This is Susan Hilferty's design for Elphaba's Shiz University uniform, the first costume she wears on stage, comprising a jacket over a tunic with a pleated skirt and turtle neck, with a blue crochet beanie hat, and brown boots chosen by Susan Hilferty to connect her to the earth. Later at the Ozdust ball she wears the tunic on its own, with her witch's hat. Blue and white are the Shiz University colours so Susan Hilferty dressed Elphaba in dark blue and Glinda in white, with both colours for the ensemble outfits. As she explained: 'What I was trying to get at the end was an icon for each of them, where they become specifically representative: Glinda for goodness and Elphaba for evil. By using blue and white as the school colours, I was able to have Elphaba all in blue, and Glinda all in white. The goal was to make the two women be the most outstanding thing in every world they entered.'

Wicked has broken box office records in cities around the world since its opening at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre in 2003. The musical tells the story of the witches of Oz, and focuses on the relationship between the two witches Elphaba and Glinda. Susan Hilferty has designed costumes for more than 300 productions all around the world, and in 2004 was awarded the Tony Award for best costume design and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design for her designs for Wicked.