‘The Bear’ Is Returning to Serving Hot Fits

LONDON — Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri aren’t the only people getting into character for “The Bear.”

The show’s costume designer Courtney Wheeler has also been getting in on the fun — in her own way. “My assistant costume designer Lariana Santiago and myself have a whole shared album of pictures we’ve taken of people’s outfits. It’s about the details of someone’s shoes, bracelets or the way that someone is layering,” she said in an interview ahead of the show’s Season Four return.

Even though the show is largely set in a Chicago kitchen, it’s the clothes that have been coming in hot rather than the dishes.

Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto’s white 215 T-shirt from German brand Merz b. Schwanen has been catapulted into a life of its own, so much so that the brand released a version of the T-shirt using White’s measurements.

Wheeler worked with costume designer Cristina Spiridakis on the pilot of “The Bear,” who also happens to be her best friend. “We were trying to figure out what’s that hot T-shirt brand that makes guys look really good? It’s Merz, Merz, Merz,” she recalled.

The reaction to the show’s costumes has been surprising for the costume designer as it’s a show about kitchen politics and family dynamics, where style is not a factor the same way it is in “Emily in Paris” or “Succession.”

“It feels good that people are finding connection with the clothes because that’s how most of us find clothes, through other people we pass on the streets. It feels more natural and how people find out what they like,” said Wheeler.

For this season, she cast her eyes far and wide for brands, from thrifting in Chicago to scouring eBay for hours. For White’s character she uses Ralph Lauren Double RL, J.Crew, A.P.C., Carhartt, Dickies and vintage Levi’s, Barbour, L.L. Bean and Filson.

“They’re so versatile and they fit well. They’re also really good at getting beat up because we age a lot of our clothes to fit in with the characters and then we mix vintage pieces in,” said Wheeler.

The clothes, like the characters, have had their own story arc.

Moss-Bachrach’s character Richard “Richie” Jerimovich finds his armor in tailored suits in Season Two. “It changes him from being brash and defensive to giving him confidence. His suits are a reflection of how much he cares about what he does every day,” said Wheeler.

Matty Matheson’s suits for his character Neil Fak are all custom-made, but his neckties and pocket squares are vintage Dior, Zegna, Oleg Cassini, Gimbels and Saint Laurent.

“We’re working on vibes when it comes to the neckties — we have some with a bass on it or palm trees,” said Wheeler.

The joy of menswear has sieved through to Edebiri’s character Sydney “Syd” Adamu.

“She wears men’s pieces from Norse Projects and Ralph Lauren Double RL,” she said, naming Nikki Chasin, Everybody.World and Naomi Nomi as the brands she wears in Season Four. Syd’s kitchen pants are from Le Laboureur, Service Works, and Big Bud Press, while her chef uniforms and aprons are from Tilit.

“All the girls on the show [wear] a mix of menswear pieces because there’s something about the quality, cut and colors that are not beholden to a trend,” said Wheeler, who has picked up wardrobing tips by sitting at chef’s counters at restaurants and leaning over to peek at their uniforms and asking them what they’re wearing.

“We’re lucky to have worked with a million great chefs on the show and I’ve eaten around Chicago and Copenhagen to see what everyone is wearing,” she explained.

“The Bear” has lent itself toward a more utilitarian and masculine direction with its heavy use of workwear. Wheeler has also been inspired by Courtney Storer, the culinary producer of the show and Matheson, who started his career in kitchens.

In working with so many chefs, she has come to find that they all add little nuances to their uniforms.

“The best chefs have such a wonderful eye all across the board. It matters to them what they wear, what pants they have on and what Birkenstocks they’ve chosen,” said Wheeler.

She’s even started dressing like a member of “The Bear” kitchen crew, which is a rite of passage for any costume designer who has worked on a project long enough.

“I used to say that I’m like a Meg Ryan character, but she’s a black girl living in the Heights,” said Wheeler.

In high school, she studied drama and made costumes for her workshops. Her tutor was the actor Nicco Annan, who stars as Uncle Clifford Sayles in “P-Valley.”

Wheeler went to Syracuse University for fashion design and one summer she answered a Craigslist advertisement to be an intern on the film “What Maisie Knew” with Julianne Moore and Alexander Skarsgård.

The costume designer of the film was Stacey Battat, who has worked on “Priscilla,” “The Beguiled” and “The Bling Ring.”

After a few more stints in costume design, Wheeler teamed up with Spiridakis to work on “Dash & Lily,” the last season of “High Maintenance” and the reboot of “Queer as Folk.”

All of her projects have a common thread — they’re rooted in real people or subcultures.

“There are all these pockets of people who have so much character, but it’s about the details and adding twists to their style. Everyone has a personal style, but it’s about asking, what is this person wearing? What do they like? Do they get joy out of clothing without making it a fashion show,” said Wheeler.