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- How the Wilde–Phillips partnership shapes character through clothes
- Designing The Invite: intimacy, frames and slow reveals
- Early credit: why the costume designer’s title mattered
- I Want Your Sex: a palette of erotic color and cultural references
- Sharing the workload: co-designing and mentorship
- Small details that carry narrative weight
- Influences and a long relationship with Madonna
Olivia Wilde and costume designer Arianne Phillips have built a creative shorthand that surfaces in bold wardrobe choices and intimate costume moments. After teaming on Don’t Worry Darling, the two reunited for The Invite and connected again on Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex. The collaboration blends Wilde’s exacting vision with Phillips’s layered, character-forward approach to clothing.
How the Wilde–Phillips partnership shapes character through clothes
Wilde recruits Phillips early and trusts her instincts. Phillips says Wilde brings a clear visual plan but listens to other artists. That balance lets costumes become part of the story.
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- Collaborative direction: Wilde sets tone, Phillips translates it into fabrics and shapes.
- Character-first wardrobe: Costumes reveal backstory and emotional shifts.
- Risk and generosity: Wilde’s willingness to explore allows Phillips to experiment.
Designing The Invite: intimacy, frames and slow reveals
Reading Will McCormick and Rashida Jones’s script, Phillips saw a piece that felt theatrical. The film mostly takes place in one evening, which tightened the costume choices. Each outfit had to signal who the person was and evolve subtly during the night.
Thinking like a portrait artist
Production designer Jade Healy and cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra shaped the visual field with doorways and window frames. Phillips treated costumes like portraits that would sit inside those frames. That idea guided fabric, color and accessory choices.
Angela and Joe: domestic tension in complementary tones
Angela, played by Wilde, is a stay-at-home creative who expresses herself through the home. Phillips channeled an eclectic, Diane Keaton–referenced sensibility into vintage touches and layered accessories. A mint-green blouse, embroidered cowboy boots and mismatched earrings signal a personal aesthetic.
- Angela: Vintage pieces, layered jewelry and a mix of ‘40s silhouettes with casual overalls.
- Joe: Comfortable, indifferent clothing that suggests inertia and mild depression.
- Color choice: Matching light palettes for the couple create a near-harmony that actually emphasizes their disconnect.
Pina and Hawk: revelation through silhouette and detail
Pina, a sexologist, was inspired by figures like Esther Perel. Phillips avoided clinical cues in favor of silhouettes that suggested sexuality. As the story unfolds, Pina sheds layers; accessories, especially rings, highlight her hands in tightly shot moments.
Hawk’s clothes favor masculine simplicity. Dark, pared-back tones and subtle flourishes—like a beaded bracelet with a bird motif—hint at his physicality and implied freedom.
Early credit: why the costume designer’s title mattered
Phillips’s name appears unusually early in the opening credits. Seeing that title card surprised her at a cast-and-crew screening. The placement was intentional. Wilde wanted the costume work to register from the start.
I Want Your Sex: a palette of erotic color and cultural references
For Gregg Araki’s film, Phillips expanded from a few looks to a cascade of costumes. Araki’s taste for heightened color pushed her to rethink typical BDSM aesthetics, moving away from pure black and metallic toward unexpected hues.
T-shirt easter eggs and vintage nods
Costume choices also include playful references. Cooper Hoffman’s character wears a vintage Madonna T-shirt in a private scene. Phillips drew on her long history with Madonna to secure the approval and to layer cultural meaning into a small prop.
- Madonna shirt in a vulnerable scene.
- Nods to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood through other T-shirt choices.
Erika’s Madonna-inflected wardrobe
Erika is styled with clear ties to early Madonna eras: erotica, fetish fashion and burlesque. Phillips mined vintage references and latex pieces to give the character a hyperreal, sexualized presence. A burgundy latex item offered a fresh twist on an overused material.
Sharing the workload: co-designing and mentorship
With limited prep time and a tight budget, Phillips brought Monica Chamberlain aboard as co-designer. They split responsibilities—Phillips led Erika’s looks, Chamberlain focused on Elliot—and cross-pollinated ideas across the cast. The collaboration allowed Phillips to mentor a younger designer while handling an immense costume load.
Small details that carry narrative weight
Phillips stresses that tiny touches move the story as much as big garments. Jewelry that catches light, a watch with provenance, or an offbeat underwear choice can reveal a character’s insecurity or swagger. Many elements exist even if the camera never lingers on them.
- Rings and ear cuffs to draw attention to expression.
- Watches and personal items borrowed from Phillips’s collection.
- Color choices that suggest relational dissonance.
Influences and a long relationship with Madonna
Phillips’s two-decade association with Madonna informed many creative decisions. Madonna’s blending of fashion and provocation helped normalize erotic aesthetics in pop culture. That legacy provided a visual vocabulary for both films.
