The Continental: From The World Of John Wick Costumes Explained

The Continental: From The World Of John Wick costumes explained by Costume Designer Sarah Arthur, and how she tied in aspects from the films.

The Continental: From The World Of John Wick takes place in the 1970s, so there isn’t a lot of overlap in costuming with the films. That being said, Costume Designer Sarah Arthur was sure to incorporate certain pieces in the characters Winston and Charon as their younger versions appear in the three-part event. 

For Winston, she used blue shirts, a similar style of boots, ascots, and navy suits. With Charon, very similarly, she incorporated lined suits like those used in the films but obviously from a different period. Sarah says she mainly used colors to relate the two versions of the characters that appear in both the films and the series. 

Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The Continental: From The World Of John Wick would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.

The Continental: From The World Of John Wick Costumes Explained

Sarah Arthur explains that for Hansel and Gretel, the twins, she went with a simple costume, but it was actually a lot of work that went into it because they needed a lot of flexibility. They needed a streamlined look, of course, and while she went with simple, she wanted to avoid comparisons to The Matrix. What they settled on was something very movable since they do a lot of fighting and kicking. They did have to make some sock inserts for Gretel to keep the boots from kicking off when she’s doing all the acrobatics.

When it comes to Winston’s costume, he had been in London for quite some time at the start of the three-part event. She used a lot of cashmere for his suits and his overcoat. She studied his outfits from the John Wick fill films to incorporate things that he wore then, as we discussed above.

We found her original Amelia watch from the 70s, and his cufflinks are from the 70s. All the little touches that help an actor just fit into that role. He had lots of action scenes, so we had a few more costumes for him because he had to have movable costumes that he can move in and flight in.as well.

For The Adjudicator, they had a long discussion about her. They wanted her to be dark, but didn’t want her in black. “We tried to block different palettes who came up with this dark plum.” Sarah explains. “This is a this is taken off of an original suit that I had in my stock from designer Terry Miller who I am a big fan of.” It features big shoulders and nice procure pieces. It gave the actor, Katie McGrath, the stature that she needed for this part.

They made these shoes because they did not want her teetering on stilettos. They made them quite sturdy so that you can tell they were worn with purpose. When it comes to the mask, that was a prop that Sarah helped with. They matched the lipstick to the color of the costume. It was quite tricky to act in this because it’s claustrophobic, so Sarah says Katie did extremely well.

The Continental: From The World Of John Wick Night 1 premieres Friday, September 22 on Peacock, followed by Night 2 airing September 29 and Night 3 airing October 6.

NEXT: The Continental Creators Confess Favorite John Wick Easter Eggs

About The Continental: From The World Of John Wick

The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.

The Continental: From The World Of John Wick Night 1 premieres Friday, September 22 on Peacock, followed by Night 2 airing September 29 and Night 3 airing October 6.