Sirens costume designer reveals the hidden meanings behind the characters’ outfits

Imagine Julianne Moore draped in green silk, standing on a cliff surrounded by a crystal sea and mist, releasing a falcon into the air — a scene as powerful as it is eerie, marking the opening of the show Sirens. Although this series may not be as steeped in mythology as its title suggests, we can’t deny that the journey to the fictional island of Port Haven — home to the enigmatic Michaela played by Moore — feels like a kind of modern myth in itself.  Much like Devon, the character played by Meghann Fahy, we’re transported into a completely different world – one where the ultra-wealthy parade around in pastel ensembles within a society that strikingly resembles an eccentric cult. Much like mythology itself, this series is shrouded in mystery – so much so that we often can’t tell what’s real and what’s illusion. But the answers lie in the brilliantly crafted costume design.

“We wanted to create a world that feels familiar, but also leans into the horror genre — or at least evokes truly unsettling feelings in an outsider like Devon, as well as in the viewers,” costume designer Caroline Duncan told me. The creators’ intention was to use fashion to build a world so sweet, pastel, and uniform that it becomes eerie and deeply unsettling. Pastel tones and preppy accessories have never felt as unsettling as they do on the island of Port Haven. And at first glance, you can already tell who calls the shots, who belongs in this world, and who’s just stumbled into it by chance. To build this peculiar pastel universe, Caroline Duncan filled the set with editions of The Official Preppy Handbook and Go Ivy, books that thoroughly explain the rules of preppy style which developed in the wealthy American social circles during the 1960s.

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When Devon gets off the ferry, she wonders: Why is everyone dressed like Easter eggs? And no one can answer that better for us than the costume designer herself. “People in Barnes Vineyards, Nantucket, the Hamptons, and parts of Florida really, really embrace that preppy aesthetic in the summer – very colorful and polished,” Caroline explains to me. “We wanted to completely overwhelm the viewer with it, so they feel Devon’s panic as she thinks her sister has been indoctrinated into a cult. That aesthetic feels both terrifying and real at the same time.” However, the costume designer points out that in the real world, at such resorts, people also wear neutral colors – even navy blue – which is not the case in Port Haven.

The costume designer knew from the start that Michaela’s character had to stand apart from the others. “I knew that, in a way, she had to draw on mythology, goddesses, and elements of a priestess, so that her look would make viewers question whether she is truly the leader of some cult,” she explains. She reflects on the first mystical scene and Michaela’s first dress, designed as her “robe for the bird-releasing ritual.” In this world where pastel tones become neutral, Michaela stands out as a character who plays by different rules – the ones she sets herself. “There are many pieces in her wardrobe that evoke Greek sculptures and paintings. She wears a lot of vintage Alberta Ferretti – some of the most iconic shows of that house relied heavily on draping that reminds us of mythology.” That’s why Michaela most resembles a siren or a Greek goddess, wearing dresses that seem as if they were transported straight from Aphrodite’s wardrobe. “But I also spent a lot of time observing health specialists and contemporary gurus. I won’t name them, but I’m referring to women who many people aspire to be,” Caroline adds. “If you look closely at Michaela’s costumes, you’ll see they’re clearly inspired by specific gurus.”

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Another character who stands apart from the crowd right from the start is Devon—the outsider, the only person not completely captivated by Michaela’s influence and who suspects that this woman might be a cult leader, or maybe even a killer (hey, hey!). “She wears completely ordinary, contemporary clothes. She’s dressed in black. She’s messy, unkempt. I think through her costume and the setting in Buffalo, we brought a lot of realism, so that we could then gradually change her visual language throughout the journey – from the moment she’s at home with her father, through the bus ride, to the ferry, and finally arriving on the island. The colors gradually intensify, so that when she steps off the ferry, she’s like Alice in Wonderland, right?” Devon comes from the real world, and I’d describe her style as grunge — but you’ll notice that even her black T-shirt in the first episode has a pastel trim, a subtle detail showing that this world is slowly drawing her in.

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To blend into the island’s society and prove to Michaela that she won’t cause trouble – all with the goal of saving her sister from this cult of rainbows and unicorns – Devon agrees to a preppy makeover. That’s when we see her in pastel, bright summer dresses that completely depart from her usual style. The first dress Devon wears then is the costume designer’s favorite – a dress that they made from vintage Lilly Pulitzer fabric. “That’s when we played with the idea of ‘shame,’ because dressing like this is embarrassing for Devon — she wears that dress which she finds repulsive.” However, as Caroline explains, her discomfort had to be visually expressed through carefully calculated details. “Meghann has the body of a model, so it’s very hard to make her look unnatural in anything. That’s why we had to raise the waistline and adjust the dress until it looked just uncomfortable and embarrassing enough to communicate her feelings to the viewers – but still pretty enough that no one else at the party would notice.” Interestingly, the silhouette of this dress is called a “cage,” which perfectly reflects Devon’s internal feeling of being trapped at that moment.

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Devon’s straw lemon-shaped bag by Serpui, which she carried in the third episode caught my eye. “We called that piece her ‘fruit salad dress,’” Caroline laughs, “it’s like a pineapple and watermelon explosion!” In that look, Devon wears an accessory on the island for the first time, showing us that she’s finally starting to loosen up a bit. And with that intriguing bag, they’ve brought a touch of her personality into a look that’s otherwise completely unlike her. “You know, Devon is a bit like a lemon slice, right?” says Caroline, describing her character as tart.

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“If our boyfriend wears a suit with ducks, is that a red flag?” I asked jokingly, referring to Ethan’s blazer that Devon mocked at the first event. “I’d say it is,” Caroline laughs, “but maybe not in this world. That’s called critter fabric — which is actually a real trend. Brands like Brooks Brothers, Paul Stuart, and J. McLaughlin often offer so-called critter pants and belts, usually made of grosgrain or hand-embroidered, featuring small animals. You often see lobsters or whales.
The blazer with embroidered ducks was actually written into the script, but the costume designer explained to me that they couldn’t find such a piece anywhere. So they hired the team that normally does embroidery for Thom Browne to create a unique, handmade blazer for the series. Devon finds it absurd, but for Simone, it symbolizes Ethan’s dandyism and wealth.

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In this series, the jewelry conceals subtle hints about the plot. “The preservation women wear such subtle jewelry, yet we intuitively notice they all have very similar gold basket-shaped necklaces. But Simone wears a different one – shaped like a lighthouse. That was important to us because we imagined it as the necklace Michaela gave her. And if Michaela embodies the siren, Simone is the one she irresistibly attracts,” says Caroline And we had to pay attention to the jewelry in the series because it’s highlighted in several scenes, especially in Michaela’s wardrobe, and it’s very important to all the girls. “When Devon is forced to wear a necklace with her fruit dress, hers is the only one shaped like a heart – a detail meant to emphasize her discomfort and embarrassment about the ultra-feminine look. But hers has a scrimshaw engraving depicting a mermaid.” All these necklaces are clearly visible in the iconic car scene where Michaela’s friends take Devon shopping, with the song WAP blasting in the background. “There’s a lot of playfulness and symbolism in all of this. It reminds us of Ursula and Ariel in The Little Mermaid – as if Devon’s voice has been taken from her in that space. But at the same time, the longer she stays on the island, her inner siren begins to awaken,” reveals the costume designer.

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If the series left you feeling confused, wondering what exactly happened and how it all came to be, you might want to pay close attention to Simone’s outfits. “You know, Simone’s color palette intentionally shifts from very, very, very intense hues to very quiet, calm tones. Every outfit she wears carries meaning – starting with that pink dress she wears at the first party. As she begins to gain control over her life, her mania calms down, and she increasingly finds her voice and focuses on what she wants from this place and her place in the world – her colors become softer. The last thing we see her in is a pale, icy blue, almost silvery dress, which was actually made to echo Julianne’s green dress… I designed both to have a strong Greek influence,” says Caroline.

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Colors, silhouettes, proportions, and subtle costume details illuminate the storyline of the series Sirens. In a world where everything feels transcendental and unreal, fashion remains a steady element that tells its own story. In scenes where the series takes us somewhere between dreams and reality, it’s important to pay attention to the details that subtly reveal the plot and the truth. Sirens does all this with style, turning even the most eccentric pieces—so sweet they verge on satirical – into items that look undeniably stylish, at least within that universe.