"Hey, Brother!"
“it’s all regulation Michael, to get the top right the pants had to be a little snug”
Buster Bluth, prone to panic attacks, lost his hand to a loose seal, and the youngest of the Bluth family. This amazing character is from the critically acclaimed television show Arrested Development. Ending in 2006 this television show has lived on through the love of fans and the hope of a movie. Fans received good news in 2011 that the Bluth’s will be back in 2013, and in light of many exciting new images from Ron Howard and Jason Bateman, I wanted to reflect on the wonder that is Buster Bluth and his high fastening pants, wait I mean costume designs!
Buster “Byron” Bluth starts his journey as a motherboy and ends his journey as a motherboy. Buster’s costumes stay safe, just like Buster’s lifelong wish. When we first meet Buster his color palette is mostly pastels, consistently wearing a collared shirt, patterned most of the time, and brightly colored pants. Within the first few episodes the look of Buster Bluth is completely establish.
An important change in Buster comes from a loose seal, the seal wearing the yellow bow tie that bites off his hand. Not only does the characters life completely change, his coloring and design change. Due to the hook or fake hand that Tony Hale needs to wear, the costume team must cut the sleeve to lengthen and cover his real hand. After the loss of his hand, Buster Bluth almost always wears a piece over his button down shirt, the costume piece shown here illustrates how they would add length to the sleeve. The sleeve is cut and then taped to the correct length.
One of my favorite Buster ensembles
The loss of Buster’s hand is the turning point for the character and with this the color palette changes. The sweaters become dark, more adult and sophisticated but the brightly patterned shirts are still a staple. After a long battle of family alienation, low self-esteem, and Tobias’s “analraping” Buster is able to stand up for himself and grow a little, still a motherboy but that's why it's called Arrested Development.
Thank you to the Balboa Observer-Picayune for the screen shots. Do check out this great site they are a fans one and only stop for Arrested Development information.