The Who What Wear Podcast: Hacks Costume Designer Kathleen Felix-Hager on Deborah Vance's Maximalist Style and Where to Shop Ava Daniels's Elevated Season 4 Wardrobe

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4.7 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kathleen Felix-Hager is the Emmy Award–winning costume designer behind the vibrant and evolving wardrobes of the hit show Hacks. Felix-Hager, whose extensive career also includes work on Veep and Dexter, sits down with Who What Wear Editorial Director Lauren Eggertsen to delve into the sartorial world of Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels. In this episode, Felix-Hager shares the journey of developing distinct styles for each character, the inspiration behind Deborah's maximalist looks drawn from her own grandmother, and the thoughtful elevation of Ava's wardrobe through four seasons. She reveals the challenges of costuming a comedy, the evolution of Ava's infamous cropped pants, and the collaborative process with actors and showrunners that brings these characters to life.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you to eBay for sponsoring this episode. This is what you do when you have high standards and fancy all the fancy things, like an iconic Dior saddlebag or that diamond tennis bracelet. You go to eBay. There you'll find new loves that will never disappoint, expertly authenticated and everything.
0:24.5	Whether it's that vintage pearl necklace or brand new ruby earrings, a product cross-body
0:29.1	bag to be besties with your other handbag, even an eternally classic watch like that Rolex
0:35.3	oyster or that Cartier tank. You know the one. And when you find it,
0:41.2	eBay has their expert's eyes to make sure you're getting the real deal. That way, you can be
0:47.7	confident that the designer finds you came for, the luxury wardrobe that you've always wanted.
0:53.2	It's all real. In wanted, it's all real.
0:57.0	In fact, it's verified authentic.
1:01.1	So bring your high standards and never limit what you can find.
1:02.9	Yeah, eBay.
1:07.5	The place for new, pre-loved, vintage and rare fashion.
1:11.5	eBay, things people love. Welcome to the Who What Wear Podcast, your direct line to the designers, stylists, beauty experts, editors, and tastemakers who are shaping the ever-evolving world of fashion.
1:34.5	I'm Who What Wears editorial director Lauren Egerton, and today on the podcast, I'm so excited to be chatting with the costume designer of hacks, Kathleen Felix Hager.
1:43.8	Kathleen is an Emmy Award-winning costume designer, also known for her work on hit TV shows like
1:49.1	Veep and Dexter.
1:50.7	I'm a huge Hax fan, so I couldn't wait to dive into all things season four, from Ava's
1:56.0	pant length evolution to dressing Deborah's new team of writers.
1:59.7	We also get into the brands Kathleen leaned on to elevate Ava's wardrobe this season,
2:04.3	the specific challenges of costuming a comedy,
2:06.8	and how Kathleen's own grandmother served as something of a blueprint for Deborah Vance's vibrant,
2:11.6	Austin-Patious style.
2:13.1	It's all coming up on Who What Wear.
	...

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