Costume+Design


 * Communicating Costume Designs **

All designers do extensive research before they begin to design. Pat Zipprodt makes that point in her article on pages 182-186 of the worktext. The following are finished renderings and sketches for several productions designed by various costume designers. But before showing the actual costume renderings and finished products, costume designers collect their material. Below is a "costume bible" prepared by Ms. Tanya Moiseiwitsch. The "bible" includes a variety of materials, sketches, notes, etc.

When designing a costume for the title role of //Volpone//, Ms. Moiseiwitsch sketched birds that she thought might be used as inspiration for designing the costume.

Eventually she sketches the costume in black and white.

Eventually, she rendered the costume for Volpone in color. How well do you think she was able to integrate her ideas about birds into this design? 

Now we are going to turn our attention to a series of costume designs representing plays and musicals. The first is that for Shakespeare's Henry IV. How has the designer given character to the costume? What kind of character do you think might wear this costume?

The following costume was designed for the musical //Camelot//. What kind of character would wear this costume? If the costume were green how would that influence your impression of the character and his personality?

This is a costume for //Pacific Overtures//. How has the designer indicated the oriental features of the dress?

Here is two production shots from //Jesus Christ Superstar//. The costumes for the first design borrow from a famous rock group. What group is it? Why do you think the designer wanted to have the priests of the temple wear these costume? Why did she have Christ dress as a flower child or hippie?

This shot of Herod and the women in his court from //Superstar// is meant to evoke ideas about the character? What do they reveal about his personality?

The final two shots from musicals are from //Phantom of the Opera//. The first is a sketch for minor characters, one of which appears in a live shot of the performer in the costume of Harlequin. Note the fabric swatches on the design which help us to understand something about the color and texture of the fabric needed to design these costumes, particularly that for Harlequin.

Next are sketches and actual shots of actors in movies. The first two are from //Blade Runner// with Harrison Ford. First we see the rendering and swatches for the costume for Mr. Ford. Next we see Mr. Ford wearing the costume. How do the fabric swatches attached to the design help us to understand the view of the designer about the nature of the character?

Here are two shots from //Madame Bovary//, a film starring Jennifer Jones. The first shot is of the costume sketch. The second is of the costume on a dummy of Ms. Jones. Note how the line and fabric help us to understand better the nature of the character.

The following are shots of plays. First is a live shot of a production of Shakespeare's //Henry V// at the New Globe Theatre in London with men playing the roles of women. Note how the designer has achieved emphasis on each of the characters through the design.

Next is a shot of Sir Toby Belch from a Shakespeare play, //Twelfth Night//. Note how the designer has added padding to the costume to give character to the individual. The designer has also helped emphasize the comic quality of the character. What specific comic touches do you see in the costume.

Here is a live shot of the actors playing the roles of Pyramus and Thisby in the final act of Shakespeare's //A Midsummer Night's Dream//. A male plays a female in this scene. How has the designer helped to accentuate the height of one of the actors and focus on the comedy of the scene?

Here is a professional production of //A Lie of the Mind// with Harvey Keitel in his underwear. This is a typical realistic production.

Next are three shots from the //Infernal Machine//, a play about the Oedipus myth by Jacques Cocteau. Note how the designer has accentuated the mythological Greek characters and helped to establish rank and station. Who are the leaders, who are the followers?

Here is a scene of the women in the kitchen in a production of the French Canadian play //Les Belles Soeur// by Michelle Tremblay. This is a typical realistic drama which emphasizes the comic quality of most of the characters.

And finally, this is a shot of women dancing in a production of a classical play of India, entitled //The Little Clay Cart// by Kalidasa. What makes you realize that these are characters of an Indian play? Note that the play was performed in the round before an audience of 200. 