Carnivàle is an HBO TV series set in the midwest during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. It follows a group of circus performers and their struggles. Stylistically, Carnivàle is beautiful. The colors are desaturated and everything looks like it was covered in a filmy layer of dust. The costume design is outstanding. There are a few stereotypical flowered dresses, with small flowers in a cotton/calico print, and a few deluxe fabrics used for the more interesting carnies (Carnivàle workers). I’m more into the 1940s than the 1930s, but I love well-filmed horror/dramas with striking cinematography. Here are some screenshots.

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Rita Sue Dreifuss is one of the carnies who started in vaudeville work and travels doing strip-shows. She is often seen in grey-blues or neutral calico prints.

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Libby Dreifuss is Rita’s daughter. She also does strip-shows. She is often seen in diaphanous white floor-length dressing gowns and calico flowered dresses.

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Lila Villanueva is also known as the Bearded Lady of Brussels. She is the dressmaker of the carnival, and is frequently dressed in rich fabrics and bright colors. Her wardrobe is probably my favorite.

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Ruthie is a snake charmer and barker for the strongman acts of her son Gabriel. She had a very striking Asian-inspired dressing gown.

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Sofie is a fortuneteller in a mother-daughter act at the carnival. Her mother, Apollonia, is catatonic, and can communicate with Sofie telepathically. Sofie is seen in earthy tones of rust, dark green and brown with cream neutrals, in a tomboyish fashion.

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Alexandria and Caladonia Potter are twins conjoined at the hip. They don’t have a very distinctive style, but just the fact that they are conjoined at the hip and are doing things very close together accentuates their unusual aspects.

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The men in Carnivàle are also striking. I happened to find a larger screenshot of their outfits.