The CW's "Supergirl" returns for a fifth season on Sunday and star Melissa Benoist will be ditching the traditional red skirt and tights for a suit with pants.

Victoria Auth, the show's costume designer, told Insider that the costume took approximately four months to complete from start to finish.

Auth also experimented with adding more red elements to the primarily blue suit, but some ideas were scrapped because the designs resembled a "band leader."

The one thing Benoist wanted for the new look was a lighter cape, which enabled her to move easier when filming stunts.

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"Supergirl" star Melissa Benoist will be wearing a new suit with pants on the upcoming fifth season of the hit CW show — much to the delight of the show's fans. But the new costume took some time to develop, as the show's costume designer told Insider.

"It definitely takes a village," Victoria Auth, "Supergirl's" costume designer, told Insider.

For the new season, Supergirl will be ditching her signature red skirt and tights for a "sophisticated" and "modern" outfit that has pants and aligns with the character's growth. According to the Auth, who joined the show as a costume designer during season four, the redesign was a collaborative effort and Benoist was "thrilled" to be able to wear pants after asking for several years.

Here's how the Supergirl's new look came together.

There were about four designs before arriving at the final version that fans see on TV, and a lot of thought went into what shade of blue to use for the suit

Melissa Benoist as Supergirl. The CW

Auth explained that it's typically a two- to three-month process when creating suits, but Benoist's took "closer to four" months. The process began with concept art, then different companies help to bring the actual costume to life. The outfit also had to get approval from DC Comics and show creator and executive producer Greg Berlanti.

Executive producer Robert Rovner played a "pivotal" role in selecting the right hue for the suit.

"There's a world of blues available, so we went back and forth on that," Auth said. "We did samples until we hit it right and kind of just went from there, but wanted it to be able to be photographed outside in the sunlight as well as interior and not look cheesy."

Read more: Supergirl's new pants mark a new 'sophisticated' era for the hero, says the show's costume designer

The team experimented with adding more red elements to the mainly blue suit, but some ideas were scrapped because the designs resembled a 'band leader'

The new suit is primarily blue, but has gold and red accents. The CW

Auth said that the goal was to "not just echo the previous costume" and instead "move it forward."

"We did samples where we wanted to kind of pull the red of her skirt into it," Auth said. "So we experimented with some red piping, some red flashes on the hips, that kind of thing. She started to look a little bit like a band leader, so we backed off of that and went with more of the gold accents."

"Since the boots are red, the capes are red, [and] there's red in the glyphs, we felt there was a balance there," Auth said.

She added that the glyph is a "fully molded piece instead of being part of the suit fabric, so it has a different dimension."

Bill Hargates Costume, Iron Heads, and BYDESIGN also helped to construct the suit, which has metallic accents that add "gravitas to it and makes it look nice and rich and three-dimensional."

"It was just a really nice collaboration between the execs, Melissa, and the houses that built it," Auth said.

The only thing Benoist requested was a lighter cape

Melissa Benoist on season five of "Supergirl." The CW

"Traditionally, capes have been out of leather, so they're heavy," Auth said. "And [Benoist] would have to wear a corset underneath her original suit to stabilize the weight of the cape."

Because the stunts on "Supergirl" have gotten more complex and involve "a lot of flying and a lot of flipping," Benoist asked if it would be possible to lessen the weight of the cape.

"We moved into doing ultra suede and printing on that, which omitted the need for a corset and gave her so much more flexibility, and she was thrilled," Auth said.

Benoist also added her own personal touch by getting bangs, which weren't originally planned for the new Supergirl look, but ended up balancing out the redesign and provided "a nice freshening."

The overall design of the suit is geared toward 'sustainability'

Melissa Benoist stars as the titular character on "Supergirl." The CW

Although some actors have revealed the difficulties that come with wearing superhero suits, Auth said that's not the case for Benoist. The costume designer said that the Supergirl suit easily slips on and has a zipper in the back. Other parts, like the boots, cape, and belt are easy to add or remove.

"My whole thing has been sustainability," Auth said. "When I came on the show, there were things that constantly were failing, there were constant repairs, that kind of thing."

She added: "I'm moving more towards sustainability, more towards lightweight, easier to get in and out of, more after comfort."

As part of the practical design, Auth also "moved away from neoprene" and chose a "printed Eurojersey that breathes."

"If they're more comfortable and they can function better, move better, say their lines better because they're not annoyed by what they're wearing, everybody wins," she said.

Season five of "Supergirl" premieres on The CW on Sunday, October 6 at 9 p.m. ET.

Watch the trailer below.