Inside Anora’s Hyperrealistic Sex Worker Costumes With Costume Designer Jocelyn Pierce

Jocelyn Pierce is the costume designer of Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or–winning film, Anora. The film follows an atypical Cinderella story of a sex worker from Brooklyn and the son of a Russian oligarch. As part of her research, Pierce spent time in Brighton Beach, New York, where the film is set, to get a sense of the world she was re-creating. She even invited the exotic dancers who participated in the film to use their own clothes as costumes. Anora was widely released on October 18 and is already garnering awards buzz. Pierce joins us this week to talk about her feelings-driven philosophy on costume design, why she’s an indie girl at heart, and Anora’s costume references to the American dream.