A Secret Nod to Elvis
There’s no denying music runs through Riley’s veins. After all, she’s the granddaughter of rock legend, Elvis, and Priscilla Presley and the daughter of musicians Lisa Marie and Danny Keough. And while the costume designer said that it must “be tough coming from that legacy,” Riley was able to separate her real-life background from the character.
“Riley has her own style and she’s really managed to be her own honest, authentic self,” Denise shared. “And she brought that to the character. That’s how Daisy is.”
However, Denise did pay homage to Elvis in a subtle but special way for Riley.
“I met a woman, Love Melody, who designed clothes in the ’60s and made two jumpsuits for Elvis,” Denise revealed. “And I had her make two beautiful long coats for Riley—one in a rust leather and another in patchwork denim. I felt it was important to bring something from that period.”
She added, “And I think Riley was touched.”
The Influences
So, where exactly did Denise pull inspiration from? Well, for one, she watched a lot of ’70s documentaries, including The Last Waltz.
“I told Josh Whitehouse, who plays Eddie, I was like, ‘You are Robbie Robertson. You have to watch this movie,'” she shared The Band‘s widely hailed concert documentary. “For Suki Waterhouse, who plays Karen, I channeled Patti Smith and Suzi Quatro. For Riley, we started out with early Linda Ronstadt.”
“The only reference that I felt really strongly about was Bruce Springsteen for Sam Claflin, who plays Billy Dunn,” Denise explained. “I felt Billy was a character that was going to stay true to his roots and didn’t get caught up in the fame. And I’ve always felt that way about Springsteen, he’s managed to carry that legacy throughout his entire career.”
She admitted she felt terrible for Sam, because “while I was dressing everybody else in these fabulous leather jackets and fur coats,” she recalled, “He’d be like, ‘Another denim shirt, thanks.’ He had a whole rack of blue denim and for his arc, he went with black denim.”