As The Handmaid’s Tale reaches its searing final chapter, Gilead’s grip doesn’t vanish—it evolves. Nowhere is this more apparent than in New Bethlehem, where soft colors and tailored silhouettes mask a familiar oppression. For the sixth and final season, costume designer Leslie Kavanagh brings this transformation into sharp focus, using costume design to chart the changing faces of power, control, and resistance. From the icy blue of Serena’s wedding dress to the emotionally charged burning of June’s robe, Kavanagh’s costumes carry the weight of legacy, loss, and finality—closing out the series with visual storytelling that is as precise as it is powerful.
Spencer Williams: Leslie, it’s so nice to finally meet you
Leslie Kavanagh: I’m so glad to be here. Thank you for having me.
Spencer Williams: Oh, of course, I’ve been looking forward to officially meeting you!
Let’s talk about June. She’s the heart of this story, and that really stems from Elisabeth Moss, who’s not only the lead actor but also a director and producer. I’d love to hear more about your collaboration with her and the direction you worked toward this season.
Leslie Kavanagh: I have to give a huge shoutout to Elisabeth Moss. She’s our fearless leader—the backbone and the face of the show. But she’s also incredibly giving and nurturing. She cares deeply and really wants to honor the story and the fans. We talked about that a lot.
My first interaction with her actually occurred during my interview for Season Five. I didn’t have scripts—they kept things very under wraps—so I was asked to pitch ideas for a big event, which turned out to be the funeral for Fred, though they didn’t say that at the time. I was going in blind, which is unusual for a costume designer. Normally, we get more context to present visual ideas.
But sometimes the stars align in a really positive way. That’s what happened with us. Elisabeth and I hit it off immediately—we were completely on the same page. I was even a little taken aback by it. When you’re dealing with someone who wears three major hats on a show, it can be intimidating. There’s no way to charm your way through—it’s producer, director, and actor all in one.
But from day one, we had this incredible alignment. She’s very involved in the process, and collaborating with her every day was just wonderful.
Spencer Williams: That collaboration is so important, especially because the emotional storytelling in this series runs so deep. I’m glad you both got to hit the ground running. That brings us into season six, and there are so many moments I’m excited to ask you about.
Let’s start at the beginning—when we see June in Alaska. All things considered, she’s actually in a good place. She’s having a moment of calm, a sense of safety. Tell me about how you approached her costumes in that part of the story.
Leslie Kavanagh: That was a really exciting moment, especially because her mother is coming back—Cherry Jones reprising her role, which I loved. That was a big secret in the script. In season six, only department heads and a few key people were given scripts because they were keeping guest appearances under wraps.
Now she’s reunited, she has Nicole, and for the first time, she’s able to let her guard down. We wanted to reflect that through her clothing—introducing skirts and dresses, which we had avoided in season five when she was in full warrior mode. The Handmaid’s dress would’ve felt traumatic then.
But here, she’s choosing softer pieces—there’s a sense of calm. With Nicole in Alaska, her mom present, and the news that Luke is safe, she can finally breathe. Her costumes reflect that emotional shift—showing her vulnerability and comfort in that space.
Spencer Williams: It was so refreshing to see that glimpse of what June might look like with just a little peace and free time.
Now, let’s shift gears and talk about Serena—my favorite character, even if she makes… questionable choices, consistently.
I was fascinated by her arc in New Bethlehem. It follows Gilead’s rules but also bends them in this strange, offshoot world. That purple-pink color she wears is so striking. The whole time I was watching, I thought, I can’t wait to ask Leslie about this. Can you walk me through your thinking behind Serena’s costumes in this new environment? And what’s the story behind that purple?
Leslie Kavanagh: So Serena—played by Yvonne Strahovski—I mean, how do you make her look terrible? You just can’t.
New Bethlehem was honestly such a fun challenge. It’s this new, Easter egg version of Gilead. They’re trying to create a facade—like, “Come back! We’re good now! We don’t have Handmaids. We’re not oppressive anymore.” But under it all, it’s still Gilead. It’s this pilot project for Commander Lawrence, and the others are basically humoring him. “Sure, let him try, then we’ll reel him back in.”
With Serena, there were several layers. We did flashbacks to her with her father before he died. I purposely put her in pink hues there—pre-Red Center, back when she was her own woman making her own choices. That choice became a visual thread connecting to her palette in New Bethlehem.
New Bethlehem is a seaside town, and throughout the series, we’ve cycled through all the main color families. I wanted to create uniformity without repeating what we’d done before. My inspiration for Serena there was the inside of a seashell—multiple soft hues, layered, delicate but strong. She’s going back to a place in her mind where she thinks she’s in control, that she’s choosing this.
Of course, she’s being completely manipulated, but she doesn’t see it that way. To her, it’s a return to being a kind of commander in her own right. So, I asked: What does a female commander look like?
That led to her wearing tailored pantsuits, like the men. And in New Bethlehem, she’s allowed to—she has status. It was all about bending the rules without breaking them. And my goodness, it was such a joy to finally use accessories! In Gilead, we don’t do that. But here, I got to design with buttons and custom dye everything—the cloak, jacket, pants, and even the shoes.
She looked so striking. That’s why I leaned into those soft lilacs and pinks. It’s beautiful, but also a little deceptive—like a seashell hiding something sharp inside.
Spencer Williams: It is fascinating—and kind of sinister. When she’s speaking to the diplomats in that soft pink, there’s a moment where you almost believe her. It’s comforting in a way that makes you uneasy. The storytelling through costume is doing so much, and I applaud you and your entire team. That was one of my favorite moments of the season—well, aside from all the chaos that comes later.
But it doesn’t stop there. We also get Serena’s wedding to Commander Wharton. As unsettling as that moment was, it was visually stunning—not just Serena, but the way all the factions of Gilead came together. It felt like the whole visual history of the show culminating in this penultimate event.
Let’s start with Serena’s wedding look. She looked incredible, but something about that color felt a little too familiar—like it called back to an earlier version of Serena. Gave me chills—in a brilliant way.
Leslie Kavanagh: That was very intentional. How lucky am I? That was actually the first major thing I started planning when I knew I was coming back.
I designed three different concepts for the wedding dress. The one you see in the show was the one we landed on. All had similar themes but very different executions. For me, it all tied back to Serena viewing herself as a commander—this idea that she’s in charge of her destiny.
She still believes in the core values of Gilead; she just thinks she can do it better. New Bethlehem, to her, is a second chance.
Once she got engaged, I shifted her back into dresses—same color palette, but more traditional silhouettes. In her mind, she’s choosing to be a wife this time.
The big moment for me was finding the fabric. I wanted something that echoed her funeral cloak from season five—a deep, midnight teal. They originally wanted her in all black for that, and I pushed back. “She’s a wife!” I said. “It has to have color.” I showed Lizzie my ideas and she was like, “You’re right. It has to be teal. It’s Serena.”
That moment really stuck with me, and I wanted the wedding dress to have a similar impact. This was the first time we see her in a shade of “wife blue” again—but just a hint. I wanted it to catch the light in a way that made people question it: Is it blue? Is it icy white? That ambiguity was on purpose.
The entire palette was this icy, pale blue that shimmered just enough to feel magical. And that venue—the church we filmed in—was absolutely breathtaking.
Spencer Williams: Oh my gosh, yes.
Leslie Kavanagh: All the colors just popped—it’s so beautiful on screen. But honestly, if you were there in person, it was even more striking. We kept Serena’s wedding dress very under wraps. Only a handful of people on my team even knew what it looked like. We were trying really hard to make it a true reveal.
When she walked onto set for the first time—in full costume, at the back of the church, about to walk down the aisle—the entire crew turned. There was an audible gasp. They actually had to cut and reset the scene because of the reaction. It was such a moment for me. She looked absolutely striking, and all the details mattered.
The back of her dress featured hand-cut leaves and vines arranged in groups of three, symbolizing Serena, Wharton, and baby Noah—this idea of new growth, a new life together. We wanted the costume to reflect how Serena sees this as a genuine new beginning.
Spencer Williams: Honestly, I teared up watching her walk down the aisle. I felt like a proud parent for a second! Then reality hit, of course—but it was such a beautiful moment. Thank you for creating that.
The wedding also reminded me just how massive this show is in scale. So I’d love to take a moment to talk about your crew. Because unless you sewed everything yourself at midnight… I’m assuming you had some help.
Leslie Kavanagh: [Laughs] Every night by candlelight. No—thank you for asking that. I’m honestly so blessed. I have the most incredible team. A lot of them have been with me for years, including through season five. It’s deeply rewarding for them because they’re invested in the characters. They know this cast, this world. And when people say, “It takes a village,”—well, this show takes a small city. I have to remind folks: there’s no Gilead store..
For the wedding, we had beautiful background Wives—on top of the actor Wives—who weren’t in cloaks, so you could see their full gowns. Every dress had detailed construction, and I put so much heart and soul into those designs.
My team worked tirelessly to bring that vision to life. I’ve never received so many compliments on background costumes before. People were blown away. Producers, writers, directors—even the crew.
When grip number seven walks up to you and says, “Leslie, that wedding dress was stunning,”—that’s when you know the impact it made. We had about 700 background performers dressed head-to-toe in full Gilead looks. The scale was enormous.
Spencer Williams: Wow.
Leslie Kavanagh: We had 24-hour coverage—cleanup crew, prep crew, shooting crew. I had a full build team, a main sewing team working on principal cast in our main office, and a satellite sewing office focused solely on background dresses.
Everyone had to be fitted and altered. The prep for the wedding sequence went on for quite a while—there was just so much to get ready.
It was blood, sweat, and tears—but you can really see the love and care that went into it. My team gave it their all, and a big shoutout to the background performers, too. They showed up with full commitment. It was truly incredible.
Spencer Williams: Absolutely. Shoutout to everyone who helped bring the last two seasons to life—and really, the entire series. So many costume designers and crews have contributed across the years, and it all ties up beautifully in the end. It’s a great tribute to everyone’s hard work.
Now, another fun—but dark—costume moment we need to talk about: Jezebel’s. There was a Moulin Rouge–meets–Burlesque vibe happening. It’s such a heavy moment narratively, but you got to play with texture, color, and aesthetic in a really bold way. What was your approach to designing for Jezebel’s this season?
Leslie Kavanagh: I couldn’t wait to do Jezebel’s. We’d seen it in earlier seasons, but this time the team really wanted something new—elevated. Something that pushed the look to the next level.
My pitch was: If Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby had a baby. I wanted rich textures, deep colors, bold silhouettes, and a strong theatricality. This is where the commanders go to live out their fantasies—so the costumes needed to feel heightened, seductive, luxurious… but also unsettling.
The women there are not choosing to be Jezebels. It’s punishment. So, while the clothing had to be daring and sexy, it also had to reflect the harsh reality that these are oppressed women.
We used really luxe fabrics and played with movement—macrame, draped ropes, shimmer, and shine. I even included a Jezebel in teal—a deliberate reference. It’s dark, but I imagined that a commander’s fantasy might include “being free” with his wife, digging into that twisted psychology.
Spencer Williams: Not a great place to be, I imagine.
Leslie Kavanagh: Not at all. But we had to go there to understand the male gaze in Gilead—and how we could subvert or expose it.
Then there’s Janine. We’ve only ever seen her in a Handmaid’s dress, so giving her something new—something she could truly embody—was really important. Of course, we had to be mindful of what we could show on television. So it was all about suggestion and tone—giving just enough.
We built a lot of pieces—custom work with draped fabric, ropes, and shimmering accents. My goal was for it to feel beautiful and horrific at the same time. Elevated, yet dirty.
Spencer Williams: And you really hit that balance. It looked gorgeous, but there’s a deep sadness there. You could get lost in it, and then suddenly remember where you are.
Now that takes us to the end of the series. Season six offered a powerful conclusion, and the costumes have always carried so much of the show’s emotional and political weight. One of the most striking moments comes when June burns her Handmaid robes—a symbol of liberation, rage, and remembrance.
As we reflect on the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, what does that moment—and the legacy of these costumes—mean to you? And what do you hope audiences take away from it?
Leslie Kavanagh: One thing that came up a lot during season six—and really throughout the series—was the idea that June’s journey would eventually come to a close. I think even before my time, those conversations were happening behind the scenes.
To be the designer who helped bring that arc to a close was a huge honor. I had a lot of conversations with Lizzie, and with our showrunners Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang. And one question we kept returning to was: How do we give something back to the fans?
The Handmaid’s Tale impacts people in such personal ways—whether they love it or hate it, they talk about it. And with season six, I really thought about what the fans needed to see, not just what they wanted. The burning of the robe was one of those moments—supercharged, powerful, and emotionally final. That moment symbolizes June’s freedom, her release. Her journey had led to this, and you could feel it on set.
Even on that day, there were chills across the crew. Many of them have been here since season one or two. They’re just as invested. When you have a crew that feels the moment as it’s being filmed, it’s a rare kind of magic.
I’ve worked on some great shows, but the fan connection here—it’s next level. So I tried to really give back through the costumes this season. I wanted there to be visual payoffs, emotional beats, and storytelling through design.
That meant making sure every character—Moira, Luke, everyone—got their moment, that their costumes reflected their personal journeys. And June’s final moment, burning that robe… yeah. That one was epic.
Spencer Williams: It really was. I didn’t expect to get so emotional, but I started tearing up. It felt like a very strong period at the end of a long, moving sentence.
What has this series meant to you personally? Looking back at all this incredible work over the past few years, now that the final episode has aired—how are you feeling?
Leslie Kavanagh: It’s kind of surreal, honestly. What an incredible opportunity. To step into a show that already had such rich costume relevance…
To take the world that [original costume designer] Ane Crabtree created and expand it—build on it—was such an honor. And to be embraced by this team—the cast, the crew, the writers, the directors, the producers—was really special. They trusted my vision and gave me the space to push things further.
A show like this gives you the chance to world-build every single day. As a designer, that’s a dream. I got to create, invent, experiment. Every day I was learning something new—about storytelling, about craft, about myself.
It was important to keep pushing. There are only so many Wife dresses, so many colors—so the question became: How do we keep evolving? How do we keep moving the story forward visually without repeating ourselves?
That was my personal goal: to never be stagnant, to keep growing, and to tell the story with more depth each season. To have the support, trust, and faith from the people around me… it’s been amazing.
Spencer Williams: Well, congratulations. Leslie, the costumes are phenomenal—and now you get to be part of the legacy of The Handmaid’s Tale forever. You and your entire team should be so proud.
Also, for everyone reading, check out Motorheads on Amazon Prime Video—Leslie is on fire right now! Huge congratulations. This really is such a moment. Thank you so much for being here and talking with me about The Handmaid’s Tale. What a perfect way to close out this series.
Leslie Kavanagh: Thank you! It’s truly been such a pleasure. And yes—definitely check out Motorheads! Also, I can officially say it now—I’m currently shooting The Testaments, the spinoff.
Spencer Williams: Okay, I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to ask! That’s amazing.
Leslie Kavanagh: Yep, we’re shooting The Testaments now—for all the diehard fans out there, Gilead lives on!
Spencer Williams: The party’s still going! That’s so exciting. And you really get to take the story in a whole new direction, a whole new place. We’ll definitely have to have you back to talk about that one.
Leslie Kavanagh: I can’t wait to come back and talk to you about it.
