Queer As Folk Addiction

Patrick Antosh, Costume Designer for Queer As Folk, says that the characters are not just gay people, they're individuals who, like all of us, have traits and personalities that reflect the environment in which they live, and that are seen in what they put on for clothing, and the way they live their lives. He describes their styles below...

"Brian is evolved, in his early thirties, very fashion-oriented, and has money to spend. He is a very confident character who is not hiding behind his clothes, so there is no need for him to blast labels right in front of your face. He's a very elegant, dark, sombre character. His clothes tend to expose that melancholy." Brian Kinney

"Of all the characters on the series, Justin is the one that has evolved the most over the two-year run. At the beginning of the show he was only 17 and Patrick and his team wanted to create diversity between the characters of Brian and Justin. As Justin progressed, they decided to loosen him up in terms of what he wears, so that his clothing reflects his maturation, making him look like less of a 'twinkie.' That said, he still enjoys the fun stuff when clubbing." Justin Taylor

"Ted is so controlled he basically wears variations on a theme. He wears different clothes but he doesn't take any risks; however, Patrick felt that trait might change about his character, and so the wardrobe department looked into it this year and very subtly reflected it in Ted's clothes." Ted Schmidtt

"For Melanie and Lindsay, it's more about trying to show that you don't have to be all 'gussied up' to look female and feminine. Generally speaking, being a lesbian is a celebration of womanhood and that's what we're identifying. I try to make the clothes look female and woman-oriented." Lindsay Peterson

Michelle (Melanie) says, "When I arrived on set, the wardrobe designer escorted me to racks of cargo pants and tennis shoes. I'm used to wearing stilettos and push-up bras. Then the makeup artist explained that my character only wears Vaseline and blush. I'm addicted to lip liner. But after a season on the show, I've found that shedding my girly accoutrements has been liberating." Melanie Marcus

"There were lots of conversations about how the team would proceed with Michael, and how to keep him realistic without 'infantalizing' his character, as he is an adult. He just has youthful tastes." Michael Novotny

Patrick is an accomplished designer himself, and has made many of the outfits we see on the show. He asked the producers about putting a few lines in the script here and there to infer that Emmett and Debbie make a lot of their own clothes, and they were very willing to do so. It lets the viewers know that people who don't have a lot of money can still come up with new and original clothes. Debbie Novotny

"Based on the queeny Alexander from the British show, Emmett's obviously the most splashy character - the out and proud friend we have or wish we were. His style is a complete rip-off of my best friend Ron, from my party days in the late '80s. The look says fashion at any price, even if it means wearing much too little waiting in line to get into a club in February. Ron came from Vancouver for the crew screening of the first episode. He hated to admit it but he saw a bit of himself there." Emmett Honeycutt

[source: Showcase Web site]

White Wedding

Hal Sparks: "Gene Simmons of KISS. Just one pair of his boots. I would love to own a pair of his kick-ass boots."
Michelle Clunie: "Patti Smith. Her style oozes coolness. She's always been ahead of her time but her style is timeless."
Peter Paige: "Lenny Kravitz. His style is really confident, sexy and original. It's kick-ass, lived-in and at the same time doesn't look processed."
Randy Harrison: "Lou Reed. The Velvet years were all black and 'Transformer' was ambi-sexual with an aggressive punk edge."
Thea Gill: "Julie London. Her style was classic 1940s torch singer. She wore these great gowns that just looked perfect."
Scott Lowell: "Elvis Costello, c.1977. I really love that angry bank-teller look he pulled off. There is something really neat about looking like a mad bank employee."

Patrick Antosh, Costume Designer for Queer As Folk, says that the characters are not just gay people, they're individuals who, like all of us, have traits and personalities that reflect the environment in which they live, and that are seen in what they put on for clothing, and the way they live their lives. He describes their styles below...
"Brian is evolved, in his early thirties, very fashion-oriented, and has money to spend. He is a very confident character who is not hiding behind his clothes, so there is no need for him to blast labels right in front of your face. He's a very elegant, dark, sombre character. His clothes tend to expose that melancholy."
"Of all the characters on the series, Justin is the one that has evolved the most over the two-year run. At the beginning of the show he was only 17 and Patrick and his team wanted to create diversity between the characters of Brian and Justin. As Justin progressed, they decided to loosen him up in terms of what he wears, so that his clothing reflects his maturation, making him look like less of a 'twinkie.' That said, he still enjoys the fun stuff when clubbing."
"Ted is so controlled he basically wears variations on a theme. He wears different clothes but he doesn't take any risks; however, Patrick felt that trait might change about his character, and so the wardrobe department looked into it this year and very subtly reflected it in Ted's clothes."
"For Melanie and Lindsay, it's more about trying to show that you don't have to be all 'gussied up' to look female and feminine. Generally speaking, being a lesbian is a celebration of womanhood and that's what we're identifying. I try to make the clothes look female and woman-oriented."
Michelle (Melanie) says, "When I arrived on set, the wardrobe designer escorted me to racks of cargo pants and tennis shoes. I'm used to wearing stilettos and push-up bras. Then the makeup artist explained that my character only wears Vaseline and blush. I'm addicted to lip liner. But after a season on the show, I've found that shedding my girly accoutrements has been liberating."
"There were lots of conversations about how the team would proceed with Michael, and how to keep him realistic without 'infantalizing' his character, as he is an adult. He just has youthful tastes."
Patrick is an accomplished designer himself, and has made many of the outfits we see on the show. He asked the producers about putting a few lines in the script here and there to infer that Emmett and Debbie make a lot of their own clothes, and they were very willing to do so. It lets the viewers know that people who don't have a lot of money can still come up with new and original clothes.
"Based on the queeny Alexander from the British show, Emmett's obviously the most splashy character - the out and proud friend we have or wish we were. His style is a complete rip-off of my best friend Ron, from my party days in the late '80s. The look says fashion at any price, even if it means wearing much too little waiting in line to get into a club in February. Ron came from Vancouver for the crew screening of the first episode. He hated to admit it but he saw a bit of himself there."