Is this the best fashion we've ever seen in a Canadian film?
Costume designer Avery Plewes made bold choices to bring the characters in Jean of the Joneses to life
The main character of Jean of the Joneses has a fresh style and a killer wardrobe that drives her strict Jamaican-American grandmother crazy.
"You don't look right," remarks Jean Jones's grandmother, played by Michelle Hurst (best known for her role as Miss Claudette from Orange is the New Black).
Watch the panel:
Throughout the film, Jean wears bold statement pieces like a full-length leopard print coat, a bright orange fur scarf and a blazer with colourful flowers etched across the front.
Jean's looks come courtesy of accomplished costume designer Avery Plewes, whose work you might recognize from the TV show Suits, where she was a costume buyer. She's worked with director Stella Meghie on both Jean of the Jones and her follow-up film Everything, Everything to customize wardrobes that make Meghie's characters pop onscreen. (You can also see her costume designs in the upcoming film Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, starring Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern.)
For Jean Jones, Plewes had a particular vision in mind to reflect her journey as a young writer who found momentary success. She explains how Jean's style comes from her "premature affluence."
In a panel discussion with The Filmmakers co-host Johanna Schneller, Plewes describes Jean as "someone who had come into a little bit of money...and bought a bunch of designer stuff" on an impulse.
Plewes's colour palettes blend perfectly with Kris Belchevski's cinematography to create a warm feeling throughout the film. Plewes, Belchevski and Hurst chat more about their work behind the scenes in Jean of the Joneses in this panel discussion. Stream the whole film and check out the full interview and panel discussion about in the season finale of The Filmmakers.
Season 2 of The Filmmakers airs Saturdays at 8:30pm ET/CT/MT, 9:30pm AT, 10PM NT and 11pm PT on CBC TV. Stream it at cbc.ca/watch.