Costumes in “It Ends With Us” Clash With Film’s Serious Tone “`

This article was originally published upon the film’s August 2024 theatrical release. It is republished in conjunction with the film’s December 9, 2024 Netflix debut.

Adapting It Ends With Us to the screen was always a challenge. The film portrays a serious abusive relationship. The author’s personal experiences inspired the story; her mother’s escape from an abusive father served as its foundation. Since the book’s 2016 publication, societal awareness regarding domestic abuse has significantly increased. Therefore, It Ends With Us is not a lighthearted romance, but a somber depiction of a difficult subject.

Consequently, the film’s costuming—a blend of work attire, sequins, and bohemian styles—is not only unsuitable but also distracting. Blake Lively’s character, Lily Bloom, a Boston florist, wears outfits at odds with the film’s tone: sequined gowns paired with Carhartt jackets, low-rise patchwork pants revealing plaid boxer shorts, and a vest, shirt, and blazer combination reminiscent of a restaurant server’s uniform—even at her father’s funeral. The intention seems to portray Lily as a quirky, relatable free spirit. However, the overall effect is a character whose clothing, despite Lively’s performance, creates a tonal mismatch within the film’s narrative.

Following the film’s release, fans criticized Lively’s character’s eclectic wardrobe on social media. One user, Holden Smith, on TikTok, expressed his disapproval with a sarcastic sound effect. Eric Daman, the film’s costume designer, has responded positively to the critical response.

“The buzz surrounding the looks, positive or negative, is exciting; haters are gonna hate,” Daman stated in an interview. He collaborated closely with Lively, describing her as “an amazing creative force” with “an incredible eye and amazing taste.” (Lively, herself, has impeccable style.)

It’s noteworthy that Daman, an Emmy-winning costume designer for Sex and the City, also worked with Lively on Gossip Girl. The fantastical styling in Gossip Girl suited the privileged teenagers’ drama. The extravagance was less believable but justifiable given the characters’ youth and wealth. This same whimsical approach, however, is significantly less successful in It Ends With Us.

The significance of clothing and costuming in storytelling is undeniable. It can shape the world, break the fourth wall, immerse the audience in fantasy or a specific era, provide context, and establish tone. It can create relatable, aspirational, or outlandish characters. As TIME’s film critic notes, “costumes, showstoppers or not, are integral to the power of movies,” citing the dark suits of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s film as portraying a character “a man of his time, but also perpetually outside it,” and Bella Baxter’s attire in Poor Things as “both out-of-this-world weird and poetically familiar garments [that] could have sprung from the fisheye corners of our wildest dreams.”

Lily’s experience reflects a harsh reality for many women. Clothing has no bearing on whether someone is a victim of domestic abuse. Yet, Lily’s storyline constantly competes with her outfits. While there might be situations where unconventional clothing choices could work, in It Ends With Us, they feel more like a stylistic choice at the character’s expense.