1,000 crystals and over 500 hours of work

Chappell Roan is a bonafide femininomenon. If you haven't spent the last few months riding the girl pop wave, hop along to “Hot to Go!” and romanticize your life into “Red Wine Supernova,” what did you even do?

The pop star became an instant icon this summer with hit after hit (both old and new, thanks to the meteoric rise of her 2022 single “Pink Pony Club”), and her Coachella performance revolutionized the internet and drew attention one of the largest crowds in recent memory for a relative newcomer.

Roan is like Boy George and Cyndi Lauper having a baby – only cooler. And similar to the pop idols of the 80s, her look is no less revolutionary. She nails the internet's Hollywood hair theory with an instantly recognizable crown of auburn curls and pushes the boundaries of makeup with her signature vaudeville mask and intentionally lipstick-stained teeth. But it's her elaborate and theatrical costumes, which reference everything from historical garb to folklore and fantasy, that make her a style icon of the TikTok age.

One of her most memorable looks yet – a psychedelic Swan Lake confection fit for a Jimmy Fallon Tonight's show Set – courtesy of fashion designer Gunnar Deatherage. And now that dream team has worked together on another career-defining moment for him Saturday Night Live.

Deatherage worked with Roan's stylist Genesis Webb to create a look inspired by the famous music venue Casino De Paris, home to the city's greatest dancers, musicians and artists, including Josephine Baker during the Jazz Age.

“There were these beautiful photos of dancers from the Casino De Paris from 1915 that were almost like paintings,” Deatherage says of the inspiration. “The color palettes were complex, the shapes were unique and imaginative and everything was very striking in an old-fashioned way, so we decided to combine elements from some of these photos and then I added some of my own ideas that complemented the concept .”

The resulting ensemble mixes old and new, combining a historically faithful emerald green dance costume with an exaggerated hat that can only be described as Napoleonic and dragon wings. Deatherage says that this is “by far” the most time he has spent on a garment, and that it took over 500 hours and a full month to bring the entire image to life.

“The dragonfly wings were formed from thick layers of foam, then sewn together and attached to a hand-painted leather belt and decorated with over a thousand chartreuse crystals,” says the designer. “The garland around her waist is decorated with hand-pressed vintage brass figures, meant to evoke the vintage circus feel with small lions, mask faces and elephants adorning the gold braided trim.” Even her socks were custom-made from “hand-dyed wool stitched together to create the stripe motif, and we also added a glass bead trim to the top of the sock,” says Deatherage.

The singer's exaggerated headpiece was an instant camp classic and a labor of love. “It was something that both Chappell and Genesis wanted for the performance, so we found a way to bring it to life,” says Deatherage. “My partner, Christopher Minafo, actually designed the hat for me. We often collaborate on looks and enjoy creating together in the same room,” he adds. “The hat went through many iterations before achieving the final look, but we love it in all its lampshade/Napoleon glory!”

It's not hard to see why Roan and her stylist hired Deatherage for the ambitious project. The fashion designer who cut his teeth Project career And Project Runway AllstarsShe has an aesthetic that draws on theatricality, cinema and the history of costumes – something any Chappell Roan fan will recognize from her performance clothing. However, she is Francophile SNL The promo look was originally made specifically for a performance, but in its grandiose final form, the team decided it was better suited to a “stationary moment rather than jumping around on stage,” according to Deatherage.

Although Deatherage's design partnership with the pop star and her stylist is based on physicality, it all started with a DM. “I first became aware of Chappell through her Coachella set, and I liked that costume and attitude so much that I reached out “I reached out to her stylist Genesis, who I was already following, and told her I wanted to work with her,” he says. “Chappell had a theatricality that I hadn’t seen in a long time and a languor that I knew I had to be a part of.”

This flapper-era creation is only the second in what will undoubtedly be a long-standing collaboration between the fashion designer and Genesis. “We have an incredible working relationship and I think she has impeccable taste. “It hasn’t happened yet that she comes to me with a mood board that doesn’t make me swoon,” he adds.

“When we first started working together, she said she enjoyed working with designers and taking on the things that excited her, and that’s exactly what I experienced!”