Stretching $25K Across Decades and 140 Looks with Maggie Whitaker - Fairyland

Listen in for a masterclass on how to tell a story with 140 looks, on a $1M indie, across decades, with 10 days of prep time!

In this deeply moving and craft-rich conversation, host Catherine Baumgardner speaks with costume designer Maggie Whitaker about her extraordinary journey designing the film Fairyland. Whitaker traces her roots from a theater-first upbringing shaped by old movies, regional summer stock, and a love of history—training that quietly prepared her for the chaos and poetry of independent filmmaking.

The episode unpacks how Whitaker transitioned from decades of theater to film, learning to navigate asynchronous storytelling, brutal schedules, and microscopic budgets—while still protecting character, emotion, and truth. She offers a masterclass in designing the 1970s–80s queer San Francisco world of Fairyland, drawing from deep cultural research, personal archives, and lived community history rather than surface-level nostalgia.

Whitaker reveals how costume becomes a tool for identity: characters "trying on" versions of themselves through clothing, code-switching between safety and self-expression, comfort and risk. From thrifted Victorian pieces worn by broke artists, to plaid shirts that anchor emotional continuity, the clothes chart parallel arcs of father and daughter—love, rebellion, grief, and return.

Beyond design, the conversation explores mentorship, advocacy, collaboration, and leadership—how to fight diplomatically for your department, care for your team, and make meaningful art under near-impossible constraints.

The "Voice of Costume" is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. A behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world. Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation with Catherine Baumgardner.

Audio available wherever you get podcasts.

https://voiceofcostume.com/