Our inspiration for the production costume design stems from the vivid colors of the early and mid 1980's and the school uniform style of private schools from around the same time frame. We wanted our designs to stray from the Broadway interpretation and Netflix movie-musical adaptation while maintaining the recognizable qualities of the musical. Matilda and her fellow classmates all wear matching uniforms of gray, navy blue, and black colors, signifying the dark, dreary times they will endure under the Trunchbull's orders. We took inspiration from private or religious schools who enforced uniforms, which occurred more often in the U.K. than the U.S. during this time period. As the students become more rebellious, we created patches, pins, and headbands to equip throughout the show, items of which took heavy influence from popular bands, shows, fashion, and fads from the early 80's that would have been relevant to the kids and teens in the school.
For the Wormwoods, Mr. Wormwood wears a green, black, and orange plaid suit to embody the shady business man he is often portrayed as, but Mrs. Wormwood follows more of a pink, black, and leopard print palette to show her fierce personality. Principal Trunchbull has an accentuated feminine figure with a twist on her signature look, giving her a shortened button-down dress, brown tights, and tall, black combat boots. Inspiration for Miss Honey and Mrs. Phelps both focus on more traditional looks for their respective fields. Miss Honey's pink, blue, and brown color palette with beaded dragonflies and heart prints resembled a more down to Earth, caring young teacher, while Mrs. Phelps wore more Earthy tones and large turquoise glasses to highlight her laid back yet immensely curious nature.