Ariana Grande had a vision for Glinda’s wedding dress in Wicked: For Good.
Wicked’s costume designer Paul Tazewell opened up to Bustle about creating Glinda and Elphaba’s outfits in Wicked: For Good for an interview published on Thursday, November 20.
When it came time to design Glinda’s wedding dress, Tazewell, 61, said he consulted with Grande, 32, about what her character should wear.
“When we started, there was much more going on in the upper portion of the wedding dress,” he explained. “As we were fitting and I had conversations with Ari, it became clear that she really wanted to feel more vulnerable in that moment.”
To achieve that, Tazewell created a much more simplistic look for Glinda, toned down from her usual glitzy ensembles. She wore a strapless A-line dress with an asymmetrical plunging sweetheart neckline — exposing just the right amount of skin for Glinda to feel “vulnerable” — and a delicate crystal neckline. The bodice cascaded into a pleated ballgown with a long train following her.
Glinda accessorized with a gold choker and a crystal crown attached to a long veil. She held pink flowers as she walked down the aisle.
In Wicked: For Good, Glinda is getting married to Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), which is a change from the musical, where she’s only engaged to him. In the trailer, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is seen visiting Glinda on her wedding day, causing fans to speculate that she interrupts her ceremony with Fiyero, who is actually in love with the Wicked Witch.
Ariana Grande is Glinda in ‘Wicked For Good’. Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures
Tazewell also shared which look made Grande the most emotional to wear while filming.
“Her blue and lavender bubble dress,” he explained. “The connection to both the Billie Burke Glinda from the 1939 film and also the Wicked Broadway production — having those two be reflected in the first bubble dress was a very moving moment for her.”
Tazewell added, “I remember her being very touched when we were wrapping because she had to let go of that persona. It was beautiful to be connected to that moment because of what I had designed. That’s what I’m after: a real human connection to what I’m creating.”
Erivo’s most meaningful look came at the end of the film, according to Tazewell. “It’s her final look. We worked until the very end of filming to develop how we see Elphaba as she realizes herself at the end of the story, at least as far as we know it,” he recalled.
Ariana Grande delivered drama at the Wicked: For Good premiere. Grande, 32, showed off her figure in a black beaded number while attending the Wicked: For Good premiere in London on Monday, November 10. For the screening, she stunned in a glamorous look featuring a one-shoulder neckline with a puffy sleeve. The bodice cascaded into […]
“It needed to be something that seemed true to Elphaba, and also different than what we had seen her in before. So those moments were very, very close and intimate. That was a very moving moment for Cynthia,” he gushed.
According to the official movie plot, Wicked: For Good follows Elphaba after she’s “demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West.”
“Glinda resides at the palace in Emerald City, reveling in the perks of fame and popularity,” the description continues. “As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, she’ll need to reunite with Glinda to transform herself, and all of Oz, for good.”
Wicked: For Good premieres in theaters on Friday, November 21.
