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“wicked: For Good” Costume Designer Defends Elphaba’s Viral “Sex cardigan”
The surprisingly divisive knitwear worn by Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba in Wicked: For good was a deliberate design choice rooted in practicality adn character, according to the film’s costume designer. The chunky cardigan, dubbed the “sex cardigan” by fans on social media, has sparked intense debate, but Paul Tazewell insists the garment is a natural extension of Elphaba’s self-sufficient lifestyle and the world of Oz.
The controversy centers around a romantic scene between Elphaba and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) following the disruption of Glinda (Ariana Grande)’s wedding. As Elphaba sheds her cape, she dons the cardigan alongside black lingerie, igniting a flurry of reactions online.Some fans praised the cozy aesthetic, while others questioned the choice.
tazewell explained to NPR on December 1 that the decision stemmed from a simple question: what would elphaba realistically have access to? “it came out of very literally an organic decision of, what does Elphaba have access to? And living alone, what choice would she make when she’s looking for a robe, some way to be protective and warm? … It’s operating as her robe for that moment,” he said.
He further elaborated on Elphaba’s resourcefulness, noting she has a loom in her treehouse and weaves her own clothing.”She’s manifesting all these things from the elements that are around her, and the sweater is just in keeping with that,” Tazewell stated. He countered the suggestion of a more traditionally alluring garment, asking, “Now indeed, you could say, Well, why wasn’t it a black, slinky peignoir? But where would she get … that? Well why would she even have it? … I think that it just follows through with reasonable choices that define who a character is and what is meaningful for them, where their priorities are.”
The cardigan’s intricate design also reflects Elphaba’s connection to nature. In a conversation with Harper’s Bazaar on November 18, tazewell described the sweater’s fabric as a “multi yarn,” with a pattern that “weaves together” like “an expanded or oversize cable knit that creates the idea of both bark and vines that are twisting together.” He emphasized that the design aimed to “continue to align her with all that is natural, all that’s organic, and be reflective of the space that she’s in.”
Despite Tazewell’s detailed clarification, opinions remain divided. Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) are filled with commentary ranging from desire for the cardigan itself – “All I want for Christmas is the Elphaba Sex Cardigan 👕,” one user posted on November 21 – to outright criticism. “I’m sorry but it really is funny how elphaba puts that damn cardigan over her hot fit,” one X user remarked, while another called the look “ridiculous.”
Though, some fans defended the choice as authentically Elphaba. “Everyone clowning on the sex cardigan but tbh wearing some ugly ratty sweater bc she doesn’t wanna be fully naked just yet is the most elphaba thing to do,” one user wrote.
The debate underscores the power of costume design to provoke discussion and interpretation, even within a beloved story like Wicked. Wicked: For Good is
