans captured photos and videos of Lively dressing up as her character Lily Bloom on the street. The images quickly spread on social media, with some fans criticizing Lively’s outfits because they were not what they imagined Lily would wear while reading Colleen Hoover’s book that inspired the film.
Daman brushed off those concerns, saying he was honestly excited “there’s so much buzz surrounding the look itself.”
Eric Daman
Dominic Bindel/Getty Images
Daman also believes that once “people actually see the context of the costume and how it actually comes together in the scene, [and] How Blake plays Lily takes on all of this, I think people are going to be excited and excited about.
It all ends with usDirected by Justin Bardoni (who also plays Ryall), it tells the story of Lily as she overcomes childhood trauma and starts a new life. But after becoming romantically involved with neurosurgeon Ryle, she saw a side to him that reminded her of her parents’ abusive relationship.
Below is Daman, who also served as costume designer on the original film gossip GirlHe also talked about what it was like to be reunited with Lively after more than a decade, and how he used inspiration from the hit show to design costumes for some of the characters in the show. It all ends with usincluding Lively and Jenny Slate (Alyssa).
What were the initial conversations when planning the costumes and looks for the film?
Blake is already attached, and Blake and I have a wonderful past. gossip Girl Been together for six years. The first big conversation was around Lily and Lily’s style, which we really wanted to feel very, very special and have a unique fresh perspective that felt different from her personality. And, what will Blake bring to the table. She is a fashion icon. So it was very exciting to be able to brainstorm and reunite to create this incredible, complex, powerful character.
I was inspired to bring in some very special, one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. Blake and I had very, very similar ideas about it, leaning towards binge-worthy clothing and a balance between masculine and feminine elements. We didn’t want Lily to look like a shrinking violet. She’s a strong-willed, self-empowered woman, and I think it’s really important not to gravitate toward clothes that feel more sophisticated.
How involved were Hoover and Baldoni in the design process?
Yes, absolutely! Great conversation. Blake was incredibly creative. Justin had ideas about tone and things we wanted to emulate. I think stylistically, he was excited to see that Blake and I were going to create something together that worked within the parameters of the overall look of the film for production design and so on. Colleen also really let us do our thing. I had incredible interactions with Colleen, like when she was walking through the costume department or coming to the set. She was just very positive and encouraging and really wanted Blake and I to bring our sensibilities to how Lily embodied the costumes. When I worked with Blake gossip Girl, we have a very symbiotic relationship with who Serena is. Blake loves to dress up, loves clothes, has an incredible eye and amazing taste. Wish we could share this (laugh), working with Blake again after over a decade of working together in this capacity, it felt like not a day had passed. But we all grow in such amazing ways.
You beat me to it because I was about to ask you what it was like working with Lively. gossip Girl Compared to now.
It was like a very unexpected gift. we spent six years together gossip Girl. I met Blake when she was 19 and I started to experience her 10 years later, and vice versa. We have this common experience.
Hoover has previously stated that she aged the characters in the film adaptation. How does this impact your outfit planning?
As they get older and Blake and Justin get to this age, especially Lily’s character, I feel like she’s going to have more of a sense of self and style in a way [compared to] If you just graduated from college [where] The way we choose to dress her may still be a little trying, or not as confident. This goes back to self-empowerment. I think Blake gave Lily confidence.
Is it challenging for current Lily (Isabella Ferrer) and younger Lily (Isabella Ferrer) to balance appearances while trying to connect them together?
This is an exciting challenge. You want it to feel connected, you want to blur the lines between the two, which is what I like to do with tones, colors – a very desaturated palette that young Lily is in. Era. The grunge style was experiencing a renaissance at the time. gossip Girl Jenny Humphrey knows something about this, but that’s a completely different story. But it feels natural to move into that world of desaturated color. With young Lily, we blurred the lines between them and set the stage… to find a symbiotic relationship rather than a mini-me-like clone, which was really exciting and a fantastic challenge.
A number of photos and videos taken by fans on the street during filming last year circulated on social media, sparking a lot of discussion surrounding Lively’s outfits specifically. What is your reaction to this?
It’s exciting that there’s so much buzz surrounding the look itself, and whether it’s positive or not, haters are going to hate. Social media loves to receive harsh and unfounded criticism. So my point is, when people actually see the context of the costume and how it actually comes together in the scene, how Blake plays Lily, I think people are going to be excited and excited. So far, the reaction from some of the people I’ve spoken to who have seen it have been very, very positive and exciting.
when we are doing new work gossip Girl, it was the first time I saw kids come out of a trailer and their outfits were detailed from head to toe, like designer notes, pros and cons, right before they stepped out of the trailer and walked a few steps on the sidewalk. The whole thing was done in minutes, long before the show aired. So I have a different understanding of how social media works, the excitement around clothing, and it’s exciting for me to see people so interested in my positive work. You know, I’m a fan of pop culture and it’s an incredible gift to be a part of pop culture and it’s a great thing to be talked about no matter what. …You can please a lot of people a lot of the time, but you can’t please everyone all the time. You have to let it roll off your back and know that there are people who are going to be happy with things and there are people who are going to be unhappy.
Do you have a favorite costume from the movie that fans can look out for?
One of my favorite looks is when we first see Alyssa, Jenny Slate’s character, when Lily is cleaning out her flower shop and her boutique for the first time, she’s like in that dust bowl, And Jenny Slate took to that dust bowl wearing this stunning, sort of catwalk Oscar-esque piece. This perfect example of wealth and style comes into this Dust Bowl. It’s a beautiful space, but it’s definitely the antithesis of the woman you see. Her look and the way we first meet Jenny’s character Alyssa feels very, very special to me, she’s so genuine and kind and has empathy and a sense of humor to balance that look, Because if she were cold and serious, she would be a very different person in that dress.
As a self-referential note, there’s definitely a nod to Blair Waldorf in there, because when Alyssa was created, she was gossip Girl. She’s definitely going to be Blair. So I think there were a couple of headband moments and throwing that as an Easter egg to the fans.
What do you hope fans take away once they see these costumes in the film?
These are very powerful characters. I think it’s important to understand Lily’s poise, creativity, and strength. She has a very strong sense of who she is. I think being able to help create that through clothing is what I love to do as a costume designer. I’m really all about giving actors and directors the tools to bring them to life and become their characters.
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It all ends with us Currently playing in theaters.
