( CNN ) -- Having worked on seminal teen shows `` Dawson 's Creek '' and `` One Tree Hill , '' costume designer Leigh Leverett is no stranger to dressing high-school-age characters . But there 's something about the teens from Mystic Falls that makes outfitting `` The Vampire Diaries '' -- which enters its fourth season with an October 11 premiere -- a unique experience . For one , Leverett has to make sure everyone on the show about witches , vampires , werewolves -- oh , and `` hybrid '' vampire-werewolves -- looks fabulous covered in blood , as characters are routinely stabbed , bitten and shot . Leverett is regularly tasked with finding six to eight of the same top or jacket to be worn during multiple scenes and takes . With all the gore , borrowing clothes from designers is often out of the question . `` We do a lot of mall shopping because that 's the best way for us to get a lot of multiples , '' she said . `` Sometimes we need more than we can get in Atlanta , '' where the show is filmed . Fall TV fashion : Outfitting 'Revenge ' But when episodes call for flashbacks , which might take place in the 15th century , a trip to the mall simply wo n't do . `` Even though they are more challenging than the contemporary clothes , I enjoy doing the flashbacks most of all , '' Leverett said , noting the period pieces that are n't made in-house are often rented from costume companies . Period pieces also come into play when Mystic Falls High School throws its annual Decade Dances . The trick to costuming such events , Leverett said , is dressing the human high school students like `` a teenager would interpret the period -- or at least what a teenager would pick out when they go to the fantastic Mystic Falls Costume shop . '' The centuries-old vampire characters , on the other hand , are meant to look `` like they would have gotten things straight out of their vintage clothing storage closet , '' Leverett said . Fall TV fashion : Outfitting 'Pretty Little Liars ' That 's not the only way viewers can differentiate between the living and the undead . Leverett has created a dress code of sorts for each of the supernatural groups . While the regular humans on the show dress more or less like typical high school kids , the vampires have their own set of fashion rules . `` We try and keep them timeless and not super trendy , '' said Leverett , who started working on the series at the end of its second season . `` They have their comfort and what they like to wear within the realm of the decade . '' Besides , with many of the vampire characters , trying to blend in as mortal teenagers , Leverett added , `` we ca n't get too crazy in the clothing department . '' With one notable exception : . For characters Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce , both played by actress Nina Dobrev , fashion is especially important as it helps viewers tell the lookalikes apart . Fall TV fashion : Outfitting 'Scandal ' When Dobrev is playing human teen Elena , she dons a lot of simple long-sleeve shirts and jeans ; whereas Katherine , Elena 's vampire doppelganger , is a bit more fashion-forward . `` Katherine has been around for hundreds of years , '' Leverett said . `` She follows fashion trends a little more . ( Her clothes are ) edgier and sexier than what we put on Elena . '' And because the vampires that live within the CW series have the power to control people simply by staring at them , they get to don more expensive threads . `` Maybe they can compel the salespeople into giving them what they want , '' Leverett said . `` I like to think that Katherine saw ( the ) tan Michael Kors heels ( she wore during season 3 ) on some unsuspecting Chicago socialite , and probably just compelled her to hand them over . '' Fall TV fashion : Outfitting 'Gossip Girl ' Then there are the witches , like Bonnie Bennett ( Kat Graham ) , which Leverett said dress `` a little bit earthier '' with a `` bohemian flair . '' For the men , whether normal or paranormal , they 've got to look tough . `` These days you ca n't go wrong with a great leather jacket , '' Leverett said . `` Plus , they hold up really well in a supernatural fight . ''
`` The Vampire Diaries '' is heading into its fourth season , which premieres on October 11 . Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos:'Twilight' stars talk about the show and filming in New York City Leverett : It 's a challenge , but `` I enjoy ( costuming ) flashbacks most of all '' Period pieces that are n't made in-house are often rented from costume companies .