If you’re not familiar with the island of Nantucket – the setting of Netflix’s Nicole Kidman and Eve Hewson murder mystery, The Perfect Couple – then let me explain. It’s situated in Massachusetts, New England, just 30 miles from Cape Cod. It’s surrounded by beautiful sparkling waters.
And it's mostly inhabited by the very wealthy. Think: preppy, boaty, old money types. Lots of linen and gold watches .
If you have a summer house in Nantucket, then you probably also own a yacht (or could at least afford to). The Perfect Couple fully leans into this old money Nantucket style. In the opening scene, at a rehearsal dinner on the eve before a wedding, we're plunged into a world of pastel-coloured menswear, open Oxford shirts and soft silk cravats.
Socks and loafers abound. Delicate jewellery peeps out of shirt cuffs and designer shades rest casually on heads. The vibe is clear: these are a bunch of beach bums if said beach bums also had millions of pounds in trust funds from parents who paid to build New York.
For costume designer Signe Sejlund, it was all about making the show appear as authentic as she could. “I was basically trying to make it as real as possible,” she tells GQ over Zoom. “I was quite surprised by the look of the men in Nantucket, where they dress way more interesting than the women.
They're peacocks – all sorts of crazy colours and prints, pastel colours and bow ties. It was really interesting.” All of the outfits were sourced in and around.