The costumer landed on a sleek, red catsuit with a thematic spider web etched onto the chest. “There weren’t that many iterations of ” says Dickson, though—technically—it was a challenge one to create. “We did quite a difficult screen-printing process with Lycra. It was printed in pieces,” says Dickson, adding that the ensuing skin-tight silhouette made it feel strong and powerful. “If you’re wearing your stretch suit, you can do anything. It’s the tradition of superhero suits—it’s all about the body.” When Dickson saw Johnson slip into the final design, she knew they had gotten the final design right. “Dakota came into the fitting room, and she was having so much fun with the suit,” says Dickson. “She liked the simplicity of it.” (Less simple? The dramatic method looks that Johnson has been wearing for the many Madame Web premieres.)
Crafting that superhero suit wasn’t the only challenge Dickson was up against though. Given the film is an origin story, the costume designer also had to envision what Cassandra Webb and the three young women would wear pre-becoming superheroes. “The movie is set in 2003, which I have to say was a terrible fashion time,” laughs Dickson. “It was a really interesting to go back into; It was very chaotic—we were not at our style best.” Still, Dickson found a way to channel Y2K style in a not-so-horrifying way—giving the four main characters a sense of individual tastes and style.
For Johnson’s Cassandra, for instance, Dickson leaned into her day job as a paramedic—defining a look that felt practical and smart, yet subtly stylish. “Dakota’s character is fashion indifferent—and yet, amazingly fashionable,” she says. “We kept her wardrobe really simple; We decided to go more into the ’90s, and gave her these high-waisted Re/Done jeans.” Her red leather jacket, meanwhile, was actually inspired by a vintage ’70s style that Dickson had in her personal closet. “When S.J. saw my vintage leather jacket, she said, ‘Can I have that in red?’” (It’s a jacket so good that, when paparazzi snapped photos of Johnson wearing it on set during film, the outerwear instantly went viral. “That red jacket ended up absolutely everywhere,” says Dickson. “Within about a week of that first appearance, being sold online.”)