Spencer Williams
Establishing The Art of Costume in 2019, Lead Editor and Founder Spencer Williams seeks to globally showcase exceptional costume design and costumes designers. Simultaneously, Spencer acts as the producer and cohost of The Art of Costume Podcast, bringing stories of costume around the world. Outside the costume realm, Spencer enjoys indulging in The Lord of The Rings, video games, MCU theories, and sipping a heavily iced cherry-coke in his free time.
Cleopatra
Hail, listeners! This week on The Art of Costume Podcast, we’re heading back to ancient Egypt—by way of 1963 Hollywood—as we unravel the epic, opulent, and outrageously chaotic story behind Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s Cleopatra. Spencer and Elizabeth dive into the legendary costumes designed by not one, not two, but three iconic designers—Irene Sharaff, Vittorio Nino Novarese, and Renié.
From Cleopatra’s gilded goddess gowns to Marc Antony’s military regalia, this film set a new gold standard for historical costuming—and for behind-the-scenes drama. We’ll dish on the wild production plagued by health crises, lost scripts, on-set romances, location disasters, and a revolving door of directors. And yes, we’ll talk about that infamous gold outfit. Grab your eyeliner and a goblet of wine—this episode is pure, extravagant scandal from start to finish.
