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Major Textiles Project
Costume design
One of the focus areas for the Major Textiles Project is Costume. If you are considering this focus area for your Major Textile Project this tutorial will provide some inspiration and some insight into the processes used by Costume Designers.
Outcomes
This material addresses aspects of the following syllabus outcomes.
H1.1 critically analyses and explains the factors that have contributed to the design and manufacture of the Major Textiles Project
H1.2 designs a textile item/s that demonstrates an understanding of functional and aesthetic requirements
H6.1 analyses the influence of historical, cultural and contemporary developments on textiles.
Extract from Stage 6 Textiles and Design Syllabus © Board of Studies NSW 2007.
What is costume design?
Every garment worn in a theatrical production is a costume.
Costume design is a vital tool in storytelling, from the most obvious and flamboyant show clothing to contemporary clothes. It plays an integral part in every theatrical performance.
The theatrical production may be presented in many forms, including on stage, on screen and even in the street. For example, characters that entertain at Movie World would be classified as street performers.
Activity 1
Visit the Movie World 
web site to find out more about their costume designers. If a survey pops up just close it and read the information on costume design.
To gain some insight into the world of a costume designer, read the interview with Tara Maginnis, a costume designer and university professor at the University of Alaska. Read the following questions and then take notes as you read the information presented on Tara Maginnis' web site. The information is quite detailed and also includes information about her role as an academic.
- What knowledge and skills are required to be a successful costume designer?
- What is a distressed costume?
- How would you describe the working conditions of a full-time costume designer?
- Identify and list the tasks a costume designer completes to create costumes.
The process of designing costumes
The process of costume design is an ancient craft that has changed little over time.
When a costume designer receives a script, the process of developing the visual image for each character begins. Costume sketches, fashion research and actual garments are used to help the costume designers, directors and actors develop a common understanding of the development of each character.
The costume designer must first serve the story and the director, for example a beautifully designed gown creating a glamorous entrance can destroy a scene by taking the attention away from the action. Costumes are defined and refined in a long and difficult process. Each choice of colour, texture, pattern and form is deliberate.
A bad design will:
... detract from a performance by looking inappropriate on a character, making the actor's work more difficult. Good costume designers can: help the actor's to better feel 'in character', and better show their character traits to the audience; provide spectacle; distract from a poor script; amplify a script; direct attention; explain character types; contribute to a unified visual whole; enhance the actors movements; communicate information to the audience about the setting of the script. http://www.costumes.org/advice/1pages/jobdescription.htm
Influences on costume design
Before an actor speaks, their wardrobe has already spoken for them. The more specific and communicative a costume is, the more effective it will be with an audience. Minute details that are loved by actors but are barely noticeable to the audience often enhance their performances.
Actors sometimes need sensitive costume design for imperfect bodies, for example, flattering figures, camouflaging flaws and enhancing inadequacies.
Costume design is also influenced by the performance. The physicality of dance for example, creates a new set of challenges for a designer.
Case study: Anna French and designing for the ballet
Anna French has worked extensively for the Australian and West Australian Ballet companies. Read the text from an article below.
"Sometimes your work can go unnoticed because it suits the piece so well," says Anna French. "But that is a reward in itself, because it proves it is so right for the production. But other pieces require that theatricality."
French's extensive CV goes back to the late 1960s, and she draws on myriad cultural influences and ideas for each production. She can be found traipsing the streets in search of the perfect fabric or boiling up dyes on her kitchen stove to get the correct shade of '50s green. For period productions, she will even conduct oral histories.
"You build up a huge knowledge of styles, painters, film and writing that you draw into the work," she says. "You need to know about underwear, the structure of a garment, jewellery, wigs, make-up and footwear, as well as fabric."
"(Creating for) dance is just magical. Often you just have the music, it's incredibly creative, making something almost out of nothing. There's something about the emotional connection between the colour and the music and getting that emotional quality through your costume," French says. "Dance design is one of the hardest kinds, as you have to pare back the design to show the line of the body."...
"It's incredibly exciting when you see (the design) start to lift off the paper and become a reality in its 'live' state in the cutting room."
Lancashire , R. (2004) 'Scene stealers', The Age , February 28, http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/25/1077676827176.html?from=storyrhs
Activity 3
As a costume designer what are some of the sources of inspiration for your ideas? How could you expand the research you are doing about the period, culture or some other factor that influences your design?
Would you like to become a costume designer ?
If you are interested in becoming a costume designer the following sites will give you information about some of the courses available from TAFE NSW and NIDA .
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