Interview with costume designer Joanna Eatwell

Where do you begin with a project as big as this?

It began with conversations with director, Peter Kosminsky, and our production designer where we throw in ideas, references, art, and then narrow it down and eventually we all turned to one particular painter, which is Holbein, who embodies this period, and without him we would have nothing. What is amazing about Holbein, is he not only painted members of the court, he also painted merchants, and even some of Henry’s courtiers and staff so we have a complete cross section which is incredibly important for a piece like this.

How do you approach dressing Cromwell?

Cromwell starts as this plain little figure, an ‘every man’ and we chart his incredible journey to the second most powerful man in the world, and when you watch the physical aspect of this journey, he starts from a regular physique, but by the end he has a similar physique to Henry. We start to build up layers and use more cloth – which is incredibly valuable at this time – and everything is hand-made and hand dyed.

Anne Boleyn is clearly dressed as the prime female among her ladies...

Her journey is quite interesting, as she comes in as this rather fresh young thing, an opposite to Katherine who is old money, status, class – everything that Anne doesn’t have. She comes in wearing these light colours, frothy pinks, silks and gradually gets darker and she’s allowed to slowly move into those darker colours; sumptuary laws dictates what colours you can wear at this time. With Katherine we have used the pinnacle of sumptuary which is purple – she is all purple and gold, so she is every inch the queen.

So it’s not just clothes, it is all about status and politics?

Yes, when you look at them you know who they are and where they sit in this social hierarchy. At this time, so many people were illiterate so if I meet you, I immediately need to know are you my superior? Do I need to bow to you? I can tell if you wear linen, velvet or silk and in what colour I will know exactly where you stand in the hierarchy.

What have been the biggest challenges involved in the costume designing?

The scale is probably number one. It is about telling the story through the clothes. With Cromwell more than anything, it is visually indicating his rise which has been one of the more interesting points. Because of Mark’s background at The Globe theatre, he works in a certain way which isn’t a way we often work in television which is ‘getting back to original practise’ and making it how it was made at this time. Everything has been handmade for him, hand dyed, all the fastenings are correct.

These costumes are incredibly heavy why is that?

If you start to look again at all the paintings, there is a great bulk and a great weight to everything. Even if you look at the clergy, everything is heavy and lined and you know then it’s not just a fashion. It is a sign of wealth and status. There are all these amazing paintings from when the Thames froze over at this time, so you suddenly realise it was cold. You realise why Henry has this physique – you don’t wear 15 layers for nothing!