Shining Girls is a serial killer story with a time-travel twist The story follows Harper Curtis, a killer from Depression-era Chicago, who finds a key on the person of his latest victim, and uses it to unlock the door to a strange house.
Kirby Mazrachi is an archivist at the Chicago Sun-Times. Years ago, she was brutally attacked and left for dead, but her assailant was never found. Today she is still traumatized by the assault and struggles to make sense of her reality that keeps changing. Determined to find her attacker, she discovers a murder that has a striking resemblance to her own attack. Kirby enlists the help of reporter Dan Velazquez and together they uncover several decades-old cold cases of similar murders and begin the hunt for a mysterious serial killer.
Notes and Images
Our intention was to create an intimacy between the characters and the audience, the same applied to the use of wardrobe for our characters. The show goes back and forth in time and each costume reveals a place in time and an emotional state in our character’s timeline. Our colour pallette was selected to work with both the set design and cinematic choices.
Kirby’s costumes especially reveal precise moments of her life. In 1964 we see Kirby age 7 for the very first time in a pale blue shorts and top reflecting an innocence and carefreeness of her world – this little girl is vivacious and full of life. In 1981 she is exploring life and music, still unaware of how things will unfold. The clothes have a relaxed and age appropriate feel to them. 1982 She wants to dress up to be a part of the Chicago Tribune, a budding journalist, we used blazer jackets to create the professional vibe. Post attack in 1992 we see Kirby in looser fitting clothes in muted tones which she uses to cover herself up as she is hiding from the world wanting to be invisible while trying to make sense of her trauma.
Dan’s clothes have a lived in feel to them. Just like his home, his clothes have an untidy feel to them. He wears his clothing effortlessly.. He wears his jacket and tie but they have a grounded-ness to them. He is wearing what he needs out of necessity to be a reporter. The use of darker tones enhances his inner conflicted world in his clothing.
WWI Harper’s army uniform during the war is authentic and accurate. But as he enters his time travel, the original olive or khaki brown jacket is modified to create a jacket that has a timeless feel to it. So when he appears in the various eras he is a part of the society not standing out dramatically.
