Exclusive Pics: Grimm's Carnival Commences! Plus: Original Costume Sketches From The Ep

"Hedig, the ringmaster, had to be an imposing figure. I used really rich fabrics for his costume and covered him in steampunk jewels. We chose red for his tail coat because it is both a traditional color for circus ringmasters and because — Spoiler Alert  – it's well-known in the Grimm universe that red drives Blutbads into a frenzy."

"Damien, the Last Dragon, was a Damonfeuer, a creature that we'd done in Season One with Ariel, a beautiful fire dancer... The challenge with Damien was to figure out what the male version of that costume would be. I studied a lot of traditional leather armor. His tunic and pants are made of a soft pigskin suede, while his breastplate is a heavier leather molded onto a form. And luckily, my jeweler still had the casts of Ariel's jewelry, and we were able to re-size it and re-cast it for Damien!"

"The costume for Genvieve [a character in the episode] and Rosalee was particularly fun, but challenging. I based my designs on historic acrobat costumes, 19th century dance hall girls, and current steampunk fashion. The script called for a sexy, skimpy outfit, but both ladies had to morph into Fuchsbau, which meant they had to be covered up so that we didn't have to give them furry arms, legs and chests. I built their sexy satin costumes onto corsets, for a period look, and then I stole a trick from figure-skating costumes and made nude micro-mesh body suits to wear underneath. These (along with long velvet opera gloves) covered their arms, chests and shoulders, and we layered nude dance tights under black fishnets to cover their legs."

"We had a similar morphing issue with Ivan, the strongman. I'd designed a stretchy black one-piece costume based on historic circus strongman outfits, and then we added an old-fashioned white henley underneath to help cover his arms for his morph into Siegbarste (ogre) form."

"Maximilian, the Blutbad, was the tragic antihero of the episode, so I designed his costume with a Byronic hero in mind — both tragic and sexy. He wore a flowing white shirt (the better to show the blood stains that are part of his act), slim dark pants and tall boots, like an early 19th-century gentleman dressed for a duel."

"Sid was my steampunk take on a traditional carny barker. His bowler and striped vest, which are iconic barker gear, were trimmed in leather and ornamented with steampunk style fobs and brooches made of watch parts, gears, etc. And of course we had to make spats for him!"