Behind '90210's' SoCal style: Costume designer Frank Helmer reveals the secrets of his trade

This season, “90210” decided to celebrate its Southern California locale by making over everything from the sets to the stars.

“Our manifesto was to make our show the representation of Southern California style,” explains Frank Helmer, “90210’s” costume designer.

“It’s not just pulling whatever the latest fashion page is and putting it on the screen, although that’s part of it. It’s also interpreting it for each of the characters, which is the main thing I do as a costume designer.” 

Click on the photo (above) to see a gallery of Helmer's most winning looks this season.

Before joining “90210,” Helmer made a name for himself styling popular teen films like “Epic Movie,” “D.E.B.S.,” and “Herbie Fully Loaded,” starring Lindsay Lohan. When he was presented with the challenge of applying his talents to TV and amping up the look of West Bev’s most popular students (especially in the face of comparisons to “Gossip Girl’s” edgy NYC style), Helmer jumped at it.

“We don’t want to be copying anybody else,” says Helmer.  “It’s so great to have that freedom to actually build these characters, both aesthetically and story-wise. I go out there. I’m out and about. I live on the Eastside. I work on the Westside. I base my looks on real girls, and that’s what’s really exciting about it. It is translating Southern California to the screen for the world to see. It’s super exciting.”

-- Jethro Nededog

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'90210': Telling the truth is in, but Navid is out

'90210': Jessica Stroup on Silver's mom, men, and being more than Naomi's minion

'90210': No more happy half-birthdays for Silver

Complete '90210' coverage on Showtracker

Photo credit: The CW

'90210': Telling the truth is in, but Navid is out

In “90210,” when it rains it pours. The gig was up for almost every character on this week’s episode. While some came clean voluntarily, others were forced to expose the skeletons in their closet.

The biggest “come to Jesus” occurred with Kelly (Jennie Garth), who has been harboring major resentment for her mother pretty much her entire life. Last week, when Silver (Jessica Stroup) found her mother unconscious on her half-birthday, it looked like Kelly’s chances for reconciliation with her had run out. Luckily for Kelly, Jackie (Ann Gillespie) survived. In her weakened state, though, she wouldn’t last much longer. Silver worked hard to convince her half-sister that forgiving her mother was the right thing to do. Kelly wasn’t convinced. It wasn’t until she found Jackie’s room empty and thought Jackie had passed away when it really hit her. Silver then informed her that Jackie was still alive, but had been moved to a private room.

Jennie Garth’s performance in this week’s episode reached staggering levels. It was so subtle and shaded that even my cold, black heart felt for her as she fell to the ground when she thought Jackie had passed and later in a bedside scene in which Jackie apologized for being such an awful mother to her. It culminated in a heart-wrenching scene in which Silver and Kelly sat at their mother’s side as she took her last breath. I know that many fans of the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” had mixed feelings about Jackie’s death. How do you all feel about the way it was handled? I would really love to know.

Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) showed some major growth this week.

'90210': Jessica Stroup on Silver's mom, men, and being more than Naomi's minion

The ladies of "90210” are definitely taking a beating this season. Naomi is being conned by her sister. Adrianna is a druggie again. And Annie is dating Ade’s greasy, knife-wielding drug dealer. Yet the only one I really feel sorry for is Silver. She’s the only girl who has been dealt a blow that was totally out of control. Her mother, Jackie (Ann Gillespie), is dying of cancer.

“This wasn’t something that she asked for,” says Jessica Stroup, who plays Erin Silver on the CW show. “This wasn’t something she was ready for, but she’s going to do the best she can with it.”

When we last saw Silver, she was discovering a seemingly lifeless Jackie on the couch. Stroup says that isn’t how we’re saying goodbye to Silver’s mother. “She has not passed away,” says Stroup. “It is one of those times when she’ll need to say her piece because she may not make it much longer.”

I finally caught up with Stroup after having to work around “90210’s” hectic shooting schedule to talk about the incredibly emotional journey her character is on as she deals with her mother’s illness, her relationship with her half-sister Kelly (Jennie Garth), who wants nothing to do with their mother, and shuttling between the guys of West Bev.

In the last several episodes, Silver, who has enough problems of her own, has moved in with Jackie to help her out during her illness. That would be a heavy job for any daughter, but Silver also has to deal with her anger toward a mother who was never really there for her.

“So there’s this pull of does she go and try to make the most of the time they have together?” says Stroup, 23. “Or does she listen to her sister and say, ‘You’ve treated me so badly in the past and we don’t have a relationship, so I just don’t care.’”

Stroup says that even though she and her mother are close, that relationship helped her to understand what her character may be going through. “I used my friendship with my own mother,” says Stroup, who was raised in North Carolina. “And kind of put it in Silver’s mind of wanting some sort of a great relationship [with Jackie].”

To prepare for the difficult storyline ...

'90210': No more happy half-birthdays for Silver

I’m having a bit of a problem processing all that went down on this week’s “90210.” I guess I should begin where the episode ended: on Silver’s couch.

At the top of the show, Silver (Jessica Stroup) is managing her mother’s illness like a prison guard. She has mnemonic devices for which pills Jackie (Ann Gillespie) is to take and this gnarly binder that organizes Jackie’s day into color-coded columns and tabs. At the same time, Silver is realizing that her mother has been pretty much absent most of her life, as signified by Jackie’s blank stares when Silver mentions some of her childhood memories.

It's clear that Teddy’s friendship is getting her through the ordeal. Not only does he relate to Silver, since he lost his own mother to cancer, but he also pinch hits for her when she has to run out to the doctor and helps Jackie set up a half-birthday surprise for her. With Teddy (Trevor Donovan) and the nurses’ help, Jackie re-creates Silver’s 7th birthday, when she was into outer space, and her 12th birthday, when she was obsessed by the '80s. She also promises to throw Silver and the gang a half-birthday bash. Silver has been celebrating her half-birthday instead of her actual birthday for years, since her real birthdays usually have been ruined by Jackie getting plastered.

Then, just as we’re having warm fuzzies for Jackie again, Silver walks in to find her unresponsive on the couch, the same blank stare on her face that she had earlier when Silver was reminiscing.  Did she die? We’ll know next week. Either way, Silver is probably going to swear off birthdays, even fractions of birthdays, forever.

On the other hand, Dixon (Tristan Wilds) gets no pity from me. Sure, he starts the episode in the dumps over Sasha’s miscarriage, but that changes. In an effort to stop him from visiting Sasha, Debbie (Lori Loughlin) finally tells him the truth about the faked pregnancy. Instead of being like, “Mom, you rock for saving me from the nutty cradle robber,” Dixon gets angry at her for keeping it from him. He even says to her later in the episode that she isn’t his “real” mom. No, he didn’t. If Debbie isn’t his “real” mom, then those must not be “real” clothes on his back, or a “real” roof over his head, or “real” food on the table. Shoot. The only person who needs to get “real” in this situation is Dixon.

One character who is keeping it real is Navid (Michael Steger)...

'90210': Debbie goes rogue, Dixon is no daddy, and Ade just gets creepier

Oh, “90210,” you really brought the crazy this week. After last week’s repeat episode, this week’s made the wait well worth it. Jasper is a drug dealer. Adrianna tearfully serenades Navid with a creepy song, and he still shuts her down. Jen walks in on Ryan while he’s romancing some chick. And Dixon confesses to his parents that he has knocked someone up. All that goes down even before the theme song plays, people!

First of all, let’s just get this out in the open. One of my burning questions from last week’s post has been answered: Is Sasha (Mekia Cox) really preggers? After Dixon (Tristan Wilds) confesses that he got Sasha pregnant, Debbie went into overdrive. Finally, someone with some sense. Anyone who reads my “90210” Show Tracker posts, even irregularly, knows that I heart Lori Loughlin as Debbie Wilson.

Tonight, Debbie couldn’t have made me any more proud. As soon as Dixon spilled the beans, Detective Wilson was on the case. Right away, she goes with him to Sasha’s house and she begins gathering the evidence. Then, she realizes that she met Sasha earlier at a nail salon and she must have followed her there for intel on Dixon. Debbie returned the favor by following Sasha to a coffee shop and catching her in a lie about hearing the baby’s heart during a sonogram. According to Debbie, a baby’s heartbeat can’t be detected until six weeks into the pregnancy. Sasha wasn’t that far along, yet. Later, Debbie consoles Dixon, instead of telling him the truth about Sasha’s fake pregnancy, after Sasha tells Dixon she had a miscarriage. That was very big of Debbie. I, for one, am not that gracious. Did I call that Sasha was faking her pregnancy or what? Never trust a girl who wears that much costume jewelry.

Navid (Michael Steger) also made quite a comeback this week after his absence in the last episode. First, he stood his ground with Ade (Jessica Lowndes). Even my cold, black heart went out to her after she serenaded him at the beginning of the show. That was, of course, after I realized she wasn’t going to pull a gun out of her guitar and kill him. Once the fear subsided, I felt so bad for her. I was almost sure he would take her back after that. To his credit, he didn’t. Instead, he went over her rap sheet, which included cheating on him after all he’d been through with her, breaking up with him to get with Teddy (Trevor Donovan) and lying about it. The thing is, he’s right. What if Teddy was down for a relationship as she hoped? Would she still be trying to get him back with crazy in her eyes? If we as the viewers don’t know for sure, then Navid surely doesn’t. I’m with Team Navid on this one. [Note, an earlier version of this post mistakenly had "Troy" Donovan instead of Trevor.]

 Navid’s second big plot line this week affects both Annie (Shenae Grimes) and Ade. While pitching a story on teen drug use, Gia (Rumer Willis) tells him that Jasper (Zach Sherman) would be a great source for information on the topic, since he’s indeed a drug dealer. Navid takes the information to Annie, who refuses to believe it. Later, she confronts Jasper and he throws a crazy fit and breaks up with her. Realizing that she just lost the only person who will actually hang out with her, Annie apologizes for believing that he could deal drugs. Of course, moments later, he excuses himself to meet a desperate Ade. She had been lingering on the edge of the wagon the entire episode and just as Jasper hands her a bag of pills, it seems she has finally fallen off of it. We’re left with the question: After last season and all the hard work she’s done to get clean, will she actually take them?

This week, Liam’s storyline was all about relationships...

Exclusive: Kelly Lynch cast as Ivy's mom on '90210'

Breaking news, "90210" fans: Show Tracker just got word that not only is surfer chick Ivy (played by Gillian Zinser) causing waves in the Liam/Naomi love story, but former model and actress Kelly Lynch (pictured, recently of  “The L Word”) has just been cast as her mother!

We hear that the role will be recurring, which leads us to wonder: What waves will hit the cast? A possible new distraction for Harry and his wandering eye? A cougar ready to pounce on one of our unsuspecting teens? With Kelly Lynch on “90210,” the possibilities are endless. What are your theories?

The beautiful Lynch has been causing havoc in Hollywood her entire career. Her credits include: “Cocktail” with Tom Cruise, "Drugstore Cowboy" with Matt Dillon, "Virtuosity" with Denzel Washington, and remember her as the crafty nemesis on “Charlie's Angels”?

-- Jethro Nededog (follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

Related:

'90210' Five burning questions from the season so far

'90210': The whole gang is asking...trick or treat?

'90210': It's a scene on Soundtracker 90210 (with a sneak preview from the album)

Photo credit: WireImage

'90210': Five burning questions from the season so far

Aren’t you happy you stuck with “90210” for its sophomore season? I’ve even witnessed some of the most curmudgeonly of TV writers proclaim their surprise at the show’s successful makeover. It would seem that as the producers have finally accepted that “90210’s” California location is an asset (not just another reason it isn’t “Gossip Girl”), the cast has relaxed into their roles as stylish, gorgeous, beach loving and dramatic L.A. rich kids as well. What's not to like about that?

This week’s repeat episode of the premiere is a bummer, but it does allow us to ruminate over the first quarter-season’s dirtiest plots and love affairs. It also allows us a moment away from the distraction of the pretty flashing lights (also known as TV) to go over some of the unanswered questions of the season, so far.

Here are my top five burning questions of “90210’s” first seven episodes this season:

1. What is under Liam’s tarp?
On the surface, Liam is the best advertisement for sending your delinquent kid to military camp. The most violent thing he has done all season is breaking a glass door during a fight with Jen. Last season’s Liam would’ve broken three glass doors in one episode. This season, I was baffled by his self-control. That is until Teddy’s yacht party in Episode 3 when Annie lied (not convincingly) to Naomi that she not only slept with Liam that night but that they were having an affair at the time.

That episode ends with Liam shuffling through blueprints. Later in the season, the guys are playing pool at Liam’s place and there’s something under a tarp that he won’t let the guys see. What could it be? A bomb? Will the season finale be a blast, literally? A motorcycle sidecar that will win back Naomi, so they can share more rebellious drives up PCH? How romantic! Whatever it is, I have to know.

2. Is Sasha really pregnant?
There has always been something about Sasha that I didn’t quite trust. Maybe it’s her penchant for multi-colored tops and costume jewelry. Or when she was deejaying on the yacht and she would make like she was scratching, but the music had no scratches in it. Or (and this is a far-fetched reason, I know) the fact that she dated a kid who’s still in high school. My point is that she has exhibited signs that she just isn’t right. So, isn’t it entirely possible that she made up the pregnancy to get Dixon back? I think so. Plus, didn’t we just go through "Teen Parenting 101" last season with Adrianna? I can’t believe that the writers want to do that storyline again. I, for one, am tired of that plot line. Babies are exhausting.

3. Is Silver and Kelly’s mom really sick?

'90210': The whole gang is asking...trick or treat?

In this week’s Halloween-themed “90210,” there was so much partner swapping going on, I thought I was at a yuppie key party. Everyone seemed down with checking out greener pastures.

Ade or Silver?
Teddy has found a new prospect in Silver. They just so happen to be matched up for a class project. She, of course, totally abhors Teddy. Don’t forget, he got her in trouble with Dixon by leaking the Ethan kiss back in this season’s premiere. And most recently, she’s not happy he let Navid in on the secret that he and Adrianna had been lip locking, as well. Do these gals ever learn? Hello, Teddy kisses and tells. I’ll give Silver a pass this week. She decided to move in with her cancer-stricken mother and everyone from her sister Kelly to her friends think it was the wrong decision. She’s tired, stressed, and no one understands her. Enter the smooth and handsome Teddy. He was laying it on thick all episode, but Silver wasn’t budging. Then a game-changer: Teddy overheard Naomi talking about Silver’s mother having cancer. Suddenly, we find out why Teddy has been away for a while. He moved to the East Coast to be with his mother, who was dying of cancer. With this, he found his way in to Silver. This can’t last. First, Ade is going to blow up, and Silver is only a few sleepless nights away from bipolar nuttiness. If Ade doesn’t put an end to it, will Teddy stick around through Silver’s extreme mood swings? Something tells me that’s a wave Teddy won’t ride. What do you think? Is he up to it?

By the way, does Navid have swine flu? Where was he all episode?

Naomi or Ivy?
Liam took his eye off Naomi and slammed into surfer-girl Ivy – literally. They got into a little accident in the beach parking lot. She’s a bit “on the nose” with her surfer talk and fist bumps, but she’s blond and pretty.  If someone was going to dent your car, she’s better than some old guy who’ll actually ask about insurance. At West Bev, I guess everyone pays for his or her damage out of pocket. Ivy is also the newest member of the surf team, “90210’s” genius way of getting the boys shirtless. (Except, has anyone else noticed the guys are a bit pale to be hanging at the beach as much as they do? A tan wouldn’t hurt. Teddy, man, you’re first.) Throughout the episode, Ivy gets all girl power on Liam and they battle back and forth until Liam beats her in a surf-off. I think they’ll be sharing waves by the next episode. How long do you give them?

Richard or Jamie?
After Liam wins the surf-off and makes nice with Ivy, Naomi sees them hugging...

'90210': Even rich girls get the blues

The poor little rich girls of “90210” just couldn’t catch a break this week. The thing is they all seemed to make decisions that seemed logical to them at the time, but put into motion some pretty terrible events. Let’s look at those defining moments, shall we?

The biggest news of the night is that Adrianna broke up with Navid quite suddenly while they were having dinner. Sure, she could have waited until after he got the shrimp – he debated it long enough – but, the thing is I don’t blame her for doing it. I can already feel the hate tweets coming, but hear me out.

For weeks now, we’ve watched Adrianna shuffle between her attraction to Teddy and the relative safety of her relationship with Navid. Anybody, including Navid if he paid attention, could see the snowball of hurt whirling at him. In a way, Ade was doing him a favor by breaking up with him. The truth is she never really cheated on him. Teddy, at least from my standpoint, initiated all the kisses. Let’s stand in Ade’s trendy and retro shoes for one second. You’re dating a guy who’s great in every way, but you have another guy that piques your interest. He’s handsome, carefree, supports your nutty desire to be an actress, and is totally into you. Oh, and by the way, you’re in high school. I say you need to explore other avenues, test the waters, and break up with your nice boyfriend before you’re initiating the kisses (and then some) with the other man. In my opinion, Navid is better off. The thing is Ade isn’t. Here’s where she may have deserved your judgment …

Navid’s shrimp hadn’t even left the kitchen and Ade was already prepared to text Teddy. That was cold. Teddy is even worse. After spending the day with her, Teddy tells Ade he’s not into relationships, so he’s not playing in her fantasy anymore. Then, Teddy’s still not finished  – he later tells Navid about their kiss. When Ade goes to rekindle her relationship with Navid, he won’t have anything to do with her. So, rather than hating on the girl, shouldn’t we feel bad for her? How will the newly resurfaced “Drama-Adrianna” bounce back from the fallout of her decisions? Let’s hope it isn’t drugs and irresponsible sex – that’s so last season.

Annie had a rough night …

'90210': It's a scene on Soundtrack 90210 (with a sneak preview from the album)

Remember that awesome opening scene in this season's premiere of “90210”? It was the music that made that scene for me. Iconic, retro, youthful – everything you’re supposed to feel as the gals stripped to their bathing suits and jumped into that convertible. That was “Cat and Mouse” by L.A.-based pop-soul duo Nikki & Rich. What about that “random” choreographed dance at the beach club bash? That was “The Freakalator” – a moment brought to you by Soundmaster T and Jah Rista.

My point? The music of “90210” is a huge part of what makes the show as memorable as it is. CBS Records is banking on that with today’s release of "Soundtrack 90210" – 15 tracks that will all have their own starring moments this season. The album includes well-known artists like Adele, N.E.R.D. and The All-American Rejects, but also promises to introduce some artists you may not know like MuteMath, Parachute and Stars Crashing Cars.