The Inside Scoop From Elementary's Costume Designer: Rebecca Hofherr shares her wardrobe secrets.

Living in New York, fashion is of the utmost importance. So, Elementary costume designer, Rebecca Hofherr knows when it comes to dressing Watson and Sherlock, it's best to be "fashionably functional."
Hofherr spills the beans on the biggest challenges on set, where she gets her influence from and even some styling tips.

How would you describe the style of the show?

 

I would describe the style of the show very much a true indication of New York City, and the New Yorkers, how they dress. I’ve always wanted the show to be realistic, but also interesting.

 

Have you tried to bring any fashion influence from Holmes-era London to the contemporary New York setting?

 

For Sherlock I have incorporated British designers that also exist in New York City. I think that an ode to his past coming from London is a great way to differentiate him from a typical American New Yorker, and also an ode to the character and the books.

 

What are some of the biggest challenges that you face in styling the characters?

 

The biggest challenge that I face when styling them is first that I want to differentiate them from other characters on television. I want to give them each their own unique sets of style because Sherlock and Watson are fictional characters that are living in this realistic New York world. I want to give them that realistic feel but also have an ode to the original storyline of Sherlock and Watson, have a little fanciful ode to the fact that it’s a crime show.

 

I try and give them their own individuality while keeping with the realism and the topics that the show covers. One of the biggest challenges I face is differentiating them in the typical environments that they’re in.

 

How do you prepare when you’re creating a character’s look?

I talk with our writers and creators and producers — Rob Doherty and Carl Beverly. The script comes out, I read the script, and then I talk to them about any additional back story that the character might have, or why he’s doing what he’s doing, how much money he makes, what his family is like — if they can go into that amount of detail.

 

Then I try and give the character a range of clothing. If we have a taxi driver, there are so many variations of a taxi driver in New York City that once I see the casting and once I get the backstory, you can kind of pinpoint in on who exactly that character is, and then I go out and shop or create something and have it made.

 

I think a lot of it stems from the casting and the storyline, though, first and foremost.

 

Who are some of your favorite characters to dress then?

 

Definitely Sherlock and Watson. Because even though I work on a New York crime show and this is for all intents and purposes about the NYPD and about detectives, the great thing about them is that they are consultants so they don’t have to be pigeon-holed into wearing a suit or a dress or anything like that. They sort of have a little bit more freedom with their wardrobe.

 

And then our character that was introduced this year, Kitty, she was a great person and we had lots of fun dressing her because she was a bit more alternative, especially for a female character on television. She wore a lot of leather jackets, she was tough, she had boots and she was a very attractive girl but not your typical heroine on network television. So I think anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of a stereotype of a character they’re playing is someone that I really enjoy dressing.

 

When you’re dressing those characters, do you take influence from the broader world of fashion? What would be your biggest influences from the world of fashion?

 

As a costume designer I appreciate fashion so much, not only because of the creativity but also because it evolves faster than so many things that we shop for in stores. I don’t take anything directly from a runway, but it’s definitely influenced every season mostly by the color palette and the overall silhouette that people are putting out that changes from year to year.

 

We’re moving into New York Fashion Week, so what I’ll be looking for from a lot of favorite designers is to see what their colors and their silhouettes are going to be. I think that will influence my decisions that I’ll make for the upcoming episodes.

 

Do you tend to stick to a certain color palette for specific characters?

I definitely stick to a color palette for almost the whole show, because our subject matter is a bit darker. I think that the writing and the show’s overall theme make me stick to a more muted color palette on the show.

 

For example, Watson and Sherlock — even though they’re not NYPD detectives, they’re consultants, they still have to be in that world, which is a very, very cut and dried world. The men wear suits, they wear sport coats, and the women wear suits. If they didn’t fit in just a little bit, the storyline wouldn’t flow as good as it does. So they have to have their own style, but also be able to operate in all of these different worlds that they’re in.

 

What’s the next big fashion trend that you’re excited about?

 

I personally have always not liked the 90s, and I think we’re finally moving away from the 90s style trend, so I am very excited to get back to fitted silhouettes and some brighter colors. I’m happy to be moving away from a bit of the grunge and moving towards a bit of a more futuristic look.

 

Are there are any styles that you would want to give to fans?

 

My biggest style that I’ve always stuck to, even more myself and when I design, is definitely style yourself for the body that you have, not the body that you want. Because I see a lot of people that try and wear trendy things, and trendy things don’t always look good on everyone. I think that if you’re no the kind of person that can pull it off, if you go with a more classic style, you’ll look more comfortable in your own skin.

 

What do you consider when updating and changing a character’s style? Do story changes make a difference?

 

The one big that stands out in my mind is that Watson from season one to season two switched careers… so I think her style definitely evolved a bit from that move in her life. I generally try just for continuity purposes to not do any major style changes unless the story denotes it, or I would save them from season to season. So if I wanted to change something major about Sherlock, I wouldn’t do it mid-season without explanation. I would wait until the start of a new season to introduce something like that. I think our viewers like the recognition of characters as soon as they turn on the television, and I think that’s really important to satisfy our audiences.

 

How have you gone about styling Moriarty?

 

When I first found out that she was going to be a woman, the most important thing that I wanted her to portray was that she was strong and powerful. The irony of that is when we meet Moriarty, we don’t know that it’s her, and she plays sort of a weaker character but as she evolves into Moriarty, every time you see her after that she has a very, very commanding look to her.

 

Whereas Watson’s character I want every woman to be able to relate to — I want every woman to see something that she wears that they would also wear — Moriarty, I did not have that same thought. I wanted women to sort of envy her, and want to wear the things that she wore, but maybe not be able to.