Exclusive Interview: The Young and the Restless costumer Mandi Line reveals Eric Braeden gave a thumbs on the costumes for Billy and Sally's gala

The Young and the Restless viewers saw Jabot Cosmetics take a hit at the launch party for Abbott Communications thanks to a slanted report by Newman Media. The good news, however, is that the gala was a hit in terms of fashion! Y&R costume designer Mandi Line sat down with Soap Central, exclusively, to share the backstage secrets of the show’s costumes!

The Young and the Restless, always in fashion

While Sally's (Courtney Hope) speech referred to the early days of television, Line, after getting the go-ahead from executive producer/head writer Josh Griffith, expanded the theme so that she was inspired by movie star greats, too!

"TV stars weren't that big just yet [in the early days of television]," Line offers. "I asked Josh, 'Can I sneak in a couple of movie stars?' He said, 'Mandi, I trust you to make it work.'"

Line visited Palace Costume, a well-known costume rental facility in Los Angeles, to ensure authenticity in what the Y&R characters would be wearing. The costume designer asked herself, "How do I make each character specific?" She started coming up with concepts one by one. "What if I gave Amelia [Heinle, Victoria] an Audrey Hepburn (Sabrina) look?

Adam and Sally dress for success

Adam (Mark Grossman) and Sally (Courtney Hope) were all decked out on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI

Line was sure to put special care into choosing what the party-throwers, Sally (Courtney Hope) and Billy (Jason Thompson), were going to wear. "I thought Sally would want something 'flashy' and 'now,'" Line says. "She's just this femme fatale, and the color of her dress accentuates her eyes, and the silhouette [of her figure]."

As for Billy, Line says she was inspired by Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley). "I didn't know if he'd look fancy enough, but Josh was like, 'Trust me. He'll look amazing, and Josh was right.'"

Dressed to thrill on The Young and the Restless

Abby, Devon, Adam, Cheslea, Lily, Nate, Victoria, and Phyllis on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI

Phyllis was the interloper, of course. Line wanted to give her a look that called to mind a woman in a convertible. "Phyllis is always a jaw-dropper, attention-getter, and she's like, 'In case you haven't seen me, I'm here bitches!'" Line states.

"Adam (Mark Grossman)," Line says, "was in head-to-toe vintage [inspired by Montgomery Clift]. Then, you have Abby [Melissa Ordway], and I'm like, 'Oh! She can be Marilyn Monroe in a modern version of [Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]. Abby's so cool and modern," Line says.

"Abby and Devon [Bryton James] both have this effortless swagger," Line adds. She was inspired by Devon's musical roots in coming up with his look. "Nate's [Sean Dominic] look came right out of a catalog from the 70s," she adds. "I had the perfect hat for him, so all we had to supply was the hat band. I did my best not to do anything modern."

We love rebels without a cause

Kyle, Diane, and Jack; and Chelsea on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI

Kyle could have looked like an early Fonzie (Henry Winkler) from Happy Days (before he started wearing a leather jacket) with his 50s look. But, again, Line was inspired by a movie star, namely, James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. "We actually had that jacket made," Line says, "because James Dean had a very specific collar. He had on very clean black boots, too."

Jack's (Peter Bergman) white tuxedo jacket looked like it could have been worn by Humphrey Bogart's Rick in Casablanca. "When you see Jack, you see 'movie star,' right?" Line rhetorically asks. "He was in a beautiful, vintage tux. We got a specific skinny bow tie for him, and I had Diane's dress custom-made, and it's so classic, powerful, and rich! I always do an inside voice when it comes to Jack and Diane, where I asked, 'Do they look rich enough?':

One star who definitely came from TV (but she started in films) was the Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy) look that Line envisoned for Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan). "This was so Lucille Ball in the '50s," Line says.

While the fashion editors (if there are any) at Newman Media and Abbott Communications have yet to weigh in, Line says that someone impressive at The Young and the Restless gave her work a thumbs up!

"When you have Eric Braeden [Victor] stop what he's doing and tell the costume crew and the makeup crew what a good job they did, I feel seen," Line enthuses.

Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus.