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- Read the play
- Asses resources: Time, Money, and Labor
- Consult with the director
- Get other others to help you
- Do the paperwork: lists, drawings, reproductions of research.
- Make a schedule (Found costumes take about 10 hours, personally made outfits can take up to 30 or 40 hours.)
- Make the costumes.
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- Do not panic - write everything down.
- Make a spreadsheet (see below)
- Have a travel-size folder to keep things in
- Find inspirational pictures. The best place to go to determine the "look" of a costume period is art work and costume books. When looking at these books, you should look for the general lines of the costume first. Detail work comes later. Questions you should ask are: - Where is the waist? - What type of sleeve are we dealing with? - Is the neckline high or low? - Are there any outstanding features that immediately capture my eye? When you have answered these questions, you are ready to start browsing through pattern books for patterns that highlight these features. Once you have achieved the basic look of the period, you can go on with other concerns such as unity of line coordination of color, and overall appearance of the show.
- Be creative with fabric - dye it, pleat it, make it more fun (just be careful, this takes time)
- Having costumes is more important than having perfect costumes
Documentation
- Items to buy
- Items to find
- What people are wearing
- How to make things
- Measurements
- How much you spent
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- Rinaldi
- Thrift stores
- Garmet District's Dollar-a-Pound
- Goodwill stores (esp. Roxbury)
- Old drapes, tablecloths, linens, and lace for fabric
- Asking actors to bring in own clothes
Cautionary Words
- Make sure costumes look good under the lights. Talk to the designer.
- If there is a lot of blood in the show, avoid white costumes.
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Read the final cut version of the script. Make notes about specific costume pieces mentioned, referred to, or otherwise noted in the text. Ask the director about any difficult movement for the actors (dancing, acrobatics, climbing ladders, etc. ) which might limit design constraints. Also check for quick changes for double cast actors, or blood effects.
Start gathering and building as soon as possible after the initial measurements are taken. It is a good idea to first look through the Ensemble's costume stock, then visit Rinaldi, and then try secondhand stores to get any pieces that might be found. Costume Builds should be hosted regularly with advance notice sent to the cast through email at least 2 days ahead of time. Close track should be kept of all spending to keep in line with the budget and also produce the necessary costumes. An email should be sent to the ensemble treasurer before purchases are made. Other places to look are in actor's wardrobes, or possibly MTG and G&S for specialty items.
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All costumes should be complete by the Costume Parade, one week before put-in. Alterations can be made after the Costume Parade, but all actors should be clothed, shod, and decent by that day. The director is allowed to make requests and suggestions, and the costume designer is allowed to loudly refuse any unreasonable ones.
During prod week, the costume designer should be at the theater observing the costumes from the audience and making any needed adjustments that pop up. After the first weekend, the show laundry should be done for things like shirts, socks, and any other items that are in significant need of cleaning before another weekend of shows. Try to separate out colors and things that cannot be washed. Do NOT leave this to the laundry-do-er.
After the close of the show, all costume pieces should be collected and inventoried. Actor's own clothing should be returned to them at strike, and everything else should be laundered/dry cleaned (as appropriate). Be sure to return all clothes (to actors and to Rinaldi) in the same or better condition as they were given in. This means clothes must be clean and show no signs of having been borrowed. The borrowed clothes should be returned to Rinaldi within a week of closing, and the remainder should be organized in the Ensemble Office.
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