Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin costume designer Megan Stark Evans is reimagining the fashions from the popular franchise for the HBO Max reboot. To do this, she assembled an extensive and well-researched wardrobe for the main characters Imogen (Bailee Madison), Tabby (Chandler Kinney), Faran (Zaria), Mouse (Malia Pyles), Noa (Maia Reficco) and Karen and Kelly . Beasley (Mallory Bechtel).
With over 400 costume changes in the first season, there’s a lot to unpack and reconnect with the original series that debuted on Freeform in 2010. The setting has changed—Rosewood is brought to life from a stage in LA, while Millwood is imagined as a blue-collar factory town was filmed in New York, and so was the wardrobe.
Evans, who previously worked on the Oscar-winning Sound of Metal and FX’s A Teacher, pointed out the difference to POPSUGAR via email. Our ‘PLL’ is more grounded, a mix of gritty realism with fun, teenage fashion,” she said. The original ‘PLL’ used a lot of heels, embellished short dresses and light jackets as they often shot in closed. We were shooting exteriors in 0 degree weather with snow on the ground. This makes the style more natural by default.”
High heels are no longer a staple in their stylish repertoire. “Today, it’s all about cute sneakers, heeled Mary Janes, menswear-inspired shoes like loafers, rugged shoes or platform combat boots. Our Liars are exploring mysteries and running from A to rough terrain of Millwood, and they can” Don’t do this on spiked heel platforms.”
Image Source: Megan Stark EvansAbove: Megan Stark Evans on the set of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.
However, Evans was still influenced by some of the early characters developed by I. Marlene King. While she didn’t speak to the original costume team, she was sure to make subtle connections. “You can tell Tabby has shades of Spencer’s (Troian Bellisario) preppy style shown through her bold menswear, Noa channels some of Emily’s (Shay Mitchell) sporty style, and Karen is inspired by her constant use of color pink from Alison (Sasha Pieterse). and perfectly composed outfits,” she said. “Rosewood varsity jackets also appear in the carnival episode, and the group of Rosewood High girls featured in the carnival are directly inspired by the original PLLs.”
Evans confirmed that more than half of each character’s costumes are vintage or thrifted, and she also used small designers for a unique, very understated look that mimics everyday street style.
Ahead, she shares her mood board for the entire cast, along with some personal behind-the-scenes footage.
