‘Only Murders in the Building’: An Inside Look at the Show’s Stunning Coats
Only Murders in the Building features stunning costumes and some of the best coats seen on TV. The Hulu series takes place in New York, where the chilly air requires plenty of layers. The vast array of coats that most characters seem to own may be slightly unrealistic, but it makes for a stunning show. Here’s an inside look at how the OMITB costume designer puts everything together.
Mabel Mora rarely wears the same coat
The coats seen in Only Murders in the Building have become an iconic part of the show. “We have a joke in the costume department that this show is no longer about murder mysteries, this is a show about coats,” costume Designer Dana Covarrubias told W Magazine.
Selena Gomez’s character Mabel Mora has become a fashion icon. Mabel has a plethora of stunning coats, despite seemingly not having much of a job in the series. Covarrubias, however, has an explanation.
“We almost never put her in the same coat,” she told the outlet. “I think we’ve only repeated a coat twice, and it is a little unrealistic. We decided that since Mabel’s living in her fabulous aunt’s apartment, she’s borrowing clothes from her aunt’s closet, filled with some of these beautiful high-end pieces.”
Coats are part of Oliver’s character in ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Martin Short’s character Oliver also rocks some pretty impressive looks. “I secretly think Martin Short is the clotheshorse of the show! He’s so fun to design for because we can mix patterns and textures. He wears these really rich, autumnal purples and browns and teals,” Covarrubias told Shondaland.
“It’s such a joy to dress him. He’s not a boring guy — he loves to put on a performance for other people — so the coats are part of his character.”
The costume designer also shared that she used theRealReal.com to find vintage high-end coats for Short’s character. “Oliver loves to spend money. When he makes money, he doesn’t put it in the bank — he’s like, ‘Okay, now I can buy this $2,000 coat,” she said.
“Even though now he’s down on his luck and can’t really pay his rent, he would still have an amazing closet because back in the day when he was doing well, he would have spent a ton of money on clothes.”
Mabel’s white coat was inspired by an Alfred Hitchcock film
One of Mabel’s most iconic looks, a gorgeous white coat and black scarf with gloves worn in Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 6, was actually inspired by Kim Novak, a character from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
“Between the two seasons, there was a premiere party for season one, and showrunner John Hoffman gave me a little hint that season two would have some episode in it that was Hitchcock-inspired,” Covarrubias told Bloomberg. “They ended up not doing that, but I got so excited about that idea, so I took it and ran.”
All episodes of Only Murders in the Building are currently streaming on Hulu.
