An Interview With ‘Youth’ Costume Designer Camille Benda

You’ve seen her dress stars from Jason Mamoa (The Last Manhunt) to Ben Wishaw (Lilting). For her latest project, Camille Benda is re-teaming with Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters) to design the costumes for Horgan’s HBO series, Youth. About the trials of turning fifty and trying to juggle work, being a mom, and maybe some semblance of a personal life, here’s what Benda had to share about the comedy and coming up with Alex’s personal style:

Rachel Bellwoar: As someone who’s designed costumes for both period pieces and shows set in the present day, do you have a preference and is there a type of show you haven’t gotten to work on yet that you’d love to cross off your bucket list someday?

Camille Benda: It’s really hard to choose. I love contemporary costumes because they are so tangible and we all have a shared context for interpreting them. If you get the tiny details of contemporary costume right, it becomes part of the storytelling, and you can share so much visually and non-verbally with viewers. But since I have a masters in dress history, I’m obsessed with period pieces too. I love finding historical details that enhance character, and it’s so much fun working with actors in fittings to find the perfect silhouette. I think the best compliment is when actors say “the costumes helped me find how my character walks or moves!”.

My bucket list project would probably be sci-fi — I haven’t gotten to do any yet. Medieval sci-fi, please!

Bellwoar: What excited you the most about working on Youth?

Benda: It’s always great to dig into Sharon Horgan’s scripts, that’s what first excited me. There were so many great characters, and I really liked the idea of finding distinct visual identities for each of the male leads. They all represented different facets of how Alex interacts with men throughout the show. From Malcolm, the arrogant romantasy writer to Patrick the charming cad to Alex’s ex-husband Lorcan who drives her nuts, to Ruari (her son’s) casual, super baggy jeans, and slouchy style. I spent a lot of time thinking about how each of the men would annoy Alex in some way, and how I could support that with costume design!

Bellwoar: Having previously worked with Sharon Horgan on Bad Sisters, was there a conscious effort to make sure Eva and Alex’s wardrobes were distinct?

Benda: Yes! We talked a lot about that in our first fitting. Because there was so much interest in the knitwear on Bad Sisters, we decided to stay away from knitwear for Alex, and instead have fun finding vintage sweatshirts and cool tees for her at home looks, and great tailoring for work. And while Bad Sisters was set in Dublin, we were focusing on London for Youth, and all the cool street style it brings.

Bellwoar: Since Alex doesn’t have a uniform, it’s always interesting to compare how she and Sam, for example, dress for the same job. Do you enjoy playing around with those differences and coming up with each character’s personal style?

Benda: Totally, it’s really important to me to find ways to give each actor a distinct identity. We focused on making Sam a boss woman! She’s in designer pieces, like Rick Owens, Chloe, Joseph, Farm Rio and Isabel Marant, but then in Black British designers like Wales Bonner, Tolu Coker and Kemi Telford. For Alex, we wanted her to look like she’s always the coolest woman in the room, putting together unexpected combinations and mixing a vintage suit with a modern tee and a funky heel. We had a designer resale Prada bag for Alex that was already worn in, so she always looked like she wasn’t trying too hard, it was a bit effortless.

Bellwoar: One thing I feel you especially nail with this show is how people dress when they’re at home. How early did you know Alex would be someone who walks around her apartment in her underwear?

Benda: That was Sharon’s idea! I think it was such a great call because it makes Alex vulnerable, and we really feel like we’re watching her at home with no pretense. We bought a lot of underwear, bras and tank tops and would choose colors or textures that worked for each scene.

Bellwoar: I also love noticing the pieces characters wear all the time, like Alex’s necklaces. When did you decide to make those a staple of her attire?

Benda: Sharon works with a wonderful jeweler, Julia at Branch on the Park in London, and we’ve gone there for Bad Sisters and Youth. Julia and I have designed pieces together, or she will do custom finishes for us, adjust chains, suggest ideas, and we always have two sets of everything for backup! Jewelry can create texture, realism and give clues about who a character is. London is one of the most stylish cities in the world, and the character of Alex lives in East London, one of the edgiest and most creative neighborhoods. When I got to London from Los Angeles to design the show, I noticed so many women wearing layered necklaces with different clashing chains and pendants, so that’s where the look developed from.

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Camille, and I hope there’s a medieval sci-fi show (or film!) in your future!

New episodes of Youth air Sundays on HBO.