Kaia Gerber and Hayes Warner embrace ’80s excess in ‘The Shards’

In FX’s “The Shards,” a group of friends at an elite prep school in Los Angeles are entering their senior year — and the stakes are as high as their opulent wardrobe budgets. The year is 1981 and shoulder pads are all the rage. A serial killer named “The Trawler” prowls in the background, targeting fellow high schoolers. In classic Ryan Murphy directorial style, the TV series is so much more than a murder mystery — it is a testament to ‘80s fashion, music and popular culture. Take, for one, an extended dance-off sequence midway through the season that finds the central cast shimmying, grooving and whipping their hair to “Super Freak” by Rick James. For these teens, played by a cast that includes actor and model Kaia Gerber and budding musician Hayes Warner, there are concerns more pressing than reports of missing kids –– like ensuring they are dressed to the nines and securing a place on the Homecoming Court. “The attention to detail is what makes it so incredible,” Gerber said in a video call, the spitting image of her mother, Cindy Crawford. She pointed to the elaborate mood boards by costume designers Joshua Marsh and Lou Eyrich and the many vintage pieces pulled for the characters from the era. “It’s such a specific moment in time.” The series is rooted in the perspective of narrator Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney), named after the author of the 2023 horror autofiction novel that inspired the show (Ellis is also co-creator and co-showrunner). Bret is a Joan Didion-obsessed aspiring writer and a senior at Buckley prep school, surrounded by a tight-knit group of friends. Among them: his girlfriend Debbie Schaffer (Warner), who dons Blondie-inspired platinum hair and blood-red lipstick, and Susan Reynolds (Gerber), class president and a perfectionist whose boyfriend Thom Wright (Graham Campbell) is a football star. The wildcard is Robert Mallory (Homer Gere, son of actor Richard), a new student who upends the fragile harmony between the two couples. “The Shards” stands out in Murphy’s TV empire as a campy, suspenseful romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously — except when it comes to the lavish ‘80s aesthetics. Gerber and Warner grew close while the show was in production, spending upwards of two hours in the makeup trailer together each morning and running scenes. It’s there they transformed into picture-perfect students. In some cases, the actors got so attached to their ‘80s styling they continued it even after filming. In her real life lately, Warner has been opting for jackets with shoulder pads — some gifted from Gerber’s closet — and they have both been finding themselves wearing their hair in a side part. The “more is more” approach stayed with Gerber off-camera, even if it’s not necessarily an endeavor she seeks out day-to-day. “Post-pandemic, effort is very minimal, which I love,” Gerber said. “I don’t want to spend two hours on my hair for my everyday life, but I appreciated that teenagers in high school in 1981 were actually getting ready. We now have pimple patches on our faces.” A fan of the source material, Gerber was attached to the project early on in development, but admitted she was still crossing her fingers it would all work out. “I was in such denial that it was going to happen,” she said. “I didn’t fully celebrate until we all got drinks a week before we did our camera tests.” Over nine episodes, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing Susan. The character is a type-A perfect student who never has a single hair out of place — a way of being that Gerber has stepped into after years in the fashion industry where perfection is often equated with sublime beauty. “Just because something is on paper the perfect thing to do, does not necessarily mean it’s the thing that will make you feel fulfilled and happy,” she said. “I relate to her journey in figuring out what her desires are outside of that pressure.” A bookworm and co-creator of Library Science, a book club project that launched in 2024, Gerber has even given thought to what Susan might have been reading at the time. She thinks a spot on her nightstand would be given to Scott Spencer’s 1979 romance novel “Endless Love,” a turbulent love story between two teenagers — not too far removed from Susan’s eventual dynamic with Thom. While Gerber brought her seasoned runway walk and poise to Susan, Warner, an acting newcomer, had a different set of tools to work with as a musician with a pop-rock edge. Getting cast as Debbie — after writing Murphy a letter during what she called “seven months of mania” in competing for the role against other blonde actors — allowed her to tap into multiple facets of her creativity. She recorded original songs for the series, and got to witness singer Troye Sivan, who also appears on the soundtrack, in the studio. “The fact that Ryan allowed me to make and write music for the show is him seeing me as a full creative person,” she said, referring to Murphy. “I really felt like I got to put every aspect of myself into it.” Is a musical episode a possibility down the road? It wouldn’t be out of the question for the creator of “Glee” and “American Horror Story” to make use of his cast’s musical chops. “We’re ready. We’re all warming up our voices,” Gerber said, half-joking. That would, however, depend on whether the series gets renewed — which would hopefully also bring closure to a cliffhanger at the end of the first season. By the end, the central couples are at odds, and both Gerber and Warner have picked up on the virality of TikTok edits featuring their on-screen connection — making them wonder about the possibility of exploring their dynamic in the style of Elena Ferrante’s “My Brilliant Friend” or HBO’s “Industry,” both series that focus on complex female friendship. “The edits make me cry,” Gerber said. “I think that you learn so much about yourself in these very deep best friendships, especially amongst two women as they’re learning who they are. And maybe in season two we could kiss.” Warner agreed, and yearns for a future of the series that sees Debbie let go of her grasp on Bret in favor of her friendship with Susan. “Goodbye to the men,” she said. “Sorry, I love them. I hope they’re still in the show.” Outside of “The Shards,” Warner continues to work on music. Gerber, meanwhile, continues to carve out a niche in the acting world and embrace the cultural ubiquity of her name in popular culture. She’s well aware of the numerous mentions of her name on Prime Video’s teen drama hit “Sterling Point,” set in Muskoka’s Canadian lake country. In fact, she approved those scenes after creator Megan Park had her team send over the clips for her awareness. “I did actually grow up going there, it’s very nostalgic,” she said, calling the scenes a “realistic storyline.” On the speculation of a lakeside cameo, if schedules align between “The Shards,” Gerber has some ideas. “You know what? If they call me, I will be there.”