How to get ‘The Perfect Couple’ old money look – by the show’s costume designer Signe Sejlund

In case you haven’t seen it yet, The Perfect Couple is an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery starring Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Meghann Fahy, Dakota Fanning, and Eve Hewson. The limited series follows the dramatic lives and dark misdeeds of the ultra-wealthy Winbury family as they convene at their family home in Nantucket for the wedding of their second son, Benji Winbury, played by Billy Howle, to Amelia Sacks, portrayed by Eve Hewson.

The plot?  Well, the drama really kicks in when the bride’s maid of honour, Merritt (who just  happens to be the family patriarch’s secret and pregnant girlfriend) drowns under suspicious circumstances on the eve of the ceremony.  While the Nantucket police attempt to solve the crime, the show hops back and forth between the post-drowning present and the rehearsal dinner the night before.

And then there are the clothes, skilfully put together by Danish costume designer Signe Sejlund. A master stroke of old money style meets Upper East side chic, the clothes, the perfume, the salons they go to…all play a part in enriching this stylish must-see drama and creating a look that’s exactly the right kind of expensive.

How did you get inside each character and define Nantucket, old money style?

Class dressing is a subtle art. With each character you have to get into their back story to understand how they want to present themselves. This is very much a collaborative process with the director and each individual actor. I have done wealth before in a few shows, but this particular area I didn’t know anything about. My assistant on The Undoing connected me to people who live on the Island, who helped guide my research. Nantucket really does have its own spin on style. Interestingly, the men are the peacocks in their lush vibrant colours and pocket squares. The women are more reserved. It’s very unique.

Nicole Kidman plays Greer Winbury

Let’s talk about Greer Winbury, the family’s matriarch, played by Nicole Kidman

She’s managing the whole thing and as we learn is having to work very hard to keep up appearances. I dressed her in lots of blues to match the sea, as well as creams and whites to exhibit her status. Wearing light colours shows you don’t care about whether you get spots on your clothes; she might pretend that she’s cleaning the kitchen, but she’s not really. There’s housekeepers and gardeners and pool boys taking care of the whole thing. Ralph Lauren is kind of a big thing on this show because it is that world. I also dressed her in a mix of vintage YSL, Victoria Beckham, Sezanne, Max Mara, Prada, Safiyaa and Roland Mouret.

Dakota Fannying, wife of Greer’s eldest son, how did you land on her look?

Well, she doesn’t come from money. Essentially, she wants to be Greer, she’s desperate to be loved by her. She’s annoyingly perfect and wears all the right things, uses the right creams and the must-have hair products. I dressed her in a lot of florals and added soft feminine ruffles. Her and Tom look the most Nantucket because they are so desperate to blend in.

Eve Hewson plays Amelia - Meghann Fahy plays Merrit

Influencer, best friend, secret love interest; Merritt, played by Meghann Fahy, how did you unpick all her layers?

She’s a free-spirited influencer with a back story. She’s been abused by grown-ups, clearly has a trouble past and has adopted by Amelia and her family. Their friendship is so strong because they need each other.  For the rehearsal dinner I dressed her in Missoni, and of course she’s snubbed for how revealing it is. Dakota Fanning’s character smirks “That is not a dress, she’s wearing a bathing suit.” Merritt simply isn’t one of them. The them, of course being old money. In two of the flash back scenes, I dressed her in a yellow ribbed one shoulder cover up and a black buckle detail dress both by ultra ultra-cool Cult Gaia.

Amelia, played by Eve Hewson, how did you approach her character?

I wasn’t sure what to do with her. Who is she? We tried all sorts of things to see what would work. And in the end, we landed on comparatively boring costumes because she doesn’t really care about clothes — they’re not her thing. She’s interested in people. She’s real. And because Eve is so naturally sexy, she doesn’t have to, and refuses, to try. And that really annoys Greer and creates a tension between them.

Liv Schreiber Plays Tag Winbury

And let’s discuss Tag Winbury, played by Live Schreiber, and that dressing gown

Ah yes, well if you’re real old money you don’t have to try.  Tag is the authentic version of Nantucket style., which is the antithesis to tailored, boardroom New York style. So yes, he’s more than comfortable in an old (expensive) bathrobe. He’s also happy in a pair of linen plimsoles and a wrinkled shirt. His clothes are all really good quality  but he’s dishevelled and thrown together and there’s something very sexy about that.  

At what point did you know you’d nailed it?

When we finally saw all the characters together on set at the rehearsal dinner. Before that all the fittings had taken place all over the world. It’s a big puzzle that finally comes together. It was exactly what we had dreamt of, it all blended in.

And finally, the opening dance sequence has gone viral, how did it come about?

It was the director Susanne Bier’s idea. We had started filming, and there was a lot of energy on the set, and she just came up with it one morning. I was sceptical at first and said, ‘well you can always leave it out’. It was so much fun. A real Bollywood ending, and everyone clearly loves it.