Ane Crabtree

Costume Designer

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In her six-hour interview, Ane Crabtree talks about her childhood in Kentucky and her early interest in art, fashion, and design. She discusses studying fashion and leaving school to work for designer Miriam Klein in New York. She describes how she transitioned from the fashion world to costume design and talks about her early jobs working on music videos and projects for Japanese and Chinese television. Crabtree then talks about her first union costume design job in the U.S. -- on the show Swift Justice. She shares how she became the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos, and talks about the research she conducted for the show and memorable looks she selected for "Tony Soprano" and "Dr. Melfi." She recalls her work as costume designer on season one of Justified, and details her work as costume designer for the first two seasons of The Handmaid's Tale -- outlining her choices for the Handmaids, Commanders and their wives, Aunts, Guardians, Econopeople, and the Unwomen. She discusses how she felt when costumes similar to those she designed for the show began to be worn at political protests, and what it means to her to have Elisabeth Moss' costume from The Handmaid's Tale in the Smithsonian. Crabtree then discusses her work on Pan Am, the first season of Rectify, the first two seasons of Masters of Sex, and season one of Westworld. She concludes with remarks on the role of a costume designer and the fight for pay equity for costume designers, and on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted production. She also speaks about her designs for Darren Aronofsky's Postcard from Earth at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and offers advice to aspiring costume designers. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on March 13, 2023 in La Canada Flintridge, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"I want to leave beauty and inspiration and thought-provoking ideology."

People Talking About ...

Highlights

Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks

03:04

Ane Crabtree on costume design for Timothy Olyphant's character on Justified

04:53

Ane Crabtree on designing for and working with Michael Sheen (who played "William Masters") on Masters of Sex

01:04

Ane Crabtree on choosing the teal and red colors for the costumes for the Commanders' Wives and the Handmaids, respectively, on The Handmaid's Tale

04:48

Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character

06:26

Ane Crabtree on the role of a costume designer

06:09

Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On her childhood in Kentucky; on her interests when she was growing up; on television shows she watched as a kid; on her early interest in fashion; on being a shy child; on the first clothing items she ever made -- clogs made out of milk cartons -- thanks to how-to instructions from Captain Kangaroo

On wanting to study fashion in college; on attending the University of Evansville and studying in England; on moving to New York, studying fashion design at FIT, and leaving school to work for designer Miriam Klein

On transitioning from fashion to costume design; on being a freelance stylist and working for Elle; on her start in television - working in music videos and for Japanese and Chinese television; on her first union job in U.S. television -- Swift Justice -- and Don Kurt hiring her for the job; on how the pace of working in fashion compared to working in television

On becoming the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos; on David Chase sending her to New Jersey to do research for the pilot of The Sopranos; on getting Yves Saint Laurent clothes for Lorraine Bracco's character, "Dr. Melfi" in The Sopranos pilot and how her outfits aligned with the color of her office; on collaborating with other departments to finalize costume designs for the pilot of The Sopranos; on her first meeting with James Gandolfini; on what happens during fittings with actors; on "Tony Soprano's" robe; on David Chase directing the pilot and what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director; on how working on The Sopranos pilot impacted her career

Chapter 2

On her work as costume designer of season one of Justified; on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects

On her process when she first reads a script, on how she finds creative ideas and how listening to music helps her creatively

On her inspiration for the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale; on first meeting Elisabeth Moss for costume fittings for The Handmaid's Tale, on the music she played during the fitting, and her approach to costumes for the show; on how she first got involved with the show; on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders; on some of the inspirations for the Aunts' costumes on The Handmaid's Tale

Chapter 3

On additional secrets that she built into the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale -- wanting to give the Commanders' wives something special; on hiding actress Yvonne Strahovski's real-life pregnancy on The Handmaid's Tale; on choosing the teal and red colors for the costumes for the Commanders' Wives and the Handmaids, respectively; on the obi in the Handmaids' costumes

On additional elements of Handmaids' costumes for The Handmaid's Tale -- wings, cape, boots, and winter and summer versions of the costumes; on costume designs for season two of The Handmaid's Tale -- her inspiration for the Unwomen and the Econopeople

On how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests; on speaking at the United Nations in relation to her work on The Handmaid's Tale and her own personal journey as a survivor; on Elisabeth Moss' costume from The Handmaid's Tale now being part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian

Chapter 4

On costume design for Pan Am, which was set in 1963 -- on her research for the costumes, making a lot of costumes herself, period-accurate undergarments, and how budgets impact her work; on assembling her team for a show and differences between New York and LA shows

On her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify; on her parents visiting the set

On her work as costume designer on Masters of Sex; on research for the show; on meeting with showrunner Michelle Ashford; on designing for and working with Michael Sheen and Allison Janney; on often working on the first or first and second seasons of shows and why she left Masters of Sex

On how she became the costume designer for season one of Westworld; on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character; on "Dolores'" two main looks and a third that never saw the light of day; on Delos headquarters in Westworld and what it meant to her to design Samurai costumes

Chapter 5

On the role of a costume designer; on the fight for pay equity for costume designers; on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production

On her then-current project: designing for Darren Aronofsky's Postcard from Earth at the Sphere in Las Vegas

On working on dystopian and utopian projects; on how television has changed since she first started in the industry; on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews

On advice to aspiring costume designers; on the value of oral histories; on where she sees herself in ten years

Shows

Captain Kangaroo

Ane Crabtree on the first clothing items she ever made -- clogs made out of milk cartons -- thanks to how-to instructions from Captain Kangaroo

01:20

Handmaid's Tale, The

Ane Crabtree on her inspiration for the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale

01:33

Ane Crabtree on first meeting Elisabeth Moss for costume fittings for The Handmaid's Tale, on the music she played during the fitting, and her approach to costumes for the show

06:52

Ane Crabtree on how she first got involved with The Handmaid's Tale

05:30

Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders

12:50

Ane Crabtree on some of the inspirations for the Aunts' costumes on The Handmaid's Tale

19:30

Ane Crabtree on additional secrets that she built into the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale -- wanting to give the Commanders' wives something special

02:33

Ane Crabtree on hiding actress Yvonne Strahovski's real-life pregnancy on The Handmaid's Tale

02:09

Ane Crabtree on choosing the teal and red colors for the costumes for the Commanders' Wives and the Handmaids, respectively, on The Handmaid's Tale

04:48

Ane Crabtree on the obi in the Handmaids' costumes for The Handmaid's Tale

07:16

Ane Crabtree on additional elements of Handmaids' costumes for The Handmaid's Tale -- wings, cape, boots, and winter and summer versions of the costumes

04:01

Ane Crabtree on costume designs for season two of The Handmaid's Tale -- her inspiration for the Unwomen

13:24

Ane Crabtree on costume designs for the Econopeople in season two of The Handmaid's Tale

04:57

Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests

21:12

Ane Crabtree on Elisabeth Moss' costume from The Handmaid's Tale now being part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian

10:04

Justified

Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer of season one of Justified

14:41

Ane Crabtree on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects

06:02

Luck

Ane Crabtree on Michael Mann sending her to research gamblers for her work on Luck

00:50

Masters of Sex

Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on Masters of Sex

09:00

Ane Crabtree on her research for Masters of Sex

01:12

Ane Crabtree on often working on the first or first and second seasons of shows and why she left Masters of Sex

06:36

Pan Am

Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of Pan Am

08:40

Ane Crabtree on making a lot of costumes for Pan Am herself

01:01

Ane Crabtree on period-accurate undergarments on Pan Am

01:21

Ane Crabtree on how budgets impact her work, particularly on Pan Am, and on shopping for vintage pieces

03:10

Rectify

Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify

10:26

Sopranos, The

Ane Crabtree on becoming the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos

04:04

Ane Crabtree on David Chase sending her to New Jersey to do research for the pilot of The Sopranos

06:16

Ane Crabtree on getting Yves Saint Laurent clothes for Lorraine Bracco's character, "Dr. Melfi" in The Sopranos pilot and how her outfits aligned with the color of her office

05:35

Ane Crabtree on collaborating with other departments to finalize costume designs for the pilot of The Sopranos

04:08

Ane Crabtree on her first meeting with James Gandolfini for The Sopranos

02:32

Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks

03:04

Ane Crabtree on David Chase directing The Sopranos pilot

01:58

Ane Crabtree on how working on The Sopranos pilot impacted her career

03:44

Swift Justice

Ane Crabtree on her first union job as a costume designer in television -- Swift Justice -- and Don Kurt hiring her for the job

02:08

Ane Crabtree on the pace of working on Swift Justice

02:56

Westworld

Ane Crabtree on how she became the costume designer for season one of Westworld

05:10

Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character

06:26

Ane Crabtree on "Dolores'" two main looks on Westworld, and a third that never saw the light of day

03:59

Ane Crabtree on Delos headquarters in Westworld and what it meant to her to design Samurai costumes

04:19

Topics

Advice

Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin

15:52

COVID-19 Pandemic

Ane Crabtree on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production

09:55

Classic TV series episodes

Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks

03:04

Drama

Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks

03:04

Health and Medicine

Ane Crabtree on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production

09:55

Historic Events and Social Change

Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders

12:50

Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests

21:12

Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of Pan Am and researching JFK's death

03:12

Ane Crabtree on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production

09:55

Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews

07:40

JFK Assassination and Funeral

Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of Pan Am and researching JFK's death

03:12

MeToo Movement

Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests

21:12

Memorable Moments on Television

Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks

03:04

Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character

06:26

Pivotal Career Moments

Ane Crabtree on her inspiration for the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale

01:33

Pop Culture

Ane Crabtree on "Tony Soprano's" robe in The Sopranos pilot and on "Tony" feeding the ducks

03:04

Representation on Television

Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders

12:50

Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests

21:12

Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews

07:40

Television Industry

Ane Crabtree on how television has changed since she first started in the industry

06:20

Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews

07:41

Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin

15:52

Underrepresented Voices

Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests

21:12

Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews

07:40

Women

Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders

12:50

Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests

21:12

Professions

Costume Designer

View Profession

Ane Crabtree on what happens during costume fittings with actors

05:09

Ane Crabtree on what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director

04:02

Ane Crabtree on learning about color from director of photography Alik Sakharov for the pilot of The Sopranos

01:39

Ane Crabtree on her early interest in costume and fashion design

04:06

Ane Crabtree on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects

06:03

Ane Crabtree on her process when she first reads a script, on how she finds creative ideas and how listening to music helps her creatively

09:58

Ane Crabtree on assembling her team for a show and differences between New York and LA shows

03:03

Ane Crabtree on how budgets impact her work, particularly on Pan Am, and on shopping for vintage pieces

03:10

Ane Crabtree on the role of a costume designer

06:09

Ane Crabtree on the fight for pay equity for costume designers

09:26

Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin

15:50

Designers

View Profession

Ane Crabtree on what happens during costume fittings with actors

05:09

Ane Crabtree on what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director

04:02

Ane Crabtree on learning about color from director of photography Alik Sakharov for the pilot of The Sopranos

01:39

Ane Crabtree on her early interest in costume and fashion design

04:06

Ane Crabtree on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects

06:03

Ane Crabtree on her process when she first reads a script, on how she finds creative ideas and how listening to music helps her creatively

09:58

Ane Crabtree on how she decompresses after emotionally taxing work -- getting away during filming of The Handmaid's Tale

01:47

Ane Crabtree on assembling her team for a show and differences between New York and LA shows

03:03

Ane Crabtree on how budgets impact her work, particularly on Pan Am, and on shopping for vintage pieces

03:10

Ane Crabtree on the role of a costume designer

06:09

Ane Crabtree on the fight for pay equity for costume designers

09:26

Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin

15:50

Directors

View Profession

Ane Crabtree on what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director

04:02

Genres

Drama Series

Ane Crabtree on her first union job as a costume designer in television -- Swift Justice

02:08

Ane Crabtree on her work as the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos;

41:38

Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer of season one of Justified

20:44

Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on seasons one and two of The Handmaid's Tale

46:28

Ane Crabtree on additional secrets that she built into the costumes on The Handmaid's Tale, her designs for season two of the show, how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests

01:10:29

Ane Crabtree on costume design for Pan Am, which was set in 1963

14:12

Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify, and on her parents visiting the set

10:26

Ane Crabtree on costume design for Masters of Sex; on often working on the first or first and second seasons of shows and why she left Masters of Sex

16:48

Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series

Ane Crabtree on costume designs for season one of Westworld

19:56

People

Darren Aronofsky

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Ane Crabtree on her then-current project: designing for Darren Aronofsky's Postcard from Earth at the Sphere in Las Vegas

06:41

Beatrice Arthur

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Ane Crabtree on Bea Arthur being an inspiration for the Aunts' costumes on The Handmaid's Tale

10:51

Michelle Ashford

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Ane Crabtree on meeting with showrunner Michelle Ashford about designing for Masters of Sex and why she wanted to work on the show

01:40

Ane Crabtree on meeting with showrunner Michelle Ashford to create original pieces that would enhance the story for Masters of Sex

02:00

Margaret Atwood

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Ane Crabtree on a beautiful moment on The Handmaid's Tale: dressing Magaret Atwood as an Aunt on the show, and Margaret's response to her costume

02:06

Lorraine Bracco

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Ane Crabtree on getting Yves Saint Laurent clothes for Lorraine Bracco's character, "Dr. Melfi" in The Sopranos pilot and how her outfits aligned with the color of her office

05:35

Madeline Brewer

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on working with Madeline Brewer (who played "Janine") on The Handmaid's Tale

01:17

David Chase

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Ane Crabtree on meeting with David Chase and becoming the costume designer for the pilot of The Sopranos

04:04

Ane Crabtree on David Chase sending her to New Jersey to do research for the pilot of The Sopranos

06:16

Ane Crabtree on David Chase directing The Sopranos pilot

01:58

James Gandolfini

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on her first meeting with James Gandolfini for The Sopranos

02:32

Walton Goggins

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Ane Crabtree on costume design for Walton Goggins' character on Justified

01:39

Allison Janney

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Ane Crabtree on designing for Allison Janney on Masters of Sex

01:26

Lisa Joy

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Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character

06:26

Don Kurt

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on her first union job in television -- Swift Justice -- and Don Kurt hiring her for the job

02:08

Ane Crabtree on Don Kurt hiring her to work on Justified and on her approach to the show

06:18

Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify and working with Don Kurt and Ray McKinnon

05:10

Warren Littlefield

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Ane Crabtree on how she first got involved with The Handmaid's Tale - via Bruce Miller and Warren Littlefield

05:30

Michael Mann

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Ane Crabtree on Michael Mann sending her to research gamblers for her work on Luck

00:50

Ray McKinnon

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on her work as costume designer on the first season of Rectify and working with Don Kurt and Ray McKinnon

05:10

Bruce Miller

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on how she first got involved with The Handmaid's Tale - via Bruce Miller and Warren Littlefield

05:30

Reed Morano

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on choosing the teal and red colors for the costumes for the Commanders' Wives and the Handmaids, respectively, on The Handmaid's Tale

04:48

Elisabeth Moss

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Ane Crabtree on first meeting Elisabeth Moss for costume fittings for The Handmaid's Tale, on the music she played during the fitting, and her approach to costumes for the show

06:52

Ane Crabtree on Elisabeth Moss' costume from The Handmaid's Tale now being part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian

10:04

Jonathan Nolan

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character

06:26

Timothy Olyphant

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on costume design for Timothy Olyphant's character on Justified

04:53

Alik Sakharov

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on learning about color from director of photography Alik Sakharov for the pilot of The Sopranos

01:39

Michael Sheen

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on designing for and working with Michael Sheen (who played "William Masters") on Masters of Sex

01:04

Jimmi Simpson

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on transforming "William" into "The Man in Black" on Westworld and how far in advance she knew they were the same character

06:26

Yvonne Strahovski

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on hiding actress Yvonne Strahovski's real-life pregnancy on The Handmaid's Tale

02:09

Evan Rachel Wood

View Person Page

Ane Crabtree on "Dolores'" two main looks on Westworld, and a third that never saw the light of day

03:59