Carey Bennett, costume designer for 'The Workplace,' shares tales from set

A present is nothing with out its crew, and The Workplace had one hell of a crew.

As we all know from our interview with hairstylist Kim M. Ferry, who joined The Workplace in Season 2, crew members have tons of pleasant behind-the-scenes tales to share about their time on set. The identical could be mentioned for Carey Bennett, the present’s unique costume designer, who caught up with Workplace stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey on a latest episode of the Workplace Women podcast.

Bennett, who was on The Workplace from Season 1 to Season 4, defined that she agreed to work the pilot as a result of it was throughout a hiatus from her job at one other NBC comedy, Scrubs. She chatted all in regards to the inspiration for the Dunder Mifflin wardrobe, Dwight’s memorable mustard-colored shirts, and extra.

Trying to find Scranton’s sense of favor

When Bennett was requested how she got here up with the wardrobe for Michael and the remainder of the Scranton department, she revealed she visited an precise workplace for inspiration.

“Effectively, , analysis is the king of the entire deal. And I by no means assume that I do know what I am speaking about. Like, I at all times attempt to go to the supply and see one thing in actual life, as a result of actual life is at all times far more nuanced and wonderful than something you may suppose up in your head,” Bennett shared. “Like, it simply is. I at all times discover issues that astound me and are just like the little seed that form of units the hearth off in me.”

Since Bennett had by no means labored in an workplace she opened the cellphone ebook, looked for paper firms, and located one in Glendale, California. In her personal phrases, she simply “form of referred to as them up,” talked to the proprietor, and invited herself over for wardrobe analysis functions.'”

This journey to this Glendale paper firm, it didn’t simply inform the wardrobe of our present, it knowledgeable your entire look of our present.

“The proprietor was so darling. And I simply went in there and was very respectful and was like, ‘That is what I am doing. I am simply making an attempt to get a vibe and see what goes on right here and see if I can form of glean some particulars that perhaps I would not have usually recognized,'” she defined. “However as soon as I acquired in there, I used to be like, ‘Oh, my God. I imply, having watched the English model of [the show,] it could not have been extra good.'”

Bennett additionally shared that the Glendale paper firm had a bunch of printed inspirational posters hung up, in addition to quite a few different genuine particulars that impressed her to take pictures for future present inspiration.

“I took one million footage and I took footage of all of the folks. They had been so variety to let me do this. Actually all of the characters had been there in several iterations. Even Dwight was there, though he was this man that was [wearing] like a wolf t-shirt to work,” she defined.

Bennett took issues a step additional by making a slideshow of the pictures, titled “Welcome to the Working Week.” She set it to music, introduced it to her first Workplace assembly, and dazzled showrunner Greg Daniels.

“Greg was like, what is that this? The place is that this? And you’ll take us there,” Bennett recalled. “So then all of us went again and we took Greg, I feel probably Ken Kwapis [director] got here with us. We took our manufacturing designer, who was Donald Lee Harris on the time. I feel our DP [director of photography] got here, and we simply all trundled again over there. And this time we introduced video cameras and we videotaped all the things.”

“This journey to this Glendale paper firm, it didn’t simply inform the wardrobe of our present, it knowledgeable your entire look of our present,” Fischer mentioned. “While you took these guys over to movie, I do know that they used that within the manufacturing design. They used it in a lot of making the world of Dunder Mifflin. And that was all initiated by you. We now have you to thank.”

Mustard-colored shirts and Previous Navy denims

Bennett’s actual workplace tour impressed her to create Dunder Mifflin’s imperfect, considerably dated fashion. She imagined that Jim borrowed garments from his dad’s closet, determined Pam would not have the ability to afford designer denims and shopped at Previous Navy or Hole, and saved genuine workplace tradition on the mind always.

Although many characters on The Workplace have distinct, memorable appears, Dwight’s mustard-colored, puke-themed palette actually stands out. In keeping with Bennett, bestowing that mustard shirt on Dwight was considerably of a present custom.

“Really, that that mustard shirt is form of like a superb luck factor that I do on my tasks. And that has a again story,” she mentioned. “That was from Scrubs, the great director that that pulled me onto that challenge, Adam Bernstein, he has a factor about mustard shirts. And he was like, ‘We simply want a mustard shirt. It is simply essential.’ And now in fact, that present took off. So now I attempt to put a mustard shirt — prefer it’s simply my factor. Mustard shirt.”

Working with The Workplace‘s small wardrobe finances

One other memorable Dwight-related trend second is when he and Angela bumped Birkenstocks within the Season 2 episode, “E mail Surveillance.” For these questioning, sure, the Birkenstocks had been a product placement factor, however Bennett famous the merchandise that firms despatched them had been typically tremendous useful contemplating the present’s wardrobe finances was so small.

“I imply, simply to offer you an thought, I had seven regulars on Scrubs. I had 16 regulars on The Workplace that I needed to gown each present, and I had $5,000 much less per week to spend. So we had been simply at all times scraping, scraping, scraping,” Bennett mentioned.

In rewatching the episodes for the podcast, Kinsey observed that lots of her garments weren’t correctly fitted and referred to as again to the small finances.

“Like very hardly ever did we alter something. And I do know that goes together with the finances you had, however I went on to do a present after The Workplace and I’ve by no means been so altered in my life,” Kinsey defined. “You realize, the little seam in your shoulder? I notice all my shirts on The Workplace just like the seam hit me like midway down my arm. Like swiftly each little factor was altered. And in re-watching, like, this episode particularly, I used to be like, oh, look how lengthy my pants are.”

“Proper. However on goal, although, as a result of, I imply, that was the factor. It is so humorous,” Bennett replied.

Touché, Bennett. The wardrobe undoubtedly helped make the present.

Make sure you hearken to the complete podcast episode for extra behind-the-scenes tales from Bennett’s time on set.

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