During our expenses paid press trip to Los Angeles for the #AvengersEvent and #ABCTVEvent, we were able to visit the set of MARVEL’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The set location is super secret, of course, and we were able to not only talk with cast members, but we were able to tour the set and even watch the filming of a few scenes from the season finale. Don’t worry, there won’t be any spoilers in this post. But we will talk one of my favorite topics: costumes and fashion.
Ann Foley is the head of the Costume Department on set, and gave us the scoop on the wardrobe for each character. They custom make some of the costumes for the show, usually around 30%, but that can increase or decrease depending on the episode. Each character has a working closet. Ann explained exactly what these were:
“The working closet is where I pull their clothes for each episode. So what we do is I have a little closet that I use for all my fittings, for each and every episode. [Ann points to vision boards she created for each main character] And in my vision board over there, these are ideas that I had at the beginning of last season that I used to show the producers, and even the cast, where we were going with each one of them. so that we could create six really strong identifiable characters.”
Ann doesn’t just dress the main characters, though. Her team takes care of all actors on set.
“Any day players that come in, I get their sizes, everybody comes in for a fitting. Every single person on the show pretty much, whether they have one line or they have a big arc, they come in and I dress them all.”
When making custom pieces, Ann and her team have to keep in mind that not only will the actors need a costume, but their stunt doubles will need them as well. For Agent May’s beautiful sequined silver dress in the “Face My Enemy” episode, Ann had to create 5 different dresses.
“We made five because May was fighting herself in the episode, so we had one beautiful one for May, then we had one that she could fight in. We sewed stretch panels inside so she could fight and do all of her movement. She had two stunt doubles and then Agent 33 was in one as well.”
As a comic book fan, I’m always interested in shows that either pay homage to the outfits in the original book series. Ann shares how much they are inspired by the comic book series when creating wardrobe for characters like Mockingbird and Deathlok.
“I always go to the source material, because I think it’s important. I mean, these are established characters in the MCU and I want to respect that. But at the same time, it’s about bringing them into our world and making it believable for the world of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. So, it’s always a little bit of a balance.”
I could listen to Ann talk for hours about the costume department. So many intricacies and details are kept in mind when creating wardrobe for the actors, and she pretty much has the most entertaining job.
We did get to enjoy the rest of the set, and visit some special rooms that we’ve all seen on screen.
The set was huge! From Coulson’s office to the interrogation room, and even a super secret special place that you’ll see in the season finale, it was all located within that set.
We even bumped into Chloe Bennet during our set visit, and she was an absolute sweetheart. She admired our Marvel themed tees and asked us as many questions as we asked her. What a fun time.
Tonight’s episode of MARVEL’s Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to be a good one. Here is the synopsis:
WAR TEARS SKYE APART, ON “MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” ON ABC
Edward James Olmos Guest Stars as Robert Gonzales
“Scars” – Skye is torn between her loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. and her connection to the Inhumans as tensions rise between the groups — and Coulson reveals a secret he’s been hiding from even those closest to him, on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” TUESDAY, MAY 5 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” stars Clark Gregg as Director Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Agent Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons, Nick Blood as Lance Hunter and Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse.
Guest starring are Henry Simmons as Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie, Ruth Negga as Raina, Patton Oswalt as Sam/Billy Koenig, Kyle Maclachlan as Cal, Edward James Olmos as Robert Gonzales, Jamie Harris as Gordon, Christine Adams as Agent Weaver, Mark Allan Stewart as Agent Oliver, Maya Stojan as Kara/Agent 33, Dichen Lachman as Jiaying, Luke Mitchell as Lincoln Campbell, Alicia Vela-Bailey as Alisha, David Douglas as Michael and Crystal Coney as scientist.
”Scars” was written by Rafe Judkins & Lauren LeFranc and directed by Bobby Roth.
For more information on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” visit ABC.com
Follow them on: Facebook www.facebook.com/AgentsofSHIELD
Twitter @AgentsofSHIELD
Please tell me how you can do this tour… I would do anything just to be that close to the set… and I’m Australia
Hi Mandy! I was invited by Disney and Marvel to do this! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! I’m not sure if they offer these kinds of tours for purchase, but if they do, I’m sure they would announce it on the Marvel Facebook page.