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Before she designed costumes for the TV show 鈥淭he Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,鈥� Donna Zakowska studied painting. And that鈥檚 what she feels, in a way, she鈥檚 still doing today.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really like painting with fabric,鈥� Ms. Zakowska says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the way I see it, basically.鈥�

Zakowska is the force behind the big-skirted dresses, natty hats, and beatnik styles of the Emmy-winning 鈥淢aisel鈥� from Amazon Studios, which returns for its second season on Wednesday. She puts her mark on the comedy-drama, set in 1950s New York, through the uninhibited use of color and the places from which she draws inspiration 鈥� including photographs from the era.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the most beautiful shows I鈥檝e ever seen on television in terms of costume,鈥� says Ellen McCartney, director of design and production and head of costume design at the California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita. 鈥淚t鈥檚 [Donna鈥檚] point of view and it鈥檚 beautiful. It helps you see the period in a way that you might not just looking at research on your own.鈥�

Chief among Zakowska鈥檚 responsibilities is outfitting Rachel Brosnahan, who stars as Miriam 鈥淢idge鈥� Maisel, a housewife who turns to stand-up comedy after her husband leaves her.聽Beyond Midge鈥檚 wardrobe (which ), dapper apparel is also needed for the men in her life, like her father Abe Weissman, played by Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub of 鈥淢onk鈥� fame. But before Zakowska and her team of about 20 people pick up needle and thread, she does plenty of research 鈥� something she鈥檚 experienced at after working on Revolutionary War-era shows such as HBO鈥檚 鈥淛ohn Adams,鈥� for which she won an Emmy, and AMC鈥檚 鈥淭URN: Washington鈥檚 Spies.鈥澛�

As with many artists, Zakowska鈥檚 decisions are often driven by color, she explains in a phone interview. 鈥淢y whole life was really about painting and color,鈥� she says of her studies before costume design, which included time at Paris鈥檚 脡cole des Beaux-Arts and Barnard College in New York.聽鈥淎nd then I went to Yale [School of Drama] and got into design. But it鈥檚 really a little bit about instinct. I have very, very strong feelings and reactions to color. So it just either feels right or it doesn鈥檛.鈥�

She is not very fond of pink, for example. But that hasn鈥檛 stopped her from outfitting Midge in it 鈥� or sorting through hundreds of swatches to find just the right shade.聽The color, Zakowska says, reflects both the time period in which Midge is living and how Midge starts the series 鈥� in 鈥渞ose-colored glasses鈥� 鈥� complacent and seemingly leading a perfect life as a wife and mother. Until, that is, her husband tells her he鈥檚 having an affair and is leaving her.

鈥淚 never really chose pink to do things because sometimes it denoted a sort of female image that I didn鈥檛 really like,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭hen it became the iconic color for her and I鈥檝e really come to appreciate pink.鈥�

Ms. McCartney, who once worked with Zakowska years ago for a couple of days, notes that people respond emotionally to color. Costume designers, 鈥渃ompose a visual image that can be read whether there鈥檚 language or not,鈥� she says.

Zakowska collaborates with series creator and director聽Amy Sherman-Palladino, who also created 鈥淕ilmore Girls,鈥� and Ms. Brosnahan. She consulted with Ms. Sherman-Palladino when she chose a red dress for the scene when Midge鈥檚 husband, Joel (Michael Zegen), tries to persuade Midge to make their marriage work. 鈥淚 wanted, when he came back, for her to be stronger than strong, you know what I mean?鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 the sort of thing where I talk to Amy about it and then it will appear in the script.鈥�

When it comes to creating other looks for Midge and the people in her world, inspiration can sometimes come from an accessory. 鈥淚 might pull a color out of the shoe and say, well, let鈥檚 do that,鈥� Zakowska says. She cites New York photographer Saul Leiter, whose first exhibition of color photography was in the 1950s, as an influence. 鈥淥ne photograph 鈥� could really trigger a whole outfit,鈥� she says of his work.

Zakowska, who often creates the costumes from scratch, thinks these period looks are garnering interest because they are wearable. 鈥淚 mean, I loved 鈥楯ohn Adams鈥� 鈥� and I got an Emmy for that and everything, but no one really imagined themselves in the clothes in the same way.鈥�

鈥淢aisel,鈥� rated TV-MA for profanity and nudity, won multiple Emmys this fall, including for best comedy series and for lead actress in a comedy series. The聽team of Zakowska, Marina Reti, Ginnie Patton, and Sheila Grover was nominated for best period costumes.

For Zakowska, the ultimate consideration for all the clothing is the scene and what鈥檚 happening with the character.

聽鈥淵ou鈥檙e telling a story,鈥� she says. 鈥淐lothes tell a story.鈥�