Netflix’s East of Eden Has Me Rethinking My Fall Wardrobe

Some people geek out over movies, constantly quoting and referencing iconic, award-winning films. My go-to form of entertainment, however, is television. At the start of every month, I research everything hitting streaming platforms, making a mental note of what I’ll be tuning into. My latest obsession? Netflix’s new East of Eden, Zoe Kazan’s period miniseries adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name, which released on Oct. 1. And I’m not the only one: the series racked up 6.5 million views in its first four days. I’d be lying if I said I’m solely watching for the storyline — the late-19th- and early-20th-century fashion has me in a chokehold, too.

For those unfamiliar, the seven-part limited series stars Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames, a manipulative antiheroine whose troubled childhood eventually leads her to become a powerful madam. “I didn’t have a backup,” Kazan told Netflix about casting Pugh for the role. “I didn’t have another person that I thought would be just as good. She is the exact right person to play Cathy.” Cathy marries Adam Trask (Christopher Abbott), moves to California, and has twin boys, only to later abandon her family and flee to a brothel, where she begins a new life under the name Kate. (Other cast members include Mike Faist as Charles Trask, Hoon Lee as Lee, and Joseph Zada and Joe Anders as the Trask twins.)

Kirsty Cameron was responsible for the period costumes in East of Eden. According to an interview with Vogue, the costume designer — who also worked on The Power of the Dog, Pike River, and Mr. Corman — looked to photographs from 100 years ago for guidance, specifically those by Edward Linley Sambourne and George Hendrik Breitner. “They both photographed women on the streets in this very cool way,” Cameron said. “It reminds you that these people were modern in their own time, which is important to think about when doing period work.” Paintings were also a central source of inspiration for the costume designer.

Cameron chronicled Cathy’s trajectory through clothing, from the looks her mother dressed her in as a child to her wardrobe as a mistress and, later, a wife to the revealing, slightly sexy pieces she wears at the brothel. As a vintage lover who is constantly incorporating bygone eras into my wardrobe, I was mesmerized by all the period-inspired details, many of which have made a comeback in recent years — think puff sleeves, lace, ruffles, and brocade. As such, I set out to find modern-day takes on the looks featured in the miniseries, turning to some of my favorite brands on the market, including Dôen, Sea New York, and Reformation.

Ahead, check out my East of Eden-inspired looks, along with the vintage-inspired pieces to recreate each outfit formula.

Before her brothel era, Cathy wore many dresses and tops with high necklines — this Dôen blouse being a good representation of such silhouettes. Plaid, too, is a throughline in the character’s wardrobe. I styled the ladylike blouse with an equally feminine long pleated skirt, finishing the look with brown suede heeled boots.

This lace-trimmed cape from Sea New York would be right at home with the rest of the pieces in East of Eden. I paired it with a black silk maxi skirt, though for a more modern take, relaxed jeans and mules would do the trick.

Breezy nightgowns made up a large portion of the show’s wardrobe. I’ve had this checkered If Only If style for about a year now and wear it both while lounging at home and out and about with cute ballet flats. In other words, I’m fully on board with the recent nightgown craze.

In one scene, Cathy wears a fur jacket and oval-shaped sunglasses — a look I reinterpreted here with Reformation’s brocade outerwear and my Tory Burch sunnies. Keeping the focus up top, I rounded out the outfit with a black lace-adorned slip skirt and coordinating ballet flats.

Though women weren’t permitted to wear short dresses in the late-19th- and early-20th-century, everything else about this For Love & Lemons nods to the fashion of the time, from the puff sleeves to lace trimming. To let the number shine, I opted for minimal styling, accessorizing with my Heaven Mayhem chunky black and gold earrings and bow-embellished flats.