Curating the wardrobe for an actor playing a spy or an agent of espionage is no small feat. Even with decades of inspiration to draw from, the thriller genre leaves room for malleability, especially as far as Ellen Mirojnick is concerned. The Oscar-nominated costume designer dressed the star-studded cast of Steven Soderbergh’s new film “Black Bag,” leaning into “London coolness” and evoking the styles of the ’70s for a modern audience.
“Black Bag” follows intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his wife Kathryn, played by Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, respectively. When Kathryn is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test — to whom is he more loyal: his marriage or his country?
Cate Blanchett in “Black Bag.”
Courtesy of Focus Features
“My process for creating costumes for a film always starts with defining the character’s essence and complexities,” Mirojnick told WWD. “I chose to explore Kathryn and George’s character, not through the stereotypical lens of espionage but through the lens of characters living in London with a glamorous vibe, oozing classical sophistication. A presence of luxurious sensuality and a handsome international coolness always present.
“The film takes place within a week, subsequently it needs a strong defining thread that could ride on a character’s dual tracks at any given moment,” Mirojnick explained. “For example, Kathryn’s confidence and her femininity were never compromised. We started with a 22-karat gold necklace, that seductively graced her neck 24/7,” she said.
Michael Fassbender in “Black Bag.”
Courtesy of Focus Features
“Her palette was rich and luxurious, her fabrics sensual, allowing for her clothes to have an ease and fluidity that is flawless,” the costume designer said of Blanchett’s character.
“This is contrasted with George’s perfectly tailored suitings, luxurious turtlenecks, carefully cut shirtings and haberdashery that was always perfectly put together with an exacting precision. George’s Palmer eyewear whether black or tortoise always matched his ensemble,” she said.
Cate Blanchett in “Black Bag.”
Courtesy of Focus Features
Mirojnick has a longstanding collaborative relationship with “Black Bag” director Soderbergh, with whom the costume designer collaborated on his most recent films “Kimi” (2022), “Let Them All Talk” (2020) and “The Laundromat” (2019). The working relationship is “always a joy” for Mirojnick to revisit.
“We talk about the tone of the film, sometimes he recommends looking at older films to convey an attitude he is after,” she explained. “For ‘Black Bag,’ we were intrigued by the look of London in the ’70s, the Michael Caine era as a jumping off point for coolness and sophistication, creating a London coolness that had a new intriguing vibe.”
Michael Fassbender, left, and Marisa Abela in “Black Bag.”
Courtesy of Focus Features
Prior to reuniting with Soderbergh for “Black Bag,” Mirojnick worked on Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture Oscar-winning film “Oppenheimer,” for which Mirojnick earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 2024 Oscars. Unlike “Black Bag,” Mirojnick had a “specific historical context” with which to work on “Oppenheimer.”
“When designing a period film, the research is usually plentiful as it was in the case of ‘Oppenheimer.’ Knowing I was not designing a documentary, I needed to be discerning and adapt the research I had gathered before I designed a costume for the film.”
Cate Blanchett, left, and Michael Fassbender in “Black Bag.”
Courtesy of Focus Features
Conversely, Mirojnick needed to wholly understand Soderbergh’s “vision” for this project. “Knowing that we were after a modern twist of posh London in the ’70s, I did a bit of research for direction,” Mirojnick said. “The imagery became a useful tool to begin the design process creating Kathryn and George’s world.”
“Black Bag” hits theaters Friday.
