How The Masked Singer's costume designer dreams up the show's insane outfits

There are stage costumes and there are mascots, and then there’s the outrageous, fantastical characters of The Masked Singer, the eye-catching focal points of Fox’s near-absurd singing competition show. During the run of the series’ first season, much hay was made over which celebrities were beneath the masks, but we found ourselves curious about who was really behind these extravagant ensembles. Ahead of The Masked Singer’s season two premiere, we spoke with the show’s Emmy-nominated costume designer, Marina Toybina, at the Paley Center For Media in Los Angeles where a number of her most recognizable designs were on display. Toybina walked us through some of her past work that lead to The Masked Singer (hint: she created Left Shark from Katy Perry’s infamous 2015 Super Bowl halftime performance), explained the inspirations of her “fashion-forward mascots,” and took us up close to see how she made the costumes functional for the celebrities performing in them. The next batch of Marina Toybina’s madcap designs can be seen starting September 25, when The Masked Singer kicks off its second season on Fox.