In TONY, the A24 biopic covering chef Anthony Bourdain’s early years, costume designer Chloe Karmin took on a formidable task: Capturing the essence of the chef’s style during his most malleable years while working for a small kitchen in Provincetown. “It’s funny because we just know this version of him that has so many uniforms,” says Karmin, referring to his later, star-making turn on the TV show Parts Unknown. “You know, the form of a chef and writer.”
“It’s not just, ‘Oh, here’s this character that you yearn for again,” she added of crafting his pre-fame look. “But how can we depict a time that none of us have seen?”
Before the henleys and desert chukka boots, Bourdain was but a chameleon. Without a TikTok algorithm to guide his looks, he leaned on the colorful group of characters who worked with him on the line to shape the way he dressed. And like any awkward teenager, his style was portrayed as a bit chaotic and confusing throughout the film—as per Karmin’s plan. “We’re at a time where an extremely recognizable character is totally unrecognizable–finding his perspective before it begins.” This especially shone through in Dominic Cessa’s characterization of Tony, as he attempts to mirror his scene partners both in persona and style.
But the Bourdain we know was not a purveyor of trends. No. He was admired for turning forgotten basics into must-have essentials. So Karmin intentionally emphasized common throughlines that felt familiar to the fans who experienced Bourdain not just through food but through fashion. A flipped lapel, an art deco-inspired Michelin man graphic tee, and most notably, the seersucker Pierre Cardin suit referenced in Kitchen Confidential. These specific stylistic references helped to ground Tony’s character in what he would ultimately become, versus cementing the story solely in what he was.
“I didn’t put him in a powder blue suit, even though it’s so clearly written about—it didn’t have this searing sense of sticking out like it’s supposed to, and it doesn’t have the foreshadowing of who he would become,” Karmin said. Instead she channeled Boudain’s future rock ‘n’ roll self, weaving in a few additions, including a “railroad denim stripe” to the suit, that ultimately felt a bit more like Bourdain with a dash of Hedi Slimane.
CHEF_03-APRIL 2, 2002-Chef Anthony Bourdain takes a smoke break in the entrance of Segoria meats in Kensington during an hour of sampling some of Toronto’s food in Kensington Market, Toronto Tuesday April 2, 2002. (TANNIS TOOHEY/TORONTO STAR) (Photo by Tannis Toohey/Toronto Star via Getty Images)Tannis Toohey/Getty Images
