A ‘Project Runway’ Alum is ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Secret Style Weapon

HBO’s new comedy series The Righteous Gemstones takes inside the hypocritical world of the Gemstones, a family of televangelists who have managed to take their Christian message to the masses, and become horrifically wealthy as a result. Because of that, their look is a peculiar blend of opulence and sheer tackiness. We see expensive suits, low v-neck t-shirts, and conservatively tapered women’s wear. There’s also a number of references to real televangelists, in all their garish glory.

So how did characters like Jesse Gemstone (Danny McBride), Judy Gemstone (Edi Patterson), and Kelvin Gemstone (Adam Devine) land their specific styles? The look of The Righteous Gemstones was created by costume designer (and Project Runway Season 8 alum) Sarah Trost. While executive producer and director Jody Hill admitted that the show’s cast had a lot of input, Trost was in command. “She just really went all out, especially under Danny [McBride]’s direction,” Hill told Decider during an interview at Summer TCA.

Executive producer and director David Gordon Green said, “This was the first time we ever messed with characters who had infinite money. It was kind of a fun canvas to be able to play with, and then [what] Sarah Trost put together…the sky’s the limit. Because it can be outrageous. It can be a little heightened. Like whatever money can buy these characters can wear. I’ve never had that opportunity before.”

Each character had a reference point, based on their age, personality, and style of preacher.
“Adam [Devine]’s the young one so we sort of dressed him like a hipster, Hollywood kind of guy. You know, Danny’s the oldest one, so he’s more Conway Twitty,” Jody Hill said.

It all seems to make sense, but one actor said they were surprised by the direction Trost took their character.

Edi Patterson told Decider, “When [Trost] showed me Judy’s stuff initially, it is so not what I thought it was going to be. I had no thought in my head that it would be ‘churchy’ meets ‘office, professional lady.’ Never would I have thought that was the way it would go. But the second she started showing me all the sketches, I was like, ‘Oh right. This is true. This is right.‘ And then it opens my head up.”

“Honestly, her sketches helped me to know, ‘Oh right, I’m so frustrated. I’m so tight. I’m not controlled, but there’s a tightness happening.'” Patterson said. “Her stuff never does anything but help me, because even if I put it on and I’m mad at it, and I don’t like the way it looks on me? I know this is right for Judy.”

However, there was one very important part of Judy’s style that Patterson took the lead on. “Initially, when I knew I was going to play Danny’s sister, I had a moment one night. I was like, ‘Oh no, I have to text him because this is true. I don’t necessarily want to do it, but this is true,'” Patterson said. “I texted him and I was like, ‘Look, I think Judy needs to have hair that is as curly as Jesse’s.'”

Since Danny McBride naturally has extremely curly hair, Patterson insisted that Judy’s matched. The process didn’t require a perm — even though Patterson was up for one — but she did spend hours having her hair curled with a “chopstick curling iron” for the pilot. She upgraded to a wig for the rest of the series. “I think her hair’s really, really curly,” Patterson said.

The Righteous Gemstones might not have the best style on HBO, but they have a unique look that’s suited to their bizarre lifestyle: flashy, expensive, and not as good as they think.

Where to stream The Righteous Gemstones