Martha’s Closet was built with items from London’s thrift stores

“Baby Reindeer” costume designer Mekel Bailey scoured thrift stores and his grandmother’s closet to build the costumes for Jessica Gunning’s Martha in Netflix’s Emmy-nominated limited series.

While collecting pieces, a few things came to mind about the obsessed woman. “It was all about the accidents, the collision, the prints, the tones and the awkwardness,” Bailey says.

Based on Richard Gadd’s one-man play, the series follows Donny Dunn (Gadd), a fictionalized version of the comic, as he attempts to transition from bartender to comedian while being stalked by Martha (Gunning), a woman who owes him thousands of dollars. emails and harasses his family and girlfriend (Nava Mau), becoming increasingly unstable and threatening as time passes.

Bailey prepared by spending a lot of time alone and people watching. “There’s a lady in my neighborhood, and I see her at least once a month. She is sitting outside this bus stop,” he says. “I was constantly trying to build visual references, and eventually I ended up with a whole bunch of real references, as well as references from TV and film.”

When the audience first meets Martha, she seems innocent. Dressed in a pink top, she tells Donny that she is a lawyer who works for Britain’s top politicians. She can’t afford a drink. Donny feels sorry for her and gives
her a cup of tea, a gesture that heralds their twisted journey.

Bailey had to deal with the mood swings in Martha, who goes from innocent to fun to angry, and incorporate those elements into her wardrobe. “I played with cardigans, maxi tops and skirts, alternating between them because she had no money,” he says. He also had to take Martha’s bag into account “because she’s recording, and the shape of it had to be right.”

He also used sweaters and knits to represent Martha’s inner mood “when she’s not at her best.”

In episode three, after Martha takes her stalking to a disturbing level, Donny tries to block her on Facebook and steps away from the pub, hoping she will get bored and move on. Instead, she tracks his movements and waits for hours at the bus stop near his house.

At one point, when Donny finally approaches Martha, Bailey dresses the character in a purple vest decorated with white hearts.

Every time Martha was sad, Bailey found notes that sucked out the colors. ‘That cardigan is where she is emotionally. She is so sad.” Bailey adds, “The hearts have a connotation: You really care about her because she’s in this vulnerable state.”

In contrast, prints and patterns were used to portray the dramatic side. “Polka Dots was about this anger, this villainy and there was a rage coming through,” he says. “Animal prints showed her preying, reflecting this predatory element.”

Flowers were a return to her childish artlessness. Likewise, a tweed tartan jacket was a great thrift store find. “It was to show the fun side, this energy and vibrancy behind this woman.”

The costume designer had a method for what he wanted in his quest to fill Martha’s closet: specific shades, including red, orange, brown, green and pink.

There was a logic behind everything. He went all over London to put together her wardrobe: Angel, Brixton, Clapham, Penge, Putney. “Week after week I went from zip code to zip code, and some days I found nothing,” he says.

Eventually he managed to find every item, often at the end of the path. “I wanted something that was worn and had character…” he says. “A story within a story.”