Designing ‘Ugly Betty’ in Queens fashions

BY JESSICA LYONS

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 4:35 PM EDT

Self-described “Queens girl” Patricia Field is the costume designer behind the outfits of the ABC show “Ugly Betty,” which was the focus of a panel discussion at The Times Center.

Field grew up in Whitestone and attended Flushing High School. Although she designed for the pilot of the show, she didn’t move with the show to Los Angeles because her headquarters are in New York. However, when the show returned to the East Coast last year, she was called back to work on it.

When it comes to designing for the show, Field said that the biggest challenge is “just keeping up with the ever changing schedule and write-as-you-go DNA of ‘Ugly Betty’.” She noted that each character has different styles and that the characters from Queens have a different way of dressing than those from Manhattan.

Field and some of the show’s cast members recently participated in The New York Times panel discussion “Times talks: An Evening with Ugly Betty.” The show focuses on Queens resident Betty Suarez, her family and her co-workers at the Manhattan-based fashion magazine Mode.

Michael Urie, who plays Marc on the show, said that he never knows what to expect when he goes for a fitting. He also said that being “at the center of the fashion world” has had a major impact on the show.

“Pat and her team have made a huge difference,” he said, adding that it’s not only with what they have access to but the things that they come up with.

Another one of the show’s stars, Vanessa Williams, said that the impact of being back in New York has been “phenomenal.”

“It’s the essence of Manhattan,” she said. “We’ve got access to everything. We’ve got top designers, a talent like Pat Field and a team that’s like none other.”

Relocating back to New York has also meant that the show has spent more time in Queens. The family of Betty Suarez, who is played by America Ferrera, lives in Jackson Heights.

“It’s been amazing. We’ve gotten to shoot all over Queens and on the exterior of the Suarez house,” Ferrera said. “It’s just really fun to have that side of the show come to life and have a broader world. We have the Manhattan and the Mode world and I think that they’re really working on expanding the Queens world.”

Williams said that since the show is filmed at Silvercup Studios, she drives to Queens every day. She also said that when the cast gets a chance, there is a Greek restaurant in Astoria that they go to “all the time.”

“That’s our go-to spot,” Williams said.

The new season of “Ugly Betty” will premiere on Friday, October 16 with a two-hour special from 8 to 10 p.m. Its regular scheduled time will be at 9 p.m. on Fridays.

Photo by ABC/Andrew Eccles
ABC’s “Ugly Betty” stars Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater, Mark Indelicato as Justin, Tony Plana as Ignacio, Ana Ortiz as Hilda, America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Becki Newton as Amanda, Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade, Judith Light as Claire Meade and Michael Urie as Marc (left to right).