Adapting A Book and One's Ego with Colin Wilkes - People We Meet On Vacation

About this episode

Catherine Baumgardner interviews costume designer Colin Wilkes about the creative process behind the Netflix adaptation of 'People We Meet on Vacation'.

Creative leadership isn't control—it's vulnerability, collaboration, and choosing the right moments to stand firm. In this vibrant and deeply reflective conversation, host Catherine Baumgardner sits down with costume designer Colin Wilkes , whose work brings emotional texture and visual storytelling to the Netflix adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation . Wilkes traces a creative journey rooted in rural freedom, theater, opera, and early storytelling—spaces where imagination and observation shaped a lifelong study of people, culture, and place. The discussion dives into how costume design becomes a form of sociology: studying geography, music, art, class, and cultural behavior to make each vacation, city, and moment feel emotionally distinct. Wilkes explains how color palettes, fabric, silhouettes, and background wardrobes subtly signal time, place, and character psychology—often working below the audience's conscious awareness. From Barcelona to New Orleans, airports to weddings, every costume choice anchors the viewer in a believable world. Wilkes also reveals the challenges behind the romance: tight schedules, weather disasters, international shipping, and constant…

People in this episode

Host: Catherine Baumgardner

Guest: Colin Wilkes

Topics covered

• costume design
• creative leadership
• collaboration
• emotional storytelling
• cultural behavior

Keywords

• Netflix
• People We Meet on Vacation
• color palettes
• fabric
• silhouettes

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Book and One's Ego, People We Meet On Vacation, Voice of Costume

Places: Barcelona, New Orleans

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