The ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Costumes Honor Iconic Artists Across Mediums
Fashion
The new Spike Lee joint also marks costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck’s sixth collaboration with Denzel Washington.
Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” doubles as a thrilling New York-set caper and a satirical study of power, money, and ambition. The legendary Brooklyn filmmaker’s reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film noir, “High and Low,” honors artistic greats across a spectrum of disciplines, too — a sensibility reflected in Francine Jamison-Tanchuck’s costume design. “I'm old school,” she tells The Set Set. “I look at film as a moving art.”
“Highest 2 Lowest” also heralds some notable reunions. “It was really amazing to work with Denzel again,” says Jamison-Tanchuck. “This is my sixth project with him, and the man is a genius.” Washington and Jamison-Tanchuck first worked together on his Oscar-winning turn in Edward Zwick’s 1989 Civil War epic, “Glory." In his fifth project with Lee, Washington stars as Stackin’ Hits record label owner David King. The best ear in the business — as he’s known — King faces a moral dilemma when hefty ransom demands clash with his ambitions to buy back control of his company.
“Seeing those two wonderful, iconic filmmakers come back together after 20-plus years is a historic moment,” says Jamison-Tanchuck. Ahead, the 2024 Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award winner breaks down her meaningful homages to influential artists — from Old Hollywood to Lee’s personal art collection.
David King's Denzel Washington Approved Quiet Luxury
The movie opens with a sweeping shot of "King David" — as snarky newspaper headlines refer to him — taking a pre-work call on the balcony of his penthouse atop the ultra-luxurious Olympia Dumbo. The titan is commandingly outfitted in a monochrome white shirt and tie, with a navy vest and trousers. “Nothing reads power and style than a beautiful silk gabardine navy suit with a crisp white textured shirt,” says Jamison-Tanchuck. "[Denzel] and Spike loved that idea to introduce his character onscreen for the first time.”
For David’s music tycoon aesthetic, Jamison-Tanchuck looked to images of successful luminaries across the decades — from Cary Grant on the Silver Screen to Jay Z. But overall, Washington wanted to emphasize David’s business acumen, as opposed to nodding toward audacious music industry personas. “Denzel wanted [David] to be more simplistic and understated,” says Jamison-Tanchuck. “But stylish and rich.”
With that in mind, Jamison-Tanchuck meticulously developed David’s critical introductory look to telegraph both quiet luxury and industry heavyweight, starting with a Brioni two-piece suit precisely tailored to fit Washington. She then designed a matching vest, which was built by Leonard Logsdail, the bespoke tailor who — another reunion — worked with costume designer Janty Yates for Washington’s suits in “American Gangster.” Jamison-Tanchuck also designed David’s stripe-texture shirt, with a ‘70s-referential collar, in a flexible cotton-lycra, and built by Hollywood’s go-to shirtmaker, Anto of Beverly Hills. The monochrome tie and pocket square are by New York City-based Frère.
Jamison-Tanchuck's stylistic approach also paid tribute to a greater inspiration: the source material. “Spike really wanted to honor Akira Kurosawa's work, so that was very important," says Jamison-Tanchuk. David is Lee’s take on Kurosawa’s Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune). In “High and Low,” the wealthy Yokohama-based shoe company executive confronts moral choices and reveals vulnerability in a white cable-knit cardigan over a tonal button-up shirt. “I like the idea of how Kurosawa’s ‘High and Low’ was rooted in a good family together, and everything was about them sticking together to try and make it through."
A sketch of Pam's screen-printed dress. Photo: Francine Jamison-Tanchuck / Courtesy of A24.
Jamison-Tanchuck's stylistic approach also paid tribute to a greater inspiration: the source material. “Spike really wanted to honor Akira Kurosawa's work, so that was very important," says Jamison-Tanchuk. David is Lee’s take on Kurosawa’s Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune). In “High and Low,” the wealthy Yokohama-based shoe company executive confronts moral choices and reveals vulnerability in a white cable-knit cardigan over a tonal button-up shirt. “I like the idea of how Kurosawa’s ‘High and Low’ was rooted in a good family together, and everything was about them sticking together to try and make it through."
Black American Visionaries Shape King's World
At home, David and Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera) are relieved that their teenage son Trey (Aubrey Joseph) is safe, but the kidnappers snatched their godson Kyle (Elijah Wright) by mistake. David reckons with his conscience, as the perpetrators still want $17.5 million, which he earmarked for Stackin’ Hits. On the walls, resonant and breathtaking artwork by renowned Black American artists surround David and amplify the tension and emotion of the scenes with Pam and Trey. Production designer Mark Friedberg commissioned replicas of Lee’s own art collection, most recently on exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum’s “Spike Lee: Creative Sources,” including pieces by Gordon Parks, Norman Lewis, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Barack Obama portrait painter Kehinde Wiley, Deborah Roberts, and Michael Ray Charles. “We wanted David King to be clearly a man of wealth, but also a man whose creativity is quite apparent just to look at,” Friedberg explained in the production notes.
The King’s art collection also illustrates David’s accomplished wife Pam’s support and patronage of Black American talent as does her first breathtaking ensemble in the movie. To reinforce the message, Jamison-Tanchuck decided to screenprint an ethereal watercolor pattern, inspired by the work of the late Georgia-based artist Dymond Phillips, onto a diaphanous white dress.
“[Phillips] was really known for her contrast and boldness of colors,” continues Jamison-Tanchuk. “So her art lives on, and it was just an honor to use one of her pieces for Pam King's outfit.” Fittingly, Pam, in the billowing watercolor-printed dress, over fitted white trousers, first appears on screen like a transcendent work of art. “Spike and I wanted her outfit to float when she descended the spiral staircase,” says Jamison-Tanchuck.
An Ode to Rising Stars
Always on the lookout for new musical talent, David constantly takes meetings, or spontaneous pitches, with fictional up-and-comers — who happen to be played by real-life ingénues. “Spike assembled a cast of music personalities,” says Jamison-Tanchuck. Early on, David lends his expert ear to alt-folk pop star Jensen McRae, making her big-screen debut as musician June York. Guitar in hand, she boldly serenades him in Stackin’ Hits lobby. “Spike says, ‘Hey Francine, how about we go back into the ‘70s?” says Jamison-Tanchuck. For Lee’s “flower child” vision for June, she researched a range of references from Woodstock crowds to touches of Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight. Jamison-Tanchuck even raided her own costume kit for June’s yellow floral-lace top and floral-embroidered white dress.
David later takes Trey’s suggestion and meets with soul singer Sula, played by Aiyana-Lee, who also happens to be music royalty (her uncle is The Temptations’ David Ruffin and her grandfather, Jimmy Ruffin). Clad in a black lace and mesh dress, Sula blows the entire King family away with her distinctive voice and sound. “I just wanted her to really stand out as she was performing for David and Pam King,” says Jamison-Tanchuck, who combined various elements of intricate mesh and lace pieces from indie boutiques for a more avant-garde ensemble.
In what feels like the passing of the mantle, a confident Trey swaps his basketball uniform for a suit — albeit a jaunty, next-gen digital puzzle suit by Louis Vuitton. “Spike wanted to direct ‘some love’ to [creative director] Pharrell,” says Jamison-Tanchuck. David contently looks on in a relaxed, minimalist but very polished non-suit outfit: a houndstooth Frère bomber jacket, T-shirt, and jeans — signaling the start of a new chapter with his family and career.
