Gladys Russell From The Gilded Age Couldn't Be More Stunning In Real Life

On "The Gilded Age," actress Taissa Farmiga plays the ingenue Gladys Russell, but in real life, she's almost unrecognizable. If you're used to seeing her in full skirts and dark hair, then you might easily overlook that this is the same actress who built her reputation on the horror hits, with credits like "The Nun" and "American Horror Story," or as an out-of-control teen in Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring."

The styling for her character's role in "The Gilded Age" sticks to period-appropriate natural beauty — proof that the right foundation technique can nail the no-makeup look — and emphasizes the actress's youth. It's partially why it's so different from her look in real life, which is sexier and more sophisticated. She has an innocent, sleepy beauty, which is part of why she makes such a great screen queen.

In her personal style, Farmiga is more likely to favor blonde hair tones and loves a bold makeup look or a plunging neckline. She's not afraid of cropped hair and sometimes rocks a lob, the best way to dip your toe into short hair. It's clear that a distinct look is something that gives her confidence. In 2017, the actress spoke to AnOther Mag and made it clear she knows personal style is timeless and powerful. "You have to figure out who you are, and I think fashion can help you do that," she said. "When you have more of a sense of who you are, you can take on the world."

If Taissa Farmiga looks different from her onscreen 1800s counterpart, that's due in part to the "The Gilded Age" costume designer, Kasia Walicka Maimone. Maimone didn't simply stick actresses like Farmiga into period-appropriate gowns, although historical research was key to the process. "I knew that the biggest challenge would be making that material valid to the contemporary audience," she told Artnet in 2025. She looked at historical paintings, but the individual qualities of each character shaped her costume choices.

Farmiga's costumes have mirrored her character's growth throughout the show, shifting from pastels to bolder looks as Gladys comes into her own. "If you look at Gladys's wardrobe in the first few episodes, she pretty much looks like a doll," Farmiga told TheWrap in 2022. "There's a lot of like pinks and bows and that sort of sweetness in the beginning that really shows the soft and naive side of Gladys, which kind of grows and changes over the course of the season." Still, as fun as "The Gilded Age" fashions are, Farmiga is grateful she's not wearing them every day. In 2022, she told Collider she felt relieved when filming ended, because it offered her a break from tiny buttons and voluminous skirts. "I remember at the end of the show, I was like, 'I'm done! I'm done for a while.' It's a love/hate thing."