After Donny and Marie Osmond's recent Vegas news, go "behind the seams" with their costume designer

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As a special bonus to Donny and Marie Osmond’s recent news, we sat down with Marie’s daughter, Rachael Lauren, the costume designer of Flamingo Las Vegas’ “Donny & Marie” for a backstage interview. The 24-year-old designed every one of the costumes currently in the show. She’s a rhinestoning machine, admitting she has hand-glued thousands of Swarovski crystals on many of its outfits and shoes. She also recycles existing garments into fabulous pieces for her mom to flaunt on stage.

“Over the years we have replaced costumes but we save them all…The opening costume is an old Bob Mackie that we refurbished with lots of bugle beads.” Her cabaret number features perhaps the night’s most jaw-dropping dress, with fringes of black beads paired with clear rhinestone heels, while she sports a black top, hoop skirt and Prada pumps for the Broadway-style “Sound of Music” segment.

“Her body is so particular,” Rachael says. “You have to alter things to fit it perfectly. It’s rare that I buy something off the rack and it fits her.” Rachael dishes on the glittering costumes and swanky signature looks repeat showgoers can’t stop talking about—and can now look forward to seeing through 2014. Bring on the bling!

Adding crystals to each costume must take you a long time! Yeah they all take a long time, but that’s kind of my job. There’s this one she wears for her opera number, and I got it from Elizabeth Courtney, which is Bob Mackie and Ret Turner’s costume house, and then I rhinestoned it. It took me forever because it has so much fabric, and a couple thousand rhinestones at least on here. It’s the one she wears for the song “Nessun Dorma.”

Let’s talk about the shoes. I rhinestone her shoes as well. We will take a normal pump and bling it out. We buy some already done, but when you’re able to mix the crystal colors, it helps it look more rich and you see more dimension and helps it look not store-bought. We have a lot of sparkly, pretty shoes. I’m so sad, she’s like a size smaller than me! There is one rock ‘n’ roll number where she wears a rhinestone chain and corset look. That one is fun and she gets to wear her cowboy boots, which I also rhinestoned after we dyed them black. It’s kind of hard to see on the boots but there is an “M” and “O” in crystals on the boots.

What is the finale outfit like? We have emerald green rhinestone heels with green rhinestone earrings to go with it. She sings “For Good” from “Wicked.”

How many costumes each do Donny and Marie have? I would say maybe up to 10. Generally they have more but since the show order has changed around, they don’t have as many. Donny will change up a shirt, a tie. Marie has more changes as far as full-on outfits. Everything has to be rigged for breakaway so she can change fast.

There are different segments in the show, such as the Broadway numbers and the solos. Does the show follow any kind of fashion pattern through the numbers? The opening is a big statement, and my husband and I just redid all the dancers’ opening costumes because I do all the dancers outfits as well. I think it does get a little more fun and quirky during the middle, where Marie is in a big skirt, but in the end it’s a clean, classy black sleek look. You want to go from the showstopping look then clean and pretty toward the end.

Did Donny and Marie have visions of what they wanted their looks to be in the show? No, actually we present them. Like when it came to proposing the new opening look, I have a professional meeting. I put up my storyboard and have outfits drawn up individually. I basically put together a look for them. Donny wanted some things changed so I refined it and sleeked it back and he ended up loving it. It was like “go ahead, I trust you.” Donny’s thing is he wants it clean, sleek, sharp looking. So it can still be a metallic silver shirt on a dancer, but it has to have clean lines. He doesn’t want to be like they are trying for something that just doesn’t look right. But Marie is all for anything. She’s like “put wigs on me, I’ll wear a kimono, a hoop skirt”. She’s really fun to dress, she lets me kind of run with it, so that’s always fun.

What’s the story behind the Armani coat? I found that in the window. I was shopping over at Caesars just for fun, and I took a picture of this coat and I was like this needs to be in the show, and we were looking for something to replace this gold sequin jacket she used to wear. I saw it and fell in love, I thought it was so beautiful. I wanted it for myself, but I get to curb my shopping habit by buying things for her.

So some of these were actually designed and made from scratch and some were purchased designer pieces? Yes, the green costume with the top and long skirt for “Paper Roses” was made from scratch. We have a bunch of different tailors who fix and design them. California is generally where I go, because that’s where Ret Turner and Elizabeth Courtney are…It can take weeks; hours of solid sewing and pattern work.

When they have the set list, do they bring it to you and say “make costumes that reflect the mood of each song”? They will give me the running order and send me the background music, like as in the Christmas show. With that I had to sit down and look at the list. It gives you inspiration and a nice look as far as what they’re aiming for and the type of pacing.

How many dancers are there? There are 10 dancers, five guys and five girls. They have a lot more costume changes. Because you will have Donny in a suit for three or four numbers and all the dancers will have another new costume for each number. I do cater to them, I let them have a lot of say, and I want to make them feel pretty too.

Do you ever get to hear what audiences think about the costumes? Yes I have people stop me and compliment me about how they love the colors and the way I combined things and attention to detail.

How would you describe Marie’s personal own style? Casual. She’s a jeans and T-shirt and her Toms. But for a red carpet she gets all glammed out.

Any stylist tips you want to share? You can take almost any color Sharpie marker and color it on clear stone jewelry and make it the color you want, and it looks like you bought it that way.