Babe Paley, Slim Keith and CZ Guest are some of the iconic women of the jet set who conjure up images of wealth, glamour, high society… and Truman Capote. Known as “The Swans,” they dominated New York society, being the acclaimed author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s part of his inner circle.
The second installment of Ryan Murphy Fief anthology, FX Fight: Capote vs. The Swans focuses on the author’s complex relationship with high society, which changed with his 1975 Don article “La Côte Basque, 1965”. Capote’s exposure of his secrets (including the implication that Babe Paley’s husband, CBS’s Bill Paley, had an affair with the wife of the governor of New York) led to fallout and Capote’s subsequent fall from the social ladder. from Manhattan.
“Everything had to have a sense of richness and glamour. Everything was perfectly arranged and polished,” says Lou Eyrich, the show’s costume designer, who has worked with Murphy for 24 years. “Every pair of shoes, every bag had to match. Presentation was everything, and his clothes had to show that they belonged to that society.”
Since costume design is all about storytelling, perhaps Paley (played by Naomi Watts) sums it up best when she says, “We see the importance of presentation. Deep down, it is an act.”
Eyrich further explains: “To me, it was as if all women were fragile inside and had to appear to the world that they had everything under control and that they were powerful in society as women. Many ended in powerless relationships, husbands having affairs and moving on to the next wife.”
Paley, Capote’s favorite swan, was known for her tailored looks by Mainbocher, Givenchy, Dior and Balenciaga in the ’50s and ’60s and Halston and Bill Blass in the ’70s. “For Babe, we had a cheat sheet that was simple, chic, elegant and without ostentation,” says the designer, who created a wardrobe for Watts that is a mix of vintage and personalized.
Diane Lane plays Slim Keith. In her memoir, says costume designer Lou Eyrich, “Slim described his style as clean and polished.”
Courtesy of Pari Dukovic/FX
Keith (Diane Lane) was a simple California girl who preferred Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass and a less-is-more approach. “She was more masculine and Diane is more feminine,” says Eyrich, “so we cheated and found a way to style her with suits, dresses and boots.”
Tom Hollander plays Capote, and the cast is completed by Chloë Sevigny as Guest, Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill, Demi Moore as Ann Woodward and Molly Ringwald as Joanna Carson, Johnny Carson’s wife.
Tom Hollander as Capote.
Courtesy of Pari Dukovic/FX
For one particularly crucial scene, Capote’s famous Black and White Ball, also known as the party of the decade, held at the Plaza Hotel in 1966, Eyrich teamed up with fashion designer Zac Posen. A deep dive into the research included consulting sketches by illustrator Joe Eula, photographs by Ron Galella, and some rare VHS footage from a CBS recording of the entire dance. Posen dressed a number of luminaries represented in the show, including Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, Candice Bergen and Andy Warhol.
The series recreates Truman Capote’s famous Black and White Dance. “Ryan. [Murphy] “I was told I didn’t have to recreate the story, as it’s about telling the right story,” says fashion designer Zac Posen.
Courtesy of FX
Investigations indicated that Paley wore a crimson red lining under her dress (“perhaps as a symbol of her rebellion,” says Posen); the designer kept the red lining but swapped out her fur for a large entrance-making opera coat “that opens as if it had two swan wings.” Posen made a chiffon dress “that looked like sparrow wings” for Woodward, and further, in keeping with the bird symbolism, Posen says, “The black and white ball masks are like evil water birds.”
Posen rightly notes, “It was the Met Gala of its time.”
Demi Moore plays showgirl-turned-socialite Ann Woodward.
Courtesy of Pari Dukovic/FX
This story first appeared in the Jan. 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here for subscribe.