The first time we see pop star Riley Bina (Ariana Grande) in Don’t Look Up, black leather ribbons snake around her neck and through her hair. The same metal-studded ribbons serve as barely-there straps for her slinky Valentino dress, which further amps up the drama thanks to deep cutouts at the waist. Her thigh-high stretch-leather Valentino boots have more of the brand’s iconic Rockstuds running up their backs, like the seams on vintage stockings. It’s an intentionally dark and prickly look, evoking barbed wire and a kind of punk-rock chic — even if those studded ribbons are tied up in perfect bows around the twin buns, an unexpected crown for Riley’s subversive look. 

“​​I loved the idea of doing something a bit edgy for Riley Bina, because Riley Bina is not Ariana Grande,” says Susan Matheson, the film’s costume designer. “It was really important to me that every time we saw her on-screen, we didn’t think, ‘This is Ariana Grande looking the way Ariana Grande typically looks.’”

Grande — known more for her ponytail-and-pastels aesthetic — was “very game” for the image overhaul, Matheson says: “I sent her all the sketches, and the response was a resounding ‘I love it!’”

Matheson collaborated with Pierpaolo Piccioli, the head designer at Valentino, on every detail of Grande’s looks for the film. He even sent over tiny Rockstuds for her manicure, “because Ariana Grande loves artistic nails,” Matheson says. “It was a perfect match,” she continued, noting that it doesn’t hurt that Piccioli’s daughter is a huge Ariana Grande fan.  

Thanks to these details, all it takes is one look at Riley Bina to understand that she’s a larger-than-life, profanity-spewing, often downright mean pop star, complete with her own entourage and an off-and-on, tabloid-fodder relationship with DJ Chello (Kid Cudi). But, she’s not all thorns — Riley is also community-minded enough to use her star power for good, headlining a benefit concert to help save the world. 

Riley’s sweeter side is on full display courtesy of the elaborate white dress that she wears at the concert. Another Valentino-and-Matheson creation, the voluminous gown exemplifies the outsize aspect of Riley’s pop star persona. The feathered portion on top was from the collection showcased in Valentino’s ethereal “Of Grace and Light” Fall/Winter 2021 Haute Couture show, but the bottom portion, with its billowing underskirt and 20-plus-foot-long tulle train, is evocative of a “sea creature,” Matheson says, explaining: “I wanted it to look like an octopus moving under the water.”

While the creation of the stunning gown is impressive in and of itself, Matheson’s job wasn’t done once Grande was wearing the dress — she also had to factor in the way in which the set’s moving platforms, strong winds and suspension wires would work with the design. And then there were the pyrotechnics to consider.

“We had fireworks going off onstage, and I remember special effects walking in and saying to me, ‘Can you fireproof this dress?’” Matheson says. “And I said, ‘I don’t think feathers would do very well with fireproofing. I think that they would all droop.’” After a plea not to “let the fire hit the feathers,” Matheson and the special effects team worked their magic, and Grande got through it all safely. 

Still, Cory Candrilli, Don’t Look Up’s special effects coordinator, shares: “I swear to God, I’ve blown up houses, flipped cars, shot people, and I’ve never been so stressed — over a damn dress.”