‘This Is Us’ production designer reveals how they made Pearson 80s look

Picking the right 80s set and wardrobe design for “This is Us” is more challenging than most would think. The series production designer has opened up about how they pulled off the blue collar look of the Pearson household.

Series production designer Gary Frutkoff said that creator Dan Fogelman wanted a blue collar look for the show. Frutkoff admitted that it was a challenge to recreate the retro look needed for the flashback scenes, which are set in Pittsburgh in the 1980s.

“There’s a grittiness and an earthiness [to those Pittsburgh scenes] that’s actually pretty challenging to portray on screen,” he told Gold Derby. Fortunately, they found the right materials to make the Pearson household perfectly 80s.

Frutkoff explained that since the Pearsons are a working class couple, they wouldn’t have brand new furniture. His team had to search for household items from the late 60s and 70s.

Moreover, since the series revolves around two time periods, the changes in eras also proved to be a challenge. “There are period TV shows, like 'Mad Men,' but they’re stable within their years. Ours, so far, has gone from 1980 to present day. The different locations have been challenging. They have to support the story,” he explained.

Meanwhile, series costume designer Hala Bahmet previously revealed how and where they shop for the characters’ wardrobe for the throwback scenes. Bahmet said that Milo Ventimiglia's (Jack) vintage attire is not a problem at all since his sculpted frame slips perfectly into classic Levi’s.

Mandy Moore (Rebecca), however, is a different story. Bahmet said they had to dig deeper, since the character’s clothing spans a couple more decades than Jack. The costume designer revealed that she shopped around costume stores in Los Angeles, finding vintage pieces online for all 70s scenes of Rebecca.

“We found beautiful ’40s pieces for Mandy in the Goodwill. We have a mix of expensive pristine pieces, from the high-end vintage stores that are really curate and beautiful, and then mix with something great from a thrift store,” Bahmet told Fashionista.

“This is Us” season 2 is expected to premiere in September 2017 on NBC in the US. Season 1 is still airing in Australia every Wednesdays at 8.30 p.m. on Channel Ten.