Many LHS alumni have gone on to have brilliant and successful careers; this is especially true for alumni Samantha Rattner, a member of the LHS Class of 2015. Since her high school graduation, Rattner has excelled as a costume designer for film and television, most recently on the hit comedy series and Hulu original Best Medicine.
Rattner’s love of fashion began at a very young age and developed through her experiences at LHS. Rattner discussed when her decision to pursue her career was made: “I would dress my younger sister in elaborate outfits and parade her in front of the family. I started drawing outfits in middle school inspired, in part, by the opening credits of the TV show Clarissa Explains It All. I thought fashion design was the only career that combined my love of fine art and clothing, and that is the career path I would pursue.” Rattner also took part in many art classes during her time at LHS, as well as being a member of the 2013 drama club production of South Pacific. Rattner assisted her teacher Mrs. Riley with the costumes, which helped foster her passion for designing even more. By her senior year, she had already begun searching for programs that would aid her in her pursuit of a career in costume design. Rattner explained, “I got lucky that my guidance counselor suggested I apply to the more art focused SUNY schools as safety schools, and one of them happened to be SUNY Purchase. I came across their design/technology program, which offered a major in costume design, and it ended up being a highly competitive and comprehensive professional training program that really prepared me for the career I am in today.”
Rattner has worked on many design projects over the years but has recently taken over the challenge of designing costumes for her first TV comedy, Best Medicine. The Hulu show follows an intelligent surgeon, Doctor Martin Best (played by Josh Charles), who leaves Boston, Massachusetts, to take a resident position in his small hometown of Port Wenn, Maine. Although he has much medical experience, his condescending attitude causes locals to distance themselves from him. Dr. Best struggles with his closeted fears and problems with making personal connections. Rattner voiced obstacles she faces while working on the show: “All of the pratfalls and physical comedy mean we often needed multiples on the costumes so that we can do several takes when the actors get dirty.” She also disclosed how she “gets into character” in order to perfectly design the outfits: “I loved putting myself into the mindset of what kinds of materials and stores these characters would have access to, and trying to make things feel homemade and well worn.” Rattner added, “Best Medicine has a large cast of characters, so we were putting together an average of 60 costumes per week as well as dressing all of the extras every day. I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful team who have such a variety of talents that helped us achieve the look of the show.”
Like any career, designing clothing can surely have its ups and downs, especially when designing them for the film industry. One of Rattner’s favorite parts of her career is watching her garments come to life as they get projected on the big screen. She added, “I love telling stories through clothing, and it’s extremely satisfying when the audience understands who a character is because of how I dressed them.” Another positive light for Rattner with working in the film industry is being able to work alongside the beautifully talented group of artists she hires to aid her in her projects. She said, “We work long hours in film and television, so the people you work with make a huge difference in your quality of life. I have met and remained friends with so many wonderful and talented people through my work.” Although there are many upsides to Rattner’s career, it naturally comes with its downsides as well. Designing costumes, said Rattner, takes a huge toll on her life outside work as does the uncertainty that comes with working in the costume industry. Opportunities for finding available jobs continue to slim down as the number of designers increases. Although Ratner has had steady work since she entered the industry, she discussed the struggles that events like Covid-19 and film industry strikes had on her career. She said, “Things like Covid, and the Writers Guild and SAG strikes caused there to be significantly less work for several years, which can be tough both financially and mentally. It is hard to not know if and when you will get your next job, and it is a very competitive career path.” She went into further detail about the time-consuming process of her work, and shared, “When I am working, I often work between 12-16 hours every day for several months. The schedule doesn’t leave me with much time for friends, family, or even making time to cook myself a meal or exercise. It can be mentally and physically difficult to work such long and irregular hours, so I am always working on trying to find a work/life balance.”
Although her career, as Rattner likes to call it, is “a real rollercoaster,” she still finds great joy bringing her passion to the big screen while also making many long-lasting friendships with the collaborators along the way. Tune into Hulu at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays to see Rattner’s costumes live on Best Medicine.
