It’s not uncommon for an actor’s transformation into a character to go viral, especially if that character is a real person. When Hulu released the first look images of Sebastian Stan as rocker Tommy Lee and Lily James as Baywatch bombshell Pamela Anderson on the miniseries Pam & Tommy, they kind of broke the Internet. Many were surprised by just how closely the actors resembled the ‘90s power couple, crediting the magic of hair, makeup, and prosthetics. Once the show premiered earlier this month, the focus of conversation shifted to the characters’ amazing outfits.
Costume designer Kameron Lennox had the task of planning, sourcing, and altering the show’s extensive wardrobe. As a period piece, Pam & Tommy immerses viewers in ‘90s Los Angeles, when today’s covetable vintage pieces were fresh off the runway. The veteran designer is no small part of the show’s runaway success. The wardrobe she and her team crafted has received praise for its accuracy and style. CR caught up with Lennox to learn more about the inspiration behind the show’s most iconic looks, the challenge of working around prosthetics, and where she sourced all that enviable vintage.
CR Fashion Book: When did you first become interested in fashion and costume design? How did you become involved with it?
Kameron Lennox: My first dive into fashion was in high school. I grew up obsessed with fashion, film, and costumes, but I never really knew that the role of costume designer existed. I just figured the clothes came from fashion designers. Then in my early twenties, I started out as a stylist. In the ‘80s I worked with a skateboard company called Vision Street Wear, which had just started designing clothes for women. Then I went on to work at various retail stores. I worked at the XLARGE store when it first opened in the early ’90s in LA. It was through working retail that I met other stylists and costume designers, because they would come in and pull things for shoots. That’s when I first started learning about the career. From there, I started working closely with different stylists and costume designers, assisting and learning the trade. It was very hands-on, boots-on-the-ground. And I think it was about ten or twelve years ago that I started doing costume design on my own. I love it.