Phoebe de Gaye is a British costume designer for film and television, known for period accurate details and research-based design methods.
Early life and education Phoebe de Gaye was born in July 1949, in Hendon (present-day, Barnet), London.
In the early 1970s de Gaye studied costume for theatre and screen at the Wimbledon School of Art. In 1972, de Gaye attended the postgraduate Motley Theatre Design Course. de Gaye graduated in 1973 as part of "Group 7".
Career In the late 1970s de Gaye worked on a number of Arts Council of Great Britain and British Film Institute productions as a costume designer, art director and design consultant. de Gaye's early work also included theatre.
Once established as a costume designer at the BBC, de Gaye was assigned as costume designer on the first series of Only Fools and Horses, which established the template for the run of the show. de Gaye went to car boot sales and markets to research Del Boy characters, and bought clothes in Oxford Street shops, sourcing Gabicci shirts and cheap sheepskin coats. It was common for the BBC to try out inexperienced designers on sitcoms, and de Gaye recalled being an "acting designer, and the job was given to me as a way of trying me out before deciding whether to appoint me as a full-blown designer".
In the early 1990s, de Gaye worked as costume designer for the historical drama Tom & Viv. Analysis of the film's costumes against real photos of the film's subjects has highlighted de Gaye's simplification of the wardrobes and her use of colour contrasts to show relationships between characters.
de Gaye worked on four episodes of Season 1 of Agatha Christie's Marple, starring Geraldine McEwan. The series was set in the 1950s with "spot on" period costuming. Actor Cherie Lunghi has spoken about collaborating with de Gaye to develop character, and credited the period-accurate "body bandage" suspenders and stockings as key to posture and deportment.
de Gaye did further period drama work on the 2014 BBC action series The Musketeers, leading a large team that included "seamstresses, cutters and breakdown artists, who distress and age costumes to make them look authentic." The show required many duplicate costumes for stunts and padding inside costumes. de Gaye has spoken about her research and design process, using historical visual sources, as well as an extensive library that she often refers to for inspiration. For her work on The Musketeers, de Gaye received a BAFTA Craft Award.
In 2017, de Gaye worked on The White Princess, a period drama series starring Jodie Comer. de Gaye had approximately ten weeks to prepare before filming started, and has spoken about drawing influences for this period from paintings and engravings, then adapting these influences for a modern audience to create a world that drew the viewers in.
As costume designer for Season 1 of Killing Eve, de Gaye created an iconic wardrobe for the character Villanelle that launched the show into the fashion pages and is the subject of a growing body of academic work. de Gaye's process involved creating a shared mood board for Villanelle and Eve Polastri to develop the contrasts between the characters. The most influential costume was the pink Molly Goddard dress and Balenciaga boots, worn in the episode, I'll Deal With Him Later. de Gaye has described how the designer items were slightly altered and exaggerated by her team, creating a distinctive and dramatic look for the character.
de Gaye was nominated for another BAFTA Craft Award for her work on The English, a revisionist Western BBC TV series starring Emily Blunt. Rafe Spall has spoken about de Gaye's influence on his acting choices in the show, acknowledging that "a large part of what I've thrown at this character is down to her."
Filmography Film + Year Title Role Notes 1976 JustineCostume Designer British Film Institute Production Board1976 Hogarth Production Assistant Arts Council of Great Britain1978 The Life Story of Baal Art Director British Film Institute Production Board1979 Four Questions About Art Art Director1979 Phoelix Design consultant British Film Institute Production Board1979 Correction, Please or How We Got into Pictures Art Director Arts Council of Great Britain1980At the Fountainhead (Of German Strength)Costume Designer British Film Institute Production Board1988On the Black HillCostume Designer1992Carry on ColumbusCostume Designer1994Tom & VivCostume Designer1994A Man of No ImportanceCostume Designer2000SnatchCostume Designer With Verity Hawkes2001Birthday GirlCostume Designer2002Killing Me SoftlyCostume Designer2004CreepCostume Designer2006Land of the BlindCostume Designer2008The Other ManCostume Designer
Television + Year Title Role Notes 1981Only Fools and Horses Costume Design 6 episodes 1982L for Lester 6 episodes1982Top of the Pops Costumes 1 episode1984The Young Ones2 episodes1984–1985The Tripods18 episodes1990Lorna DooneTelevision film1996The Sculptress4 episodes1997Original SinTV miniseries2003The Forsyte Saga Costume Design8 episodes, second series 2004Belonging Costume Designer Television film The Guardian. 12 September 2004. Page 70.2004–2005Marple4 episodes2008Lark Rise to Candleford10 episodes2009SkelligTelevision film2012Sinbad1 episode2013A Touch of Cloth2 episodes2014–2015The Musketeers20 episodes2016The Living and the Dead6 episodes2017The White Princess8 episodes2018Killing Eve8 episodes2019The Spanish Princess8 episodes2019Treadstone10 episodes2022The English Costume Design6 episodes2024Belgravia: The Next Chapter8 episodes
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