“The Hunger Games” is known for its dystopian storyline and illustrations of complex relationships with oppression and torment. The Capitol’s luxurious fashion juxtaposes with the districts’ rags, creating multiple different definitions of fashion within Panem. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” combines 1950s fashion with exaggerated silhouettes, bold colors and subdued utilitarian styles to convey the difference of power between the districts and the Capitol. 

Trish Summerville started her dystopian fashion journey while working on “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” where she showcased her meticulous attention to detail and expression of character backstory through costume. Through crafting the costumes for “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” Summerville was able to make unique pieces for each character while creating parallels between the prequel and original movies. 

From Lucy Gray Baird’s rainbow reaping dress to the Capitol’s red school uniforms, Panem fashion continues to combine opulence with defeat. 

For Lucy Gray’s eye-catching reaping dress, Summerville solidified Lucy Gray instantly as a performer who can’t help but be noticed. Since Lucy Gray spends most of her storyline wearing her mother’s rainbow dress, it becomes a vital part of who she is as a character and her connection with her personal history. 

In an Entertainment Weekly article, Summerville explains how she made this dress in Lucy Gray’s image while curating the looks to be symbolic of what Katniss Everdeen wore in the original movies. Summerville created Lucy Gray’s leather corset in the same silhouette as Katniss’ dark navy mockingjay dress in “Catching Fire.” She also included Katniss and Primrose flowers on the corset itself, directly nodding to the original movies. 

At its core, “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is about Coriolanus Snow’s villain origin story. His costumes are consistently similar to those in the original movies. At the end of the movie, when Snow has transitioned from innocent to villainous, he wears a red ensemble that pulls from the burgundy satin and velvet jacket Summerville designed for President Snow in “Catching Fire.” This shows how Snow has changed from a young boy to a reigning tyrant, completing his embrace of his evil tendencies. 

In Summerville’s mind, Snow’s cousin Tigris started the evolution of Capitol fashion through her designs and styling. Tigris starts as a very soft, fashionable person but as she evolves her style becomes more bold and experimental. Many of Tigris’ outfits are softer versions of what Effie Trinket wears in “The Hunger Games,” showing Tigris’ influence as a stylist in the Capitol. Tigris’ pink suit with a peplum waist and dramatic shoulders is similar to Effie’s reaping outfit in the first movie, further emphasizing  Tigris’ influence.

The costume parallels that Summerville created throughout “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” connect these characters from 64 years ago, to “The Hunger Games” characters that audiences already know. We are able to connect with these new illustrations of characters while still thinking about the first time “The Hunger Games” crossed their minds.  

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Hi! I’m Annie Gleydura, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.