Back Into The Closet: From the sneaky costume Easter eggs to how Looking Glass’s creepy mask was made, all the wardrobe secrets from Watchmen

Back Into The Closet: From the sneaky costume Easter eggs to how Looking Glass’s creepy mask was made, all the wardrobe secrets from Watchmen

Costumes are a television show essential. Without them, a show is rendered completely unbelievable, but with them they catapult our imaginations to a particular time and place, leaving behind a legacy in the process.

Whether it’s Villanelle’s pink dress in Killing Eve or Ugly Betty’s poncho, there’s usually always more than meets the eye and a whole world of tiny details that escape unnoticed.

Each week Back Into The Closet will deliver an exclusive look into the wardrobes of some of the world’s leading series to bring you all the costume secrets and niceties we might have missed.



Last time we caught up Santa Clarita Diet costume designer Mona May, but this time around we’re delving through Watchmen’s wardrobe with Meghan Kasperlik.


There are a whole load of Easter eggs in the costumes

We’ve got to pay close attention to the costumes (Picture: HBO)

Meghan has confirmed that there’s certainly more than meets the eye in a number of Watchmen episodes and we need to watch out.

‘There are Easter eggs throughout the series and I incorporated a number of things into the costumes,’ she told Metro.co.uk. ‘There are a lot in there throughout the episodes and in many characters.’

Explaining when we need to pay extra close attention, Meghan said: ‘There are a couple of new characters in episode four that are coming up and Lady Trieu and they have a number of Easter Eggs in their costumes.

‘And in episode five and six there are a lot of references to the graphic novel for multiple characters.

‘There are Easter eggs that a fanboy would know and there are Easter eggs that people who are starting to learn about the graphic novel will see.’

Revealing where we need to look, she added: ‘It’s definitely in the minor details.’

She also let loose that Jeremy Irons’ character has some noticeable Easter eggs – but ‘they come later’.

Looking Glass’s mask is actually CGI

Looking Glass’s reflective mask is all CGI baby, but actor Tim Blake Nelson insisted on wearing a mask while filming so he could get into character.

‘His mask is CGI and that adds some depth and direction to it as he needed to be able to see his reflection,’ Meghan pointed out. ‘It was really important to have that element in it.

‘When Tim is wearing that mask we have different versions of it. Tim always wanted to have the feeling of his mask on his face.

‘He had a motion tracking mask and a mesh opening one so he could see and whatnot.

‘Always on the camera it will read as a CGI mask but in person, he had five different versions of the mask depending on what was needed for the effect but also for him to do the acting.’

The vigilantes’ outfits are meant to look like they’re homemade

The costumes are meant to look budget (Picture: HBO)

We’re totally obsessed with the vigilantes’ costumes and their simple yet sexy and sleek design.

And there’s a reason why they’ve been made this way.

‘Unlike the DC and Marvel universes, which are really high-tec, the characters that are in the graphic novel are always supposed to have made their own costume,’ Meghan said.



‘So knowing that, they had to have something that was a simple line and obtainable for them to make without it looking like a Halloween costume.’

Watchmen honours the graphic novel with its costumes

The show does pay homage to the original graphic novel (Picture: DC)

Meghan explained that the original Alan Moore comic books were used as a starting point when it came to designing the costumes.

‘The TV show is its own world,’ Meghan said. ‘We definitely took from the graphic novels and they were kind of our bible. It was on my desk and I referenced it every day.

‘We took the inspiration from the graphic novel but really wanted to make sure it was going in our own direction. We honoured it.’

She added: ‘We pay tribute to the original and we stay true to colour palette but amp it up slightly because of the heightened world.’

That brings us nicely to our next point…

There’s a reason for the yellow masks

The masks created some obstacles (Picture: HBO)

A number of the police officers cover their faces with a striking yellow mask and there’s a reason behind the colour.

‘The vigilantes from the graphic novel were masked characters and that played into our world,’ Meghan said. ‘That is where we have our comic book yellow, which pays homage to the original Watchmen.

‘Most of the cops wearing the yellow masks had limited speaking roles and because of that we were able to put them in a tighter fitting mask.’

She added: ‘It was really important for everyone to that the actress could speak and say their line without completely having to ADR everything.’

Will there be a second season of Watchmen?

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Yes, Watchmen has only just begun but we’re already hungry for more. But will there be another season?


‘I think about it every day,’ Meghan admitted. ‘I just had the best time. Hopefully it comes back. There hasn’t been an official word just yet.

‘Damon [Lindelof, showrunner] has said that it’s up to the fans so hopefully everyone will really like it.’

Watchmen airs on Sky Atlantic and is available to stream on NOW TV.

Back Into The Closet is a weekly series that delves into most iconic costumes to ever grace television, from shows past and present. Check back each Thursday for the latest wardrobe secrets.

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