Bringing back the Sanderson Sisters meant bringing back some of the most iconic costumes in Halloween movie history. In a new episode of Disney’s Notes on a Seam series, Hocus Pocus 2 costume designer Salvador Pérez Jr. takes fans behind the scenes of how he reimagined Winifred, Mary, and Sarah’s looks. There’s a lot hiding in the fabric that most of us never noticed.
“Hocus Pocus 2, this was the ultimate costume design job,” Pérez said. “It was excitement and then dread because you’re like, wait, these are iconic costumes.” The challenge, he explained, was figuring out “how do we keep the essence of the costumes but make them new and fresh?”
Every Pattern Has a Meaning
Pérez wanted the costumes grounded in a story of their own. “There had to be a lore to these costumes,” he said. “All of the patterns had to mean something.”
The inspiration came from an unexpected place. One of his costumers was a practicing witch, and she introduced him to the Alphabet of the Magi, a mystical alphabet that became the starting point for the designs. The symbols throughout the costumes represent the three goddesses, the three moons, and covens of powerful women.
“They’re not just arbitrary designs,” Pérez said. That symbolism carries through the whole film, from the Sanderson Sisters to the Mother Witch and on to the new young witches.
A Costume for Each Sister’s Personality
Pérez made sure each costume reflected the sister wearing it:
- Winifred is “the quintessential sorceress,” so her costume needed movement, layers, and texture.
- Mary is an alchemist who is “always cooking something up,” which is why she has an apron and rolled up sleeves.
- Sarah is “the princess,” with a fitted bodice and flowing skirts.
Winifred: The Most Detailed Costume
Winifred’s costume took the most work. It uses silk noil for the hood, spiderweb lace across the shoulders, and a cloak of silk velvet lined in silk charmeuse. Much of it is embroidered and highlighted with cut crystal and rhinestones, details Pérez admits “you don’t see” on screen.
He also designed around Bette Midler’s famously expressive performance. “She has so many hand gestures,” he said, “so I really wanted her to have sort of these pompoms, like a cheerleader.” Those sleeves are built from several layers of Chantilly lace, topped with even more rhinestones.
Mary: Practical, With a Clever Cheat
Mary’s look is a little more utilitarian. It has a boned cotton bodice over a cotton blouse with rolled up sleeves. Kathy Najimy asked that the costume not be heavy, which was a challenge because the original had so many layers.
So Pérez cheated. The heavy fabric only goes as far down as the camera can see. Past that, it switches to lighter silk, keeping the classic look without the weight.
Sarah: A Poisonous Secret in the Embroidery
Sarah’s bodice is the showpiece of her costume, and its embroidery took four weeks to complete. Pérez’s team found a book on witches’ potions and the plants they used, then gave pictures of those plants to the embroiderers.
The vine on Sarah’s bodice isn’t just any flowering vine. “I wanted the vine from a poisonous plant,” Pérez said. It’s a perfect detail for the sister who loves luring children to their doom.
Her skirt has an apron of French Chantilly lace over five layers of chiffon, each in a different shade, so the skirt moves beautifully when Sarah dances.
Walking Capes and Flying Capes
Every sister had eight versions of her costume, each slightly different depending on the scene. That includes two kinds of capes.
The team learned that lesson on the very first day of filming. Sarah went out in her long flying cape on a muddy, rainy day, and the crew ended up cutting it off. From then on, there were walking capes that just hit the floor and flying capes that were three feet longer and more sheer, so they’d billow around the sisters in the air.
Even the sparkle was planned carefully. Pérez used very tiny rhinestones so the camera catches only the shine. “I don’t want you to ever see the rhinestone,” he said. “I want you to only see the sparkle.”
Made to Look Centuries Old
Pérez said the costumes were extremely labor intensive, and they had to be. They’re meant to be handmade clothes that women of that era would have spent a long time sewing. His team overdyed fabrics to look real and lived in, tore out hems, and shredded the bottoms, since the sisters have “been wearing them for hundreds of years, technically.”
The Moment It All Came Together
The payoff came at the camera test. It was the first time Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy had been dressed as the Sanderson Sisters in about 30 years. “The reaction with the crew and the cast and the producers was overwhelming,” Pérez said. “All the hard work we put into it, it really paid off.”
The costumes now live in the Walt Disney Archives, where they’ll be preserved. “I hope when you watch this movie again, you see the details I put into it,” Pérez said.
Watch Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+
Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are both streaming on Disney+, which makes this the perfect month for a rewatch, this time with an eye on the costumes. Keep an eye out for Sarah’s poisonous vine, Winifred’s lace pompoms, and those extra long flying capes.
Which Sanderson Sister has your favorite costume? Let us know in the comments!
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