Where did you look for references to nail the look of the high-society women in Palm Beach in the late 1960s?
The photography of Slim Aaron’s was a huge inspiration. He beautifully photographed Palm Beach society in a way that often captured socialites of the period in their environment. The photos are very detailed and colorful. We also pulled references from magazines of 1969 and of course the internet.
How did the look of high-society Palm Beach differ from other high-society women of the time?
Women were polished and sophisticated in a way that was different than other beach cities or even Palm Springs. Palm Beach women during 1969 had a colorful, modern for the time, healthy look. The country club women had tanned skin, and long manicured nails, and wore pops of color. The color really popped against the modern white backgrounds.
What inspired Kristen Wiig’s character Maxine Simmons’ signature look?
Maxine thinks if she looks the part, the Palm Beach society will accept her. She had to be tanned, toned, and with a full face of makeup at all times. Kristen tanned once a week religiously. We kept her in shades of various pinks on her eyes and cheeks. Her lips were pale and almost always frosted. I often referred to vintage tones of Revlon lipsticks from the time and matched them with modern colors. Some of my favorite vintage Revlon shades are Pink About It and Blaze Apricot.
The series is full of bright colors -– from scenery to wardrobes. How closely did you collaborate with hair and wardrobe during your design process?
We all collaborated very closely. I have worked with hair department head Karen Bartek a lot and we work together very well. Alix Friedberg is an amazing costume designer and lovely to work with. It makes such a huge difference when collaboration is easy like that. I think it shows on screen.
Can you tell me about Carol Burnett’s look as Norma?
Marja Webster is Carol’s longtime makeup artist, and Marja is lovely to collaborate with. Carol is so expressive with her face, even when in a coma, and being a lady of such stature in the Palm Beach society—of course, she would have a full face of makeup on. Marja created a polished look for Norma that was just perfect.
Do you have a favorite makeup look in the show?
There are so many fabulous looks on Palm Royale but I really loved all the showgirls in episode 4 and of course the last episode with the Beach Ball. Marissa Lafayette did beautiful makeups on Leslie Bibb (Dinah) but I was obsessed with her beautiful eyes at the Beach Ball, and all of Allison Janney’s (Evelyn) looks that Marie Del Prete created. Also, I loved Wesley Mann (Benny Barnhill) and Kaia Gerber (Mitzi) in their space suits. All of the ladies’ individual style is really accentuated and elevated. Not one character looks like the other and I love that about our show. The only common theme between the ladies is beautiful glowing skin.
What were some of your must-have products on set for Palm Royale?
Our Hulken bags! We shot at Paramount, which is one of my favorite lots, but our base camps were spread out and we did a lot of schlepping! Kiis press on nails were a lifesaver, especially with our background characters. We used all sorts of lashes in various sizes, Ilia foundations and blush sticks.
Laura Mercier Real Flawless foundation, Gucci lipsticks –- the colors are beautiful, and the packaging looks period which is great if the girls need to use it on camera. Some more favorites were Pat McGrath Sublime Skin highlighting trio, Victoria Beckham blush sticks and lip pencils, Patrick Ta Blush duos and shading duos.
To cover tattoos, we used Endura airbrush liquid. Koh Gen Do cleansing q-tips were life savers for cleaning up under the eyes and liner. For sunscreen, we used La Roche Posay for the face, and a lot of Sun Bum and Super Goop sunscreen for the exteriors.
What about the male characters?
For the men on the show we groomed their sideburns and kept them period correct. The Phillips One Blade razor is a team favorite for this. Their looks basically consisted of skincare and light foundation, groomed brows and correcting any imperfections. Josh Lucas was also filming Yellowstone at the time so when we did the 1940’s flashback we had to cover his sideburns with silicone transfers instead of shaving them. Ricky Martin has several tattoos that we covered by airbrushing EBA. We then applied his Marine Tattoo transfer on his arm that my co-key Kenny Neiderbaumer made.
What did you like best about working on Palm Royale?
I loved my team and the creativity the show allowed. It was nonstop glamourama and everyone brought their A-game! I’m so proud — it was an honor to work with this talented team.
Words Shannon Levy
Photos Courtesy of Apple TV
