Crazy Rich Asians has swept the world as a global phenomenon, a ground-breaking Hollywood hit that shares the honor of being both a box office sensation and critical darling. The story of Rachel Chu, a New York city professor, who meets the family of her boyfriend Nick Young (who happens to be Singaporean high society), has entertained millions the world over. Much of the film’s success is certainly because of it luxurious, eye-catching visuals. Especially the work of Mary E. Vogt, the veteran costume designer behind the summer flick’s opulent looks.
Forbes.com recently interviewed Mary E. Vogt to discuss her costuming choices for the film. Although not a household name, Vogt has been working in Hollywood for decades, and is responsible for many iconic costumes in high profile motion pictures. Her resume lists movies such as Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992) and the cult-classic Disney Halloween film Hocus Focus (1993). She’s worked with icons such as Michelle Pfeiffer, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker in the films above.
RELATED READS: 13 of Singapore’s Real Crazy Rich Asians
For Crazy Rich Asians, the costumer was tasked to create looks and outfits to bring Kevin Kwan’s high society drama to the screen. Vogt needed to find the balance between three types of clothing in three different social classes—Rachel’s Gap-wearing New York City gal, the ultra-classy designer style of the Asian elite, as well as the stylings of new money (best portrayed by scene-stealing actresses Akwafina and Sonoya Mizuno). Vogt has succeeded in all aspects of her costume design, allowing the wardrobe to be eye candy, but as characters on their own as well.
In her Forbes interview, Vogt sang praises to her ground team, who helped gather and design costumes for Crazy Rich Asians. She cited Former Asian Elle fashion editor Andrea Wong, designer and stylist Raf Choo, and stylist Natalie Wong, as instrumental colleagues in bringing the film to life. Together, they weren’t only able to curated high-end fashion brands from Marchesa to Stellar McCartney, but were also able to tap luxury Asians designers like Shiatzy Chen, Carven Ong, Lisa Von Tang, and Lord’s Tailor—giving the film the necessary realism it needed.
In celebration of the film (which has now established itself as big hit and cultural phenomenon, reigning #1 in the US Box Office for a second week) and Mary E. Vogt’s fabulous work on it, we’ve collated a few more memorable looks from Crazy Rich Asians and cited who made them. Scroll down to see looks by Mary E. Vogt from the film…
RELATED READS: Movie Review: Crazy Rich Asians (2018)…No Spoilers, We Promise!
RELATED READS: “The Real Crazy Rich Asians” As Told by Harper’s Bazaar
