{"id":661,"date":"2025-05-22T12:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/?p=661"},"modified":"2025-05-22T15:04:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T15:04:50","slug":"from-perfect-housewife-shift-dresses-to-a-rock-n-roll-gown-the-fashion-in-sirens-is-full-of-easter-eggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/22\/from-perfect-housewife-shift-dresses-to-a-rock-n-roll-gown-the-fashion-in-sirens-is-full-of-easter-eggs\/","title":{"rendered":"From \u201cPerfect Housewife\u201d Shift Dresses To A \u201cRock \u2018n\u2019 Roll\u201d Gown, The Fashion In Sirens Is Full Of Easter Eggs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mild spoilers for <\/em>Sirens, premiering on May 22, ahead. <\/em><\/p>\n

In Netflix\u2019s new steamy thriller Sirens<\/em>, on the lavish grounds of Cliff House \u2014 located on an exclusive, unnamed island in the vein of Martha\u2019s Vineyard \u2014 the decadent dress code is more than just an etiquette guideline. \u201cWhat is<\/em> this place and why does everyone look like an Easter egg?!\u201d exclaims Devon (Meghann Fahy) to her estranged younger sister Simone (Milly Alcock), an assistant to the palatial beach estate\u2019s doyenne, Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore) \u2014 or \u201cKiki\u201d to the anointed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Surrounded by floral-clad Stepford-type denizens, a disheveled Devon, out of place in all black, pleads for help from Simone, who, in contrast, is wearing brash pink. Their father, Bruce (Bill Camp), has dementia, but Simone refuses to leave her formidable boss and the lap of luxury. Devon surmises that her baby sister has been seduced by a cult led by the enigmatic Michaela. A suspenseful push and pull of women\u2019s relationships, money, and power ensues \u2014 and the luxurious wardrobes by costume designer Caroline Duncan offer figurative Easter eggs leading to the climactic finale.<\/p>\n

Devon\u2019s Subversive Black Outfit<\/h2>\n
Sirens. Meghann Fahy as Devon in episode 101 of Sirens. Cr. Macall Polay\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arriving at Cliff House after a night in jail and a grueling 17-hour journey from Buffalo \u2013 including bus, ferry, and on-foot travel \u2014 Devon hasn\u2019t changed out of her all-black outfit: a black tank top, a Babaton mini skirt, and Thursday combat boots. \u201cWhen we meet Devon, she\u2019s at a low point,\u201d says Duncan. \u201cShe\u2019s got alcohol and sexual impulsivity issues, and we wanted to put her in something where we could see the scabs and dirt on her skin, but also show that she\u2019s emboldened by showing her skin. Part of her addiction comes from that confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the ferry, Devon visually \u2014 and spiritually \u2014 clashes with the posh summering crowd in pastel outfits straight out of Lilly Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines campaigns. But things are about to change, and the mint-green lace trim that Duncan added to Devon\u2019s camisole alludes to Michaela\u2019s meticulously manicured enclave and the intrigue to come. \u201cPlanting that little seed of her journey,\u201d says Duncan.<\/p>\n

Michaela\u2019s Otherworldly Neutrals<\/h2>\n
Sirens. Julianne Moore in episode 104 of Sirens. Cr. Macall Polay\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Devon becomes convinced that Michaela, who\u2019s planning an extravagant Labor Day fundraiser gala for her rare bird preservation charity, is a cult leader. Adding to the vibe, the philanthropist \u2014 in a billowing white halter tunic and flowy pants \u2014 wields a fowl-topped baton to lead her devot\u00e9es in an invocation of her sign-off mantra: \u201cHey, hey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur intent was to always have the audience questioning what the mythos surrounding her, and the lore of her, was,\u201d says Duncan, who custom-made most of Moore\u2019s other costumes. \u201cI wanted her to feel like she was always floating and above the fracas of the real world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Taking inspiration from \u201870s-era Lee Radziwill and Italian brand Alberta Ferretti\u2019s ethereal silhouettes, Duncan made Michaela\u2019s halter ensemble with vintage silk from a distributor also used by Halston, a brand whose silky garments were worn by the likes of Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger. Later, the de facto empress of the island presides over her disciples in a luminous one-shoulder caftan gown by The Row.<\/p>\n

Duncan imagined that the ambitious lawyer-turned-billionaire-trophy-wife made her mark on the impressionable island community by formulating a color-coded wardrobe \u201crulebook.\u201d But, in the ultimate flex, Michaela\u2019s own distinctive palette of neutrals is an ongoing, eye-catching exception. \u201cEveryone else around Michaela is in this flutter of beautiful color, and she\u2019s this visual pause,\u201d says Duncan. \u201cWhich, of course, means that she\u2019s the person you\u2019re looking at, at all times, in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michaela\u2019s alabaster layers also boldly counter Devon\u2019s rebellious, grungey style as the two face off over Simone\u2019s allegiance toward the end of episode one. \u201cEverybody else in between them is in a powder puff of color, but the two are the binaries of the show,\u201d says Duncan.<\/p>\n

Sirens. Julianne Moore in episode 102 of Sirens. Cr. Macall Polay\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Simone\u2019s Try-Hard Pinks and Commanding Blues<\/h2>\n
Sirens. Milly Alcock as Simone in episode 101 of Sirens. Cr. Macall Polay\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Simone regularly barks orders at the Cliff House staff through a megaphone. Her bright pink mod-style dress with a precious white trim, from a Goop x Lilly Pulitzer collaboration,<\/a> amplifies her relentless determination to fulfill Michaela\u2019s directives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSimone\u2019s got to be obnoxious,\u201d says Duncan. \u201cIt\u2019s like the dial is just turned up way too high. She\u2019s vibrating far too brightly, and she\u2019s trying way too hard to fit in. So everything about her feels extra, and she is in a hotter color than everyone else in that world.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Simone\u2019s character evolves, she transitions to cooler shades of blue, starting with a custom sleeveless Pulitzer-referential dress. \u201cBlue very much felt like a moment; a marker for Simone feeling more in control,\u201d says Duncan, who also made an exquisitely draped, silvery-blue asymmetrical gown for Simone for a jaw-dropping moment later in the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe starts to feel a little bit bolder and a step wiser,\u201d says Duncan, \u201cHer need for this perfection, and her desire to match Michaela\u2019s level of perfection, starts to wane.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sirens. (L to R) Kevin Bacon as Peter Kell, Milly Alcock as Simone in episode 105 of Sirens. Cr. Macall Polay\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Devon\u2019s Red Statement Dress<\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\n

After her initial showdown with Michaela, Devon is briefly banished to a luxury hotel on the island \u2014 on the Kell family tab. Taking advantage of her new expense account to finally change out of her two-day-old outfit, she buys a bold crimson Francesca Miranda dress, featuring the Colombia-based designer\u2019s pata de cabra technique of slinky, draped strips of fabric.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like Devon would love that dress, because it\u2019s exoskeletal and it moves and it\u2019s bold,\u201d says Duncan, who worked with the label to customize the dress with monochrome red lining. \u201cIt moves so beautifully, and the color is so defiant. We\u2019re not a world of primary colors in Sirens<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the signature color of Devon\u2019s hometown team, the Buffalo Bills, red also indicates Devon\u2019s humble roots \u2014 something\u00a0 Simone disavows by cryptically saying she\u2019s from \u201cupstate.\u201d <\/p>\n

Devon\u2019s Michaela-Approved Outfits<\/h2>\n
Sirens. Meghann Fahy as Devon in episode 103 of Sirens. Cr. Macall Polay\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In an effort to \u201cextract\u201d Simone, Devon decides to infiltrate the presumed cult and ingratiates herself with Michaela by agreeing to dress the part. She changes into a Michaela-approved sleeveless shift dress with a vintage Lilly Pulitzer print, delicate cut-outs at the neckline, and fabric-covered buttons. Michaela\u2019s dress choice conveys her control and manipulation of Devon at Cliff House, with Duncan referring to the look as a \u201ccage dress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of intention to that. Michaela is putting her in a dress that feels very \u201860s,\u201d continues Duncan. \u201cTo Devon, that image of a \u2018perfect housewife\u2019 is her nightmare version of femininity.\u201d Devon even devises her own chant, as she dons a padded lilac Jennifer Behr headband and matching ballet flats by Christian Louboutin. \u201cFuck you, Michaela,\u201d she mutters. \u201cFuck you, Michaela.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, nearly overnight, Devon eases into her second Cliff House-coded outfit: a yellow-and-blue shift dress with a seashell print, Castaner sandals, and an adorable lemon-shaped straw bag.\u00a0\u201cAs we get further and further into our story, she is tempted by the siren call of this world,\u201d says Duncan.<\/p>\n

Devon\u2019s Goddess Gala Gown<\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\n

Ahead of the opulent Labor Day gala, Devon luxuriates in her own Pretty Woman<\/em>-esque shopping montage \u2014 cheered on by Michaela\u2019s free-spending society cronies: The Fates<\/a>-like Lisa, Astrid, and Cloe (Erin Neufer, Emily Borromeo, and Jen Lyon, respectively).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI look like Beetlejuice<\/em>,\u201d opines Devon, drowning in a voluminous yellow Carolina Herrera dress covered in ruffles and giant black polka dots. She also nixes a feather-blanketed Marchesa gown and oversized hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan and a jarringly bright yellow column gown with a colossal bow at the back by Alexia Mar\u00eda with custom Lacrasia gloves. But Devon falls under the spell of an ombr\u00ea purple goddess dress with a plunging neckline, finished off with a golden laurel tiara.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe would need to feel incredibly powerful and beautiful,\u201d says Duncan, who custom-designed the \u201cpainterly\u201d gown with elements that would express, and appeal to, Devon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis deep plunge and very, very minimalist bust, with more of a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll element pulled through it,\u201d continues Duncan. \u201cEven though it\u2019s quite a feminine and Grecian silhouette, it\u2019s also got an edge to it that keeps it in Devon\u2019s world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Micaela\u2019s Majestic Jewel Tones<\/h2>\n
Sirens. Julianne Moore as Michaela in episode 105 of Sirens. Cr. Macall Polay\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Simone\u2019s traumatic past and Michaela\u2019s true intentions come to the fore, the latter\u2019s neutrals transition into jewel tones \u2014\u00a0like a sleeveless emerald green dress with a flowing train by Maria Cornejo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re bringing Simone and Michaela\u2019s color palettes closer together,\u201d says Duncan, explaining how the draped and twisted details of Michaela\u2019s green dress mirror a sapphire gown that Simone tries on in her boss\u2019 walk-in closet.<\/p>\n

Michaela readies for the high-stakes gala in a resplendent strapless marigold gown accessorized with a stunning Solange statement necklace and earrings set.\u00a0\u201cShe\u2019s the queen of this society. She\u2019s the leader,\u201d says Duncan. \u201cShe\u2019s a goddess.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But all reigns come to an end, by will or not\u00a0\u2014 and all the Easter eggs leading to the explosive finale lie hidden in the costumes.<\/p>\n

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mild spoilers for Sirens, premiering on May 22, ahead. In Netflix\u2019s new steamy thriller Sirens, on the lavish grounds of Cliff House \u2014 located on an exclusive, unnamed island in the vein of Martha\u2019s Vineyard \u2014 the decadent dress code is more than just an etiquette guideline. \u201cWhat is this place and why does everyone…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":674,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions\/674"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}