THE CHARACTERS

 Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose), Sean Turner (Toby Kebbell), Julian Pearce (Rupert Grint), and Leanne Grayson (Nell Tiger Free).

THE DIRECTION

The film Ali: Fear Eats The Soul by Fassbinder, and explosive pattern-on-pattern. Bold choices in palettes and patterns were created for each character to either contrast the key location of the home, or feel like part of the furnishings and house setting. Palette and pattern parallel their psychological journeys within the home, one that they never quite leave during the course of the series.

THE LOOK IN A FEW WORDS

There is a heavy, moody look to Servant that also feels theatrical. Heavy handed and texturally exaggerated, heightened, rich, and saturated fabrics are either in competition with the house, or feel like a part of the house, all depending upon the moment.

SYMBOLIC WARDROBE MOMENTS

Dorothy's shoes. Dorothy would never take her shoes off in her own home and has a very traditional mentality about always looking good, even at home. She needs to project the sense that everything is perfect, and part of her armor includes having her shoes on at all times. She takes up space and makes noise when she walks. In contrast, Leanne is often barefoot in the house. The clothing in the attic helps tell the story that the house has been in the Turner family for almost 100 years; it's an odd mix of family clothing through the decades. It represents Leanne's forlorn desire to play dress-up on her own terms, after having been forced to be in pageants during her youth, and it also represents Dorothy's desire to dress her, seen in season one. Leanne always wears a glass and mustard seed necklace that represents "the smallest kernal of faith" according to the Bible.

THE COLOR PALETTE

In seasons one and two you see jewel tones and golds, with colors getting brighter and patterns getting wilder in season two. Yellow has symbolism in Jericho's onesie when he died, and Dorothy when we first meet her is wearing rich marigold. Yellow book-ends the color story, and everything else in between is saturated and textural jewel tones. Leanne has a very different palette in pale, pallid pastels and neutrals. 

THE PRINTS + PATTERNS

Patterns and palettes were created for each character. Where Dorothy can be an extension of the wallpaper, Leanne is faded and wispy. Patterns always start with florals, and there are a lot of 1960's-style patterns. Dorothy’s costumes, distilled into their purist form, are comprised of florals. Her floral patterns either "bloom" or are staid, given her circumstance. Fruit patterns on Dorothy are also very symbolic. Leanne has almost no pattern at all, and if she does, it's a very sweet polka dot. In contrast to Dorothy, Leanne is almost completely devoid of pattern. Julian has a lot of plaids and tattersals; large scale paisley. Julian's love interest Natalie is hippie-chic and aspirational, with a lot of Etro pattern. The Turners are very east coast in their palette and texture, and Natalie has a West Coast kind of whimsy. As mania and moral ambiguity builds, it's pushed through the pattern in season two. 

THE TEXTURES

The series is very textural overall. For Dorothy, a lot of sheen, silks, satins, fabrics that catch the light; velvets. Leanne is gauzy, knits, with houndstooths, mohairs, wools that feel 30's.  Julian is cashmere; Sean is "relatable" cottons.

KEY ITEMS + ELEMENTS

Leanne always wears her charm necklace of a mustard seed, as well as capes, ponchos, midi skirts, and pleated skirts. Dorothy sports strong florals, vibrant coats, bold and patterned dresses, and a lot of velvet—-reminiscent of the furnishings you'd find in her home. Sean is buttoned up with a bit of motorcycle and rock and roll, and is all about denim--in both jeans and aprons. Julian is accessories-focused. He never takes his scarf off, and there’s always a pocket square.

THE ACCESSORIES

Coats act as an accessory for Dorothy, and shoes are key for her. Leanne always wears a necklace. Sean wears a denim apron. Julian is never without a scarf or pocket square.

THE BRANDS + RESOURCES

Liberty Of London fabrics, Etro, Ganni, Ted Baker, Splendid for pajamas, Erdem, Miu Miu, J. Crew, Brioni, Isaia, and more.

BTS

Prior to Servant, M Night Shyamalan was pattern-shy, so the use of pattern was an exciting pivot for him as a storyteller. Lead character Sean Tucker is a chef who works out of his home, the key location for all of Servant. For a scene in which a pregnant Dorothy Turner is craving fried calamari in bed and she turns to husband Sean to supply her snack, series Chef Consultant Andrew DiTomo prepared the dish, which went on to become something that Executive Producer and Director M. Night Shyamalan loved and consistently asked for while on set.

NOTES ON THE PROJECT

"I love finding the humor in and the humanity of the characters in this dark story. The actors' characters make a lot of bold choices, so it's been a lot of fun to see the them get excited when I make bold choices for them too". -Caroline Duncan

HOW TO GET THE LOOK

Spice up your tops, and wear them paired with jeans and sneakers. Find them in bold jewel-toned color and pattern, with a pussy bow collar. Wear a coat that makes a statement. In contrast...simplicity: cardigans and sweaters with sweet lace collars. Buy lace or velvet trim or grosgrain ribbon and add it to an old J. Crew cardigan. To channel Sean, cuff your shirt and roll your jeans for his clean look. To get Julian's look, wear fair isle and dress in layers--mix, match and clash your patterns.