'Feud: Capote vs the Swans' showcases spectacular fashion of writer's legendary ball
NEW YORK -- "Feud: Capote vs the Swans" is a story set in New York City during the 1960s and Wednesday's episode on FX recreates writer Truman Capote's legendary Black and White Ball.
The feud between the author and his elegant friends was still years away when Capote invited hundreds of his friends to dress up for a masked ball at the Plaza Hotel in 1966.
The series features stunning costumes, as expected from a show about women who prided themselves on their appearances -- and that's the focus of the story.
In French, high fashion is called "Haute Couture" and it was definitely on full display at the famous Black and White Ball. Capote was at the height of his fame when he threw the event.
"He would've obviously loved being fictionalized in this way, he would've loved the attention," said Tom Hollander, who plays Capote.
Capote's female friends, the ladies he called his "Swans," were very particular about what they wore.
Costume designer Lou Eyrich was in charge of recreating their look and had to make 800 costumes for the ball alone.
"It was all about presentation, that's the best way I can put it," Eyrich said. "It's like hundreds of things that you don't think about when you watch it."
Fashion designer Zac Posen was enlisted to create gowns for the Swans to wear at the ball.
"This was a totally new challenge for me," Posen said. He explained that executive producer Ryan Murphy told him to imagine the ball needed to be an "exaggerated bigger version of what historically happened."
"I felt like I was living in the time period in the making of these pieces," Posen said.
Posen said the final result blurs fantasy with history and the result is spectacular.
Episode 3 of "Feud: Capote vs the Swans" airs Wednesday night on FX and streams Thursday on Hulu. Both are owned by the same parent company as this station.
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