Dressing the High-society 'Swans' in 'Feud' was an Adventure in Both Authenticity and Artistry

For the masquerade ball, Murphy tapped designer Zac Posen to create the main characters' gowns. He asked Posen to look at the real outfits and heighten them, to create less literal copies and more artful, elevated interpretations.

"Each look we came up with, (we had) this idea of this beautiful, slightly evil menagerie on a pond of different birds," Posen told the AP. "We're extended into creature level... like extended reality."

He took cues from creators "from Jim Henson to Fellini to Zeffirelli, and all these magical moments where reality, surrealism and history come together."

The end result is over-the-top ensembles incorporating crystals, feathers and elaborate masks. Posen searched for vintage fabrics and accent details.

"They were American or international royalty at that point, and they were the ones who wore and bought high fashion," Posen said.

While the real Paley wore a designer dress with a fur coat to the ball, Posen made adjustments.

"A little fur coat... that's not enough for an entrance for a contemporary audience that expects a level of wow. So I started building this incredible sculpture of a swan arm, so it looked like she was enveloped in it and opened large scale, and it kind of became this... giant opera coat with a marabou-trimmed collar inside," Posen said.

Murphy was also specific about jewelry.

"The jewels have to be real... even if they're a simple pearl with diamonds around it, it's just gotta really read," Eyrich said. "So I was nervous about that because I didn't want to be in the business of policing very expensive jewelry, or that my crew on set should be responsible for $34,000 earrings."

The production hired security to ensure the safety and care of the expensive jewelry, by designers including Verdura, Van Cleef & Arpels, Belperron, and Cartier. Verdura opened its archives and provided a quick education on the jewels the swans owned.

The security guards followed the jewels closely on set, which was a bit of a distraction, Watts said with a laugh. The "big, hulky guys" watching a million-dollar necklace would hover over her during filming. "It was quite funny: 'Yes, yes, I promise you, I'm not going to run out of here with it!'"

Many of the actors said the high-fashion aesthetic helped inform their characters.

"Top to bottom it really was transformative of... who they were, how they carried themselves," Moore said.

Ringwald – a vintage clothing lover – called Eyrich "extraordinary." "I could have spent every day with her going through the wardrobe and hunting and finding. I told her I would be her assistant," Ringwald said. "I'm obsessed!"

Sevigny credits Eyrich's "encyclopedic mind" for the historical accuracy and character intention of the clothes.

"If we were doing a scene in the fall of '77, she would find a suit from a Givenchy show from '77, very specific," Sevigny said. "She took everybody's notes really to heart and she really wanted it to be collaborative. She wanted you to feel glamorous and feel like something fit right. She took a lot of time and care with all of us."