is not a fashion movie—unless you’re a fan of navy, black, and gray business-core that your mom might call “smart.” But to ignore the characters’ office-appropriate Hugo Boss and L.K. Bennett workwear would be missing a big part of the film. The garments aren’t there just because they’re obviously what analysts at a hedge fund would wear. In fact, the highly-tailored outfits weave a secondary — and all too real — storyline.
Let’s get one thing straight: No one here is trying to convince you that hedge funds are filled with high fashion, least of all the film’s costume designer, Kate Forbes, whose work has also appeared in. In fact, most of the characters’ wardrobes are anti-trend, and that’s the point. “In a lot of other costume projects, I fall in love with the subject matter or the people that I’m going to be dressing,” she says. “This was the complete opposite.
When Emily reacts to his cupcake comment by wearing a Very Serious black turtleneck to a meeting the next day, she’s clearly rattled and, over lunch, changes back into one of her signature blouses, this one a very stereotypical feminine shade of pink. That’s the thing: In toxic work environments — toxicwork environments, in particular — one ruffled collar is all it takes to, well, ruffle some insecure dudes.