Brie Larson ’s Elizabeth Zott is a woman who doesn’t conform to society’s expectations. In AppleTV+’s “ Lessons in Chemistry ,” Larson plays a brilliant young woman who dreams of being a chemist in 1950s America, a time when society believed a woman’s place is in the home and not in a science lab. She eventually does make it into the Hastings Research Institute to realize her life’s ambition, despite her male colleagues dismissing her with comments about her need to smile more.
Although she remains, for the most part, button-downed and unemotional, there is an evolution of her character, albeit a subtle one. Thanks to a skilled team of artisans, Elizabeth’s journey as a woman who defied society’s rules is reflected in her wardrobe, makeup and the show’s music. Costume designer Mirren Gordon-Crozier takes Elizabeth from lab technician to the cooking show host of “Supper at Six,” choosing dusty, muted tones for the character when she is in scientist mode.
“I used teal, salmon pink and down-to-earth colors that had a certain brightness whenever light shone on them,” the costume designer says, noting she stayed away from using too much pink because Elizabeth isn’t a typical pastel-wearing woman. While at the lab, Elizabeth falls in love with Calvin (Lewis Pullman), so Gordon-Crozier subtly softened her look a bit. “She starts wearing beige and cream colors.
When she’s in Hastings, she wears this beautiful linen circle skirt and a cream top to s.