Phoebe De Gaye

Phoebe de Gaye is a British costume designer for film and television, known for period accurate details and research-based design methods.

Early life and education Phoebe de Gaye was born in July 1949, in Hendon (present-day, Barnet), London.

In the early 1970s de Gaye studied costume for theatre and screen at the Wimbledon School of Art. In 1972, de Gaye attended the postgraduate Motley Theatre Design Course. de Gaye graduated in 1973 as part of "Group 7". It was common for the BBC to try out inexperienced designers on sitcoms, and de Gaye recalled being an "acting designer, and the job was given to me as a way of trying me out before deciding whether to appoint me as a full-blown designer".

In the early 1990s, de Gaye worked as costume designer for the historical drama Tom & Viv. Analysis of the film's costumes against real photos of the film's subjects has highlighted de Gaye's simplification of the wardrobes and her use of colour contrasts to show relationships between characters.

de Gaye worked on four episodes of Season 1 of Agatha Christie's Marple, starring Geraldine McEwan. The series was set in the 1950s with "spot on" period costuming. Actor Cherie Lunghi has spoken about collaborating with de Gaye to develop character, and credited the period-accurate "body bandage" suspenders and stockings as key to posture and deportment.

de Gaye did further period drama work on the 2014 BBC action series The Musketeers, leading a large team that included "seamstresses, cutters and breakdown artists, who distress and age costumes to make them look authentic." The show required many duplicate costumes for stunts and padding inside costumes. de Gaye has spoken about her research and design process, using historical visual sources, as well as an extensive library that she often refers to for inspiration. For her work on The Musketeers, de Gaye received a BAFTA Craft Award.

In 2017, de Gaye worked on The White Princess, a period drama series starring Jodie Comer. de Gaye had approximately ten weeks to prepare before filming started, and has spoken about drawing influences for this period from paintings and engravings, then adapting these influences for a modern audience to create a world that drew the viewers in.

As costume designer for Season 1 of Killing Eve, de Gaye created an iconic wardrobe for the character Villanelle that launched the show into the fashion pages and is the subject of a growing body of academic work. de Gaye's process involved creating a shared mood board for Villanelle and Eve Polastri to develop the contrasts between the characters. The most influential costume was the pink Molly Goddard dress and Balenciaga boots, worn in the episode, I'll Deal With Him Later. de Gaye has described how the designer items were slightly altered and exaggerated by her team, creating a distinctive and dramatic look for the character.

de Gaye was nominated for another BAFTA Craft Award for her work on The English, a revisionist Western BBC TV series starring Emily Blunt. Rafe Spall has spoken about de Gaye's influence on his acting choices in the show, acknowledging that "a large part of what I've thrown at this character is down to her."

Filmography Film

Television