Season 2 of Hacks saw a costume makeover for Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance and Ava Hanna Inbender. Costume designer Kathleen Felix Hager capitalized on the story of the season that saw Deborah Vance on tour.
From a lesbian trip to a state fair, Felix Hager worked with Smart and the team to play the wardrobe. Producer and writer Gene Statsky says, “We knew it was a fun opportunity to see Deborah as a little fish out of water. It allowed us to have some fun and play with costumes.”
The designer was able to dust the silk shirts and beaded dresses for Deborah’s wardrobe because she had early access to the script. However, there was one outfit that Felix Hager had set her sights on almost wasn’t: the shiny, printed silk shirt she’s wearing on her lesbian trip.
Elsewhere, Ava wears a lot of clothes that Statsky says she’ll wear. “In her style, it really allowed us to go on this journey as we tell the story of Deborah and Ava through Ava’s wardrobe.”
Deborah goes to the state fair
Deborah wore her own clothes as she went on the road for season two.
Episode 5 sees Deborah Vance perform at the Illinois State Fair.
This is one example where Smart and Felix-Hager discussed Deborah’s appearance and whether adding a cowboy hat would make Vance in the cartoon or caricature territory. In the end, she did not wear the hat.
Felix Hager used the environment as inspiration for Vance’s fashion choice, which was a green coat with a bit of fringe. For her stand-up routine, Deborah wore a denim jacket and cowboy boots. “She knows her audience and dresses for the occasion,” says Felix Hager.
A Lesbian Journey to Deborah and Ava
Deborah’s silk blouse had to be cleaned by law due to its distinctive print.
Deborah goes on a cruise ship in episode four. She thinks her audience this time around will be a boat full of gay men, except for Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) who accidentally wrote them on a gay trip.
Felix Hager was fortunate to get scripts so early, so she knew the cruise episode was about to happen. She says, “I saw that blouse and duster very early on and knew I wanted her to wear that when I first went on this cruise ship.”
The silk Casablanca costume from the Art of Racing collection almost didn’t happen for legal reasons, because the top had the Casablanca logo along the edge. Felix Hager explains, “Legal got involved because that print was so special. We had to scan it.” When Brand didn’t respond to emails, Felix Hager had to find another path because the blue and pink were perfect for Deborah. She says, “I’m not going to let this outfit pass. I found a PR person representing the brand, and called him up. I begged them and they were fine. It was approved two days before he was shot.”
Ava’s look was perfectly complementing the outfit, too. Felix Hager notes that Ava had no idea she was going on a cruise. She says, “Ava’s costume was based on what she was actually going to bring with her on the road, and this was something that would translate into a cruise. I thought the printed camp shirt with jeans was just too cool. Both walks are some of the best shots.”
Ava’s wardrobe bracket, incorporating Deborah Vance
By the end of the season, Ava has started merging parts of Deborah, but is it too late?
Photo by Karen Ballard / HBO Max
Felix Hagar loved Ava’s story. Earlier in the season, Deborah and Ava went to a department store and bought her a whole new wardrobe including $800 loafers and an Alice + Olivia plaid dress, which is more formal than her regular outfits and jeans. The loafers were a transformation from the black and white Nike or Vans sneakers.
Felix Hager says, “It was a great way to tell that story when Ava first saw the dress. She puts it on and her body language says, ‘I don’t even understand what’s going on here.'” But Deborah insists on buying her everything. By that last episode, Ava showed up. In that dress and shoes, she presents herself on a platter.”
When Ava was launched, Felix Hager says that moment became very heartbreaking. Notably, it was in the dressing room that Felix Hager laid Easter eggs. “There are pieces in that dressing room hanging behind that we’ve incorporated into her wardrobe from episode five onwards and you see how slowly she’s starting to kind of incorporate Deborah’s style into her own.”
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