In the new Broadway musical The Queen of Versailles, officially opening on November 9, Kristin Chenoweth transforms herself into Jackie Siegel, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Versailles” and a woman on a mission to build the largest single-family residence in America. Siegel was in fact a real person, immortalized in Lauren Greenfield s 2012 documentary, and her 90,000 square-foot mega mansion—designed after the real-life Versailles—has been under construction since 2004. “I had watched that documentary, and was obsessed with it,” says New York-based designer Christian Cowan, who was tasked with creating her one-of-a-kind wardrobe for the show. “I was like, sign me up!”
Siegel’s story represents an extreme manifestation of aspiration and greed, an outsized embodiment of the American dream—and the dark forces such a project can invoke. Cowan was inspired by this concept to bring his over-the-top costumes to life. “It summarizes my approach toward fashion—taking the American dream and highlighting the toxicity and darkness behind it,” he says. “Jackie is building a world that isn’t necessarily real around her, and I found that concept very interesting to explore.”
The result is a distinctive wardrobe that melds Rococo-era splendor (an homage to the real Marie Antoinette) with Y2K flair (when Siegel became famous herself as a socialite and model). The designer says his research began by paying a visit to Siegel at her home; he toured the ongoing construction site, specifically, her glamorously gauche closet. “Her closet is a two-story area—it’s got stripper poles, beds, and zebra-print carpeting in it, and thousands of pieces of clothes,” he says. Siegel s personal style leans heavily on sequins, prints, and high-octane color. “She really enjoys texture and bodycon silhouettes,” says Cowan. “She’s not scared of anything—she loves the excitement of fashion. In the show, I wanted her to look like this exotic bird among pigeons.”
Cowan built most of Jackie’s wardrobe—Barbie-pink mini dresses and the teal marabou gowns— from scratch, many of the items modeled after real-life outfits that Siegel has worn. Chenoweth was a game collaborator. “My main concern was just making sure that she could breathe appropriately and do all of the quick changes," says Cowan, “sometimes, she only has 20 seconds to change.”
It was a challenge, says Cowan, to focus less on what looked chic on Chenoweth, and more on what was right for the character. “This was the hardest thing for me—it was not about making every single look as cute and gorgeous as it could be,” he says. Cowan also had fun with sourcing special pieces too, like the lavish (fake) Hermès “Birkins” in a rainbow of colors that Chenoweth carries throughout the show. “We even customized one with the French flag in crystals.”
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Though the majority of the costumes reference 2000s excess, Cowan also investigated 18th century aesthetics. Throughout the musical, Marie Antoinette, King Louis XVI, other Versailles-era characters make cameos—and Cowan crafted historically-accurate designs for them, too. “Nearly every single character is based on a painting,” he says. “I wanted there be some parallels to the opulence of Jackie.” Marie Antoinette, for example, emerges in a full-skirted bustle gown with ceramic vases built into the skirt. “I took some creative liberties with Marie—I couldn’t resist,” says Cowan. “The vase gown was based on one that she reportedly had, with little ceramic vases woven into the whole front, and she had real flowers in every single vase.”
You could say everything Cowan created is just a tad too much—and that was entirely the point. Much like the story of Siegel and her opulent home, Cowan wanted to craft a fashion fantasy that was arresting—yet totally absurd. “I hope that people take away a sense of play and wonder, and that they take away the message of the show, which is to not get lost in all the shiny, glamorous things in life,” says Cowan. “You’ve got to focus on the things that really matter.” As for what the real-life Jackie thought of all the outré designs? “She said she d wear lots of things,” laughs Cowan.
