When Wicked part one came out it amazed and shocked viewers with its stunning visuals, incredible music and for me particularly its detailed costumes. Wicked part one was inspired by act 1 of the Broadway musical and with Wicked; For Good coming out on November 21st let’s explore the differences in the costumes from the musical and Movie as well as their symbolism to the story.
Glinda flying in her bubble has become an iconic scene from the movie and is one of great importance in the story in addition to showing off the incredible costume of Glinda the Good. While pink goes good with green Glinda’s ballgown in the musical is actually blue due to both being inspired by Christian Dior’s Junon Dress and copyright issues regarding the pink color. Being dubbed by fans as “the bubble dress” it not only looked beautiful but added great visual contrast to the original gown worn by Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. Wicked part one introduces Glinda in a stunning pink ballgown primarily inspired by the pink gown from The Wizard of Oz but also bringing some of the fanciful elements from the bubble dress bringing the iconic look of the original Glinda and paying homage to the Musical.
While Glinda’s signature dress may be different their overall style is the same but Elphaba is a whole new person. Appearing in the musical in a dumb hat and simple school uniform only styled to make the skirt and sleeves longer Elphaba is plain looking and much more cynical compared to the stunning microbraids of the movie. Elphaba in the movie is portrayed in a black dress covering every part of her skin but her hands and head. In both the musical and the movie Elphaba’s costume very clearly is made to cover as much of her skin as possible. While both costumes cover her skin it seems that they do so for different reasons, in the musical Elphaba covers up to fit into society and their expectations even if she doesn’t actually care verses the in the movie where Elphaba covers up specifically to please her father not the rest of society. Elphaba in the movie clearly has some idea of how to look good even if she doesn’t try to do much other than her hair Elphaba in the musical attempts a few times to look good but doesn’t seem to understand how. The two Elphaba’s may be the same character but how they dress and how they view their appearance are quite different.
The Ozdust Ball is a stunning display of glitz and glamour whether you’re watching on a screen or from the seats of a theater. Fabulous costumes are expected from a ball but the ones worn by Galinda and Elphaba truly tell a story. Elphaba is entirely out of her depth at the ball in both musical and movie. In the musical she tries to dress more like Glinda in a dark dress with no sleeves being one of the only times in the show we see her showing so much skin. Elphaba wears the hat that Galinda gave her, holding her head up high in both musical and movie despite the way people look at her. While Elphaba in the movie is still not comfortable, she wears something far more similar to what she wore when she arrived. Contrary to Elphaba, Galinda is fully in her element at the ball wearing a striking yellow dress in Wicked the musical and an elegant pink and yellow dress in Wicked part one becoming the star of the party in both. Galinda at this point has been quite rude to Elphaba, giving her a hat just to make fun of her, but when Elphaba enters the room and everyone stares at her she goes up to her and makes a connection. The visual of Elphaba dressed in black and Galinda dressed in yellow and pink has become iconic and sparks their incredible friendship. Elphaba and Galinda immediately contrast each other visually while complimenting the best aspects of both symbolizing their personalities.
Green is the signature color of The Emerald City so it’s only natural for the pink and green duo to visit the extravagant city of dreams come true. Elphaba had always been discriminated against due to her green skin but for the first time she fit in while Glinda had always wanted to be acknowledged and being able to meet the wizard in The Emerald City both being able to taste their dreams. While watching Elphaba and Glinda explore the city the thing that caught my eye the most was the spectacular fashion. Everyone in The Emerald City wears a bright green color and haute couture fashion, the style of The Emerald City is distinct even without the signature green glasses. With the magical architecture and fabulous style, The Emerald City truly resembles a city of dreams.
Wicked the Musical and Wicked part one tells the same story in different, but equally magical, ways. Watching both the wicked musical and the movie truly bring you into their world and presents their characters perfectly. With different styles the movie lacks the musicals signature steampunk elements but still stays true to the personal story of the characters.
