Christmas in Rome

The Challenge

Two Americans in Rome at Christmas: one free-spirited and rooted in the city’s soul, the other buttoned-up and all business. The costumes needed to carry that contrast clearly and consistently, while also capturing the warmth and visual richness of the setting. Rome at Christmas is inherently cinematic, and the wardrobe had to feel at home in it without competing with it.

The Approach

Angela’s wardrobe was built around personality: expressive, layered, and effortlessly stylish in that lived-in European way, reflecting someone who has truly made the city her own. Oliver started out sharp and closed-off, his clothes doing what he does: projecting control. The visual shift in his wardrobe mirrors his emotional journey, loosening gradually as Rome and Angela get under his skin. Color, texture, and the particular glow of a Roman winter all informed the palette throughout, keeping the whole film looking warm, inviting, and a little bit like a postcard you’d actually want to step into.