How ‘Shortcomings’ brings Berkeley’s sartorial sensibilities to the screen
San Francisco Chronicle | Viv Chen | April 12, 2024
The San Francisco Chronicle talks Shortcomings on the big screen
When Randall Park’s comedy “Shortcomings” was released on Netflix earlier this year, Bay Area viewers not only got to see local landmarks like Amoeba Records onscreen, they also may have recognized themselves in the characters’ fashion sensibilities. From Converse sneakers and Everlane basics to vintage blazers and plaid skirts, the characters’ costumes feel like realistic renderings of Berkeley’s sartorial scene.
Because “Shortcomings” was adapted from Adrian Tomine’s 2007 graphic novel, costume designer Ava Yuriko Hama used his illustrations of the Berkeley-based young adults as her central point of inspiration. “I felt it was most important to pay homage to Adrian’s initial conception of these characters,” Hama told the Chronicle. Though she currently resides in New York City, the designer’s personal connection to the region — she has fond memories of visiting family in Sacramento and exploring San Francisco together — drew her to the setting of the film.
Tomine, a Sacramento native and UC Berkeley alum now based in Brooklyn, expresses that while he conceptualized the characters’ looks for the original comic book, “the costume design on the film was 100% the work of Ava and her team.”
Since the graphic novel was published 15 years ago, Hama updated the characters’ outfits to reflect the film’s 2020s setting. She looked to Bay Area style blogs and social media accounts of people local to the cultural scene. Through the geotag function on Instagram and TikTok, Hama said she “ended up in a giant spiderweb going from profile to profile,” and looked up the social media accounts of local bars, restaurants and colleges. As a result, when Tomine said that when he saw the actors on set, he instantly recognized the “nods to their graphic novel incarnation, while still feeling very natural and contemporary.”
The film’s plot focuses on a Japanese American couple Ben (Justin H. Min) and Miko (Ally Maki), whose relationship is on the brink. For these two main characters, Hama heavily relied on clothing sourced from San Francisco-headquartered brands the RealReal, Everlane and Gap, using costume design as a way to highlight the tension in their relationship.
Shades of blue and gray dominate Ben’s wardrobe, mirroring his negativity and cynicism. Hama kept his clothing — J.Crew button-downs, khakis and simple sneakers — similar to the graphic novel as commentary on the character’s resistance to change, conveying “even after 15 years, he would still have a lot of the same clothing and be a bit ‘stuck’ sartorially,” she explained. Tomine said he could easily imagine Ben “just running into the Gap and quickly grabbing whatever looked neutral or inoffensive to him.”
In contrast, Miko’s style favors pastel hues and higher-end tastes — “not ostentatious, but still designer-y,” Tomine said.
In other style choices, in the graphic novel and the film, Miko and Ben have a floral print pillowcase in their bedroom. The object became a visual detail that Hama latched onto to inform Miko’s aesthetic.
“It always seemed obvious to me that Miko, and not Ben, would have picked out and purchased it,” Hama said. “It’s soft and feminine, yet is a very clean minimal, graphic take on a floral print.”
Because Miko’s character comes from money, Hama’s team sourced a mix of dressed-up basics from Bay Area mainstays Uniqlo and Everlane with designer pieces from Miu Miu and Celine. The goal was to portray Miko’s emotional arc throughout the film. Her clothes are characterized by a soft monochromatic color palette with pops of color that hint at her simmering dissatisfaction toward Ben.
The film also explores friendship dynamics through Ben and his lesbian friend Alice (Sherry Cola), whose style stands out with bold colors and eclectic layering, reflecting her character’s need for excitement. Hama and Tomine acknowledge that Alice’s character was the biggest departure from the graphic novel, which portrayed her with a short hairstyle and androgynous-leaning outfits.
“After Sherry was cast we … decided to pivot towards a more femme version of the character,” Hama explained, adding that Bay Area photographer Samantha Lotman’s Instagram was a major reference in the initial pass of Alice’s costume board.
Check out the rest of the feature here!
Because “Shortcomings” was adapted from Adrian Tomine’s 2007 graphic novel, costume designer Ava Yuriko Hama used his illustrations of the Berkeley-based young adults as her central point of inspiration. “I felt it was most important to pay homage to Adrian’s initial conception of these characters,” Hama told the Chronicle. Though she currently resides in New York City, the designer’s personal connection to the region — she has fond memories of visiting family in Sacramento and exploring San Francisco together — drew her to the setting of the film.
Tomine, a Sacramento native and UC Berkeley alum now based in Brooklyn, expresses that while he conceptualized the characters’ looks for the original comic book, “the costume design on the film was 100% the work of Ava and her team.”
Since the graphic novel was published 15 years ago, Hama updated the characters’ outfits to reflect the film’s 2020s setting. She looked to Bay Area style blogs and social media accounts of people local to the cultural scene. Through the geotag function on Instagram and TikTok, Hama said she “ended up in a giant spiderweb going from profile to profile,” and looked up the social media accounts of local bars, restaurants and colleges. As a result, when Tomine said that when he saw the actors on set, he instantly recognized the “nods to their graphic novel incarnation, while still feeling very natural and contemporary.”
The film’s plot focuses on a Japanese American couple Ben (Justin H. Min) and Miko (Ally Maki), whose relationship is on the brink. For these two main characters, Hama heavily relied on clothing sourced from San Francisco-headquartered brands the RealReal, Everlane and Gap, using costume design as a way to highlight the tension in their relationship.
Shades of blue and gray dominate Ben’s wardrobe, mirroring his negativity and cynicism. Hama kept his clothing — J.Crew button-downs, khakis and simple sneakers — similar to the graphic novel as commentary on the character’s resistance to change, conveying “even after 15 years, he would still have a lot of the same clothing and be a bit ‘stuck’ sartorially,” she explained. Tomine said he could easily imagine Ben “just running into the Gap and quickly grabbing whatever looked neutral or inoffensive to him.”
In contrast, Miko’s style favors pastel hues and higher-end tastes — “not ostentatious, but still designer-y,” Tomine said.
In other style choices, in the graphic novel and the film, Miko and Ben have a floral print pillowcase in their bedroom. The object became a visual detail that Hama latched onto to inform Miko’s aesthetic.
“It always seemed obvious to me that Miko, and not Ben, would have picked out and purchased it,” Hama said. “It’s soft and feminine, yet is a very clean minimal, graphic take on a floral print.”
Because Miko’s character comes from money, Hama’s team sourced a mix of dressed-up basics from Bay Area mainstays Uniqlo and Everlane with designer pieces from Miu Miu and Celine. The goal was to portray Miko’s emotional arc throughout the film. Her clothes are characterized by a soft monochromatic color palette with pops of color that hint at her simmering dissatisfaction toward Ben.
The film also explores friendship dynamics through Ben and his lesbian friend Alice (Sherry Cola), whose style stands out with bold colors and eclectic layering, reflecting her character’s need for excitement. Hama and Tomine acknowledge that Alice’s character was the biggest departure from the graphic novel, which portrayed her with a short hairstyle and androgynous-leaning outfits.
“After Sherry was cast we … decided to pivot towards a more femme version of the character,” Hama explained, adding that Bay Area photographer Samantha Lotman’s Instagram was a major reference in the initial pass of Alice’s costume board.
Check out the rest of the feature here!