show me the muumuu

Jeffrey Tambor Is a Fan of His Character’s Caftans

Jeffrey Tambor.
Jeffrey Tambor. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

On Transparent, Jeffrey Tambor’s character’s caftans deserve above-the-title billing in their own right — so much so that we’ve chronicled them in full. Costume designer Marie Schley has explained that the androgyny of the garment is crucial to Maura’s in-transition identity. At a For Your Consideration event for Transparent this weekend, the Cut caught up with Tambor himself to talk all things muumuu. “I love the caftans,” he said. “Maura is not quite good at her look yet, so her wigs are not quite right, she doesn’t know how to do makeup yet, her hand shakes when she does makeup, her first outfits are not thought out right away. Then she finds the caftans and she finds her real profile and I love that. [Creator] Jill [Soloway] and the great Marie Schley were very much a part of that. And I’m so comfortable in that whole trip. I like when Maura’s uncomfortable and I like when she’s comfortable. I love that because it’s very human and it’s very true.”

Is the wardrobe changing the way he thinks about clothing? “I, Jeffrey Tambor, have such a horrible body image, it is such a pleasure that Maura delights in [her] wardrobe. I love that. Maura’s very good for me,” the actor admitted. “It changes what Jeffrey Tambor feels like as a citizen, what he feels like as a parent, what he feels like as a friend, as an actor, definitely.”

Jeffrey Tambor Is a Fan of Maura’s Caftans