‘New York’s Only Living Pickpocket’ Costume Designer Cailey Breneman’s Perfect Pickpocket Coat

New York does things differently than anywhere else. It has its own appearance and its own language. Whether it’s the Wall Street power suits, the jeans-and-heels fashion crowd, or the Uptown Tims and Polos, New Yorkers dress for the occasion. Because that’s what you do. Costume designer Caily Breneman’s mission was to capture the energy of the city in the new film. New York’s only living pickpocket.

The film stars John Turturro as an old-school pickpocket whose lucky score turns into a bad opportunity when he unwittingly steals the cryptocurrency wallet of a young, evil mobster played by Will Price.

Breneman’s work shows how intimate the art of pocket picking is, with hidden pocket placements, open zippers, and all the details we don’t notice until it’s too late.

The outfits are an exercise in contrasts, with old New York closer to the classic tailoring of Turturro and Steve Buscemi and Price’s online and trend New York on his hangers.

We spoke with Breneman about these choices, as well as the attire of other icons like Giancarlo Esposito and Jamie Lee Curtis. But first I had to ask about that coat…

I wanted to first ask about the coat that John Tuturro wears in the movie. in Our Q&AHe mentioned a collaboration with Zegna. Is that correct?

There were a lot of research images, but I always thought it would be nice to have an overcoat. I planned to make a coat and John also bought a peacoat as part of his research. boy name [Segan, director] When John and I first started collaborating, we were still in LA, but when Noah got to New York, the three of us talked about it.

Meanwhile, John walked the Zegna runway in Milan and wore this stunning salt and pepper coat with a large fur collar. We decided to see if they could make us a coat and they said yes. There were some design modifications and they were kind enough to send me sketches and samples. It was very important to John to wear clothes that had never been worn in any other film, and to wear clothes that had never been worn in Salt and Pepper. And I like salt and pepper, so I added them all together.

Did you have anything in mind to make sure it was the ideal pickpocket coat?

At first we wanted to make a huge interior pocket so John could put it in and out of his coat. But when we actually wore the coat, it had really nice deep pockets. This was one of the things I told Zenya was important about the character. After a few rehearsals we realized that this was ideal. He also has a nice internal chest pocket so I could go here. [at chest height]Or down the hips with regular pockets.

Did you learn anything about how to prevent your belongings from being stolen while researching the movie?

I really realized how careless I was. I always walk around with my wallet unzipped. Especially these days, it seems like everyone is so preoccupied with their phones. I’ve seen people walking down the street with their backpacks unzipped. So one of the things I learned was to be more protective and less trusting. We told all about how our practices have changed since working with Pickpocket technology advisor Apollo Robbins.

How was it working with him?

He advised us on making internal pockets. He came into the office once during preparation, and we tried on costumes with him. He, John, and Noah were rehearsing, and Apollo and I had a long conversation about what John needed to be believable in the movie. That was really good advice. He then came at least once to advise John and confirm all his efforts. It was very cool.

How did you weave in the contrast between old and new New York? You have a Buscemi character with a strong 70s New York vibe. Tell us what attracted you to him and why you thought the 70s look was right for him.

I really wanted the characters to feel like they were still in their prime, especially John and Steve, and Giancarlo Esposito’s character. Giancarlo’s character is going through the same thing as John’s character, but in a different way. He’s being kicked out of the department. Steve’s character probably won’t make as much money as he did at the pawn shop. Because no one carries cash. But we really wanted his character to feel like a teddy bear.

One of our first ideas was a tracksuit and we tried on a few things but Steve had a strong feeling that he would still wear them to work and I liked that. He showed that he takes his work and life seriously. We wanted the film to feel timeless, even outside of Dylan and his group. So we leaned heavily on the 90s for John and Giancarlo. And I think Steve looks naturally cool in 70’s style clothes. What he is wearing is a vintage Prada shirt. It was perfect for him and the vibe.

I was shopping at one of the vintage malls in Chinatown when I came across his velor sweater. What’s funny is that he was talking about wearing velor tracksuits, and when I discovered the velor striped sweater he wears later in the movie, it was the perfect middle ground for dressing for our heroes, John, Steve, and Giancarlo. We wanted to tell their story through texture. So when I met people like Dylan, they were able to tell stories through light and color. They look great together, but it’s still a contrast.

Dylan and his friends are glamorous in their own way. And he ended up wearing a tracksuit in the movie.

I was telling someone without realizing it, but I love telling New York stories through coats. Because we wear too many coats.

For Dylan, it was interesting because he wanted to collaborate a lot with Will, which I love. We texted a lot, which is the exact opposite of how John and I worked together. John is good at making phone calls. We met in person. We went to lunch together. Will and I texted and exchanged photos. He said, “Have you bought anything yet that you really like?” I sent a photo of the coat and he really liked it. I think we only tried two outfits on for his fitting. Once I found the coat, I made it out of that. We actually called Noah for a fitting. Because I thought, “I can keep going, but I’ll never get over it.”

For him, we wanted to show that his gang is more engaged in microtrends. What I love about the younger generation, especially men, is that they aren’t afraid to be a little flashy, whereas the guys I grew up with just wanted to fade into the background.

Jamie Lee Curtis characters arrive with East Coast elegance. What was your mindset when putting together her look?

When I was doing my research, I started with who I thought Moira was. At first I thought she was a wild child when she grew up. But Jamie’s character seems to have lived a life of obligation. She got married, her husband died, and she grew up in that life. Once she took the job, she had to dress more seriously. She couldn’t go out and have fun or draw too much attention to herself like she used to. Jamie said he hasn’t been affected by his character over the years.

I brought a bellboy cart full of clothes, and he said, “You brought too much.” She wanted to tell a story through shoes, and she loved it. I don’t think we’ve ever seen her feet, but she’s wearing some very classic, wealthy New Yorker, Upper East Side vintage Ferragamo shoes. We decided she grew up on the Upper East Side. It was nice when she and John got in the car. Because they looked like their contemporaries. Although we came from different worlds, we were on the same side.

New York’s only living pickpocket It is currently showing in theaters nationwide. You can watch Turturro’s Q&A with John Tuturro, Tatiana Maslany, and Noah Segan. disconnection Co-star Adam Scott here.