To do so, Atwood zeroed in on present-day silhouettes, but gave them a touch of ’80s flair. “We took it out of the eighties, but still gave a real nod to that period in design,” says Atwood, who gave most of the characters’ wardrobes the custom treatment—including the original trio Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), Lydia (Winona Ryder), and Delia (Catherine O’Hara). “I’d say I made 75 percent of it, and then bought stuff that I liked and plugged it in, to keep it contemporary. I did a lot of vintage mixed with custom.”
Of course, each character had their own fashion sensibility and “quirkiness,” says Atwood. For Lydia Deetz, Atwood wanted to revisit the Winona Ryder character’s penchant for gothic, voluminous tulle gowns, but make them suitable for 2024. “We used some Elena Dawson, who’s a fashion in London; a couple of her jackets, because they were so goth, but modern,” says Atwood. For her first look in the film, Atwood sourced a vintage black dress and reworked it. It would have been easy for Atwood to simply pluck an off-the-runway dress for Lydia, given brands like Simone Rocha or McQueen very much fit the aesthetic. Atwood, however, found joy in the challenge of creating something entirely new. “It wasn’t that kind of movie for me,” she says. “I went in the shops and Dover Street Market in London, but just for fun.”
For Delia (O’Hara), Atwood leaned into the character’s artistic roots—meaning, the more over-the-top the ensemble, the better. “She’s an artist, so we dialed into that,” says Atwood. “Of all the characters, her style still harkens back to the eighties the most, because we figured she just stayed in her groove.” For the devious Beetlejuice (Keaton), meanwhile—the most famous character of the franchise—Atwood wanted to give his iconic black and white suit a modern update. While the striped pattern returned, his new suit silhouette was unexpectedly dapper. “I redid it and recut it, and added a little bit more of a punch,” says Atwood. “He also got to wear more stuff this time: One of Michael’s favorites was wedding tuxedo.” (You’ll have to see the film for the backstory on that piece.)
Atwood also had the opportunity to build entirely new characters from scratch. Astrid (Ortega), for one, served as the angsty new teenage daughter to Lydia; Atwood tapped into her anger and melancholy through clothes. “We did a grunge vibe on her. Astrid didn’t really want to be around her mom or her weird world at all,” says Atwood. “She was more into old movies and old music, so I made her clothes reflective of that.” Amongst the standout pieces were shredded stripped knits and grungy floral dress. “I made her a dress out of this old daisy print I had for ages in my stock, and paired it with a denim jacket and boots, says Atwood. “I also did a striped dress on her I found in London that I really loved.” (Not to be missed, however, is the black wedding gown that Atwood created for Monica Bellucci’s evil character; She’s out for revenge on Beetlejuice—and looks chic and corseted in the process.)