The Shards Cast Partied Like It Was 1981 at the World Premiere of the New TV Series

“I wanted to be an actor since I was a baby, and working on The Shards has really been one of the best experiences of my life,” Kaia Gerber told Vogue at the world premiere of her new FX drama on Monday night. “I was so excited to go to work everyday. I’ve gotten so close with the cast and they are my best friends. We’d finish work and then we’d all hangout.”

The Shards is a seductive thriller from executive producer Ryan Murphy that’s based on American Psycho novelist Bret Easton Ellis’s 2023 horror book of the same name. Set in 1981 Los Angeles, the series follows a group of five privileged high school seniors (Gerber among them) at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy, and obsession. Their world is plunged into chaos when a serial killer goes on a spree across the city. But could the killer be one of their own? That’s what Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney plays a fictionalized version of the author) suspects when new student Robert Mallory (Homer Gere) comes to town.

At the SVA Theatre in Chelsea, Gerber arrived to the red carpet outing in a semi-sheer Valentino gown, shimmering with a diamond-patterned lattice of crystal embellishments. “I felt this dress was kind of giving shards of glass with the reflective surface,” she said. “It’s a little nod to the ’80s and our show.” As Gerber sauntered down the press line, she spotted co-star Hayes Warner, who plays classmate Debbie Schaffer, in a black Alex Perry frock. “You look so hot!” Gerber shouted. The two hugged and met with co-star Graham Campbell who portrays Gerber’s boyfriend Thom Wright.

Also in attendance was cast member Jordan Roth, who appeared in a knockout cut-out tuxedo fashioned into a revealing jumpsuit by Stéphane Rolland Couture—leaving Gerber stunned. “I was always the most excited to see what Jordan was going to wear as [his character] Steven,” Gerber explained. “Jordan is a fashion icon in real life, and so is Steven, and you will see that as the show goes on. But, whenever Jordan would walk on set, my mouth was agape, drooling and being like, ‘What on Earth is this?’ He did it again tonight.”

Rigney showed up on the carpet in a Dior and gained a boost of confidence from his castmates. “Igby! Igby!” the three called out in unison. Soon a Prada-clad Gere turned up and was greeted by hugs and kisses from the group. The five main cast members giggled and teased each other while posing for photographs. Warner lifted her bare leg up against Rigney, causing a roaring laugh. Gere even busted out in song and led a quick rendition of New York, New York, further proving the camaraderie and tight-knit bond amongst the cast.

Monday’s screening was their first major moment to celebrate together. “It’s a bit emotional and really exciting to experience all of this. I’m so giddy and I want to scream,” Warner told Vogue. “Being a part of this show has been such a life changing experience for me. If you told me a year ago that this is where I would be, it would blow my mind.”

“It’s crazy and a dream come true to be here,” Rigney agreed. “It really hasn’t hit me yet, but Ryan has made this such a familiar experience that it kind of feels like I’m here with my family and we’re just hanging out even though all of this crazy stuff is happening. I’m just over the moon and thankful that I got to work on this show.”

Murphy developed the series, which airs on August 5 on FX and Hulu, with Ellis, whose semi-autobiographical novel was the inspiration. The prolific writer-director-producer wanted to bring an adaptation of The Shards to the screen because it’s set in a time that was a seminal period in his own life. “I just love 1981. That year was the most important year of my life. I was 16, about the same age as the characters, and I had my first date, got my driver’s license, had my first kiss, and had my first breakup,” Murphy told Vogue. “My favorite song was Funkytown by Lipps Inc. which is featured in the show, and I was obsessed with Armani, Perry Ellis, Alaïa, and all the fashion and the hair. I finally can get to write about all of that and put it in the show.”

Dressing in early ‘80s style clothes was a blast for Gerber, too. “I love that era, but I think there’s a common misconception about the ’80s because you think of pastel, loud patterns, and shoulder pads. That was the late ‘80s. What’s so fun about our show is that it’s set during a transitional time for fashion. My character has a lot of amazing looks that I personally love, like the jeans I wear. It’s very Lauren Hutton and Brooke Shields; classic all-American looks.”

Gere admitted he didn’t know much about the style. He was more familiar with the music, as he listened to a lot of rock and post-punk bands of the day like The Clash and The Cure. “The fashion was really something that I had to learn,” he said. “I’m mostly only wearing leather pants in the show. It took some convincing…I wasn’t so confident, but over the course of six months of shooting, I became attached to leather pants!”

Campbell was pretty familiar with the era’s pop culture, cinema, and music thanks to his family. “It’s my parent’s generation so it was an enormous influence in my house. But for reference, I remember mostly poring through old photo albums—embarrassing as they may be—and joking about their looks to my parents,” he said. “As soon as I sent them photos from the set of me dressed in ‘80s clothes, they made fun of me right back. I’ve become pretty fond of the clothes and got very accustomed to the head-to-toe ‘80s apparel.”

Evan Rachel Wood, playing Debbie Schaffer’s alcoholic mother, indulged in the chance to wear more glamorous and vintage ensembles than any other cast member. “My character is an amalgamation and she’s an homage to the late ‘70s style, so we weren’t quite into the bright pastel radical part of the ‘80s yet, and I loved it,” Wood told Vogue, clad in an archival Dior gown by John Galliano. “I wore vintage Saint Laurent and Chanel. The costume [designers] knocked it out of the park. They really had to pull the most chic clothes because my character is an ex-supermodel. She’s dressed to the nines even when she’s sitting at home.”

“The hair is a main character on the show,” Gerber added. “Everyone had the most accurate hair thanks to Valerie Jackson, the head of the hair department.” For Warner, she even dyed her hair to resemble Debbie Harry’s iconic platinum blonde color. “I was a platinum blonde before, but I went extra, extra platinum. I have blonde blindness now. I’m like, ‘I’m not blonde enough. I need more bleach,’” she laughed. “My scalp is definitely in pain, but it’s worth it.”

Roth, the fashion trailblazer and seven-time Tony Award-winning producer, is unrecognizable in his television debut as Steven Reinhardt, a personal assistant who dutifully facilitates his sleazy Hollywood movie-producer boss’s schedule and extracurricular activities. Roth donned a striking wig, inspired by David Bowie’s The Man Who Fell to Earth number and David Sylvian, the lead singer of the art-rock band Japan. Roth also collaborated with Murphy on designing a look that nodded to the New Wave movement and old runways. “I printed out every runway show of 1981,” Roth said. “I like to do my fashion homework. We started with Saint Laurent—the human, not the brand—and then it evolved.” The result sees some sublime jumpsuits, in particular. “I love creating characters and I think of them as all facets of me,” Roth continued. “We are not pretending, we are revealing different aspects of what’s in me. That’s what I do in my fashion life, but this is really a completely different experience. He’s a different human than me. He looks different, he talks differently and playing this character has been the dream of my life.”

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