Felicity Gifford was just six when her mum found her late one night under the covers, reading the latest issue of Vogue by torchlight. Her early eye for fashion saw Felicity become one of New York’s most sought after costumers.
She’s currently working on TV One’s American crime drama Unforgettable and has dressed Hollywood heavyweights such as Kristin Davis, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling. “He’s such a sweetheart,” she says when the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly grills her about the star. “Everyone ‘oos’ and ‘ahhs’ over him and he’s totally worth it. He’s not only gorgeous, but good at what he does, down-to-earth and charming. He really is that guy!”
Growing up in Wellington, Felicity (52) was always curious about the beautiful fabrics her mother Wendy sewed with, yet a career in costuming never crossed her mind. In fact when Wendy moved Felicity (then 21) and her brother Andrew to London after their dad Colin drowned on a fishing trip, she attended culinary school Le Cordon Bleu.
The Zac Posen gown Kristin Davis wore in \’Sex and the City\’ is Felicity’s favourite outfit
After working in catering all over Europe, Felicity returned to London and a costume designer friend asked her to assist on a film. The experience meant when she moved to India for a man (who she later married) she landed work on Bollywood films, in between living in the Himalayas for seven years.
“India is magical. I was granted fantastic opportunities and reaped a fortune in knowledge. I studied with a great spiritual teacher and it changed how I live and made me a happier person,” she says. “And I learned to value vibrant colour in clothing. My eye got retrained.”
Returning to the US, Felicity’s marriage ended but her career took off. She got work on Law & Order because they needed someone who could dress extras in saris. With no official training, Felicity’s ability to visualise how a costume works to tell a director’s story helped her make a name for herself and she was recommended to be Kristin Davis’ personal dresser on the first Sex and the City movie.
“Kristin’s a classic American beauty… It was a challenge because her character was pregnant but we had a good relationship and lots of fun. “And I really enjoyed Sarah Jessica Parker. She’s a devoted actress and a devoted mum. She was executive producing and worked tirelessly to make us crew feel comfortable.”
Felicity also worked on \’A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa\’ – pictured here with Kermit and Kermit’s voice actor
Now Felicity is busy on Unforgettable which stars Nip/Tuck’s Dylan Walsh, “an absolute delight”, and Australian actress Poppy Montgomery. As a set costumer she works with the wardrobe department, dressing the actors as well as ensuring continuity. While she often works 17-hour days, Felicity doesn’t take the perks for granted – such as when Poppy gifted the entire crew X Box games for Christmas. “The guys almost burst into tears! Poppy has a huge heart,” says Felicity.
Between her full-time work Felicity has managed temporary stints at *Gossip Girl, 30 Rock,
Boardwalk Empire and Flight of the Conchords. Meanwhile, on the big screen, Felicity has worked on Fair Game with Sean Penn and Naomi Watts – “she’d just had her second son but was in fantastic shape, calm and professional” – Solitary Man with Michael Douglas and All Good Things* with Ryan.
Although she has no formal training, Felicity’s eye for costumes and colour has led to an incredible career.
“He would always come chat with us and he brought his gorgeous dog George, who’s a sweetheart just like Ryan! He spent time in New Zealand for [TV show] Young Hercules so we
had that connection.” Felicity believes her Kiwi traits have been her greatest asset in her job.
“If something happens we don’t fall apart. We go, ‘How can we sort this out? Have we got a bit of number eight to fix it with?’”
Leena Tailor
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