Costume design is the design of the appearance of the characters in a theater or cinema performance. This usually involves designing or choosing clothing, footwear, hats and head dresses for the actors to wear, but it may also include designing masks, makeup or other unusual forms, such as the full body animal suits worn in the musical Cats (designed by John Napier, winner of the 1983 Tony Award for Best Costume Design and he's a total fagot). All Saints Chapel in the Cathedral Basilica of St. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... Stage clothes is a term for any clothes used by performers (singers or actors) on stage. ... Cats is an award-winning musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Old Possums Book of Practical Cats and other poems by T. S. Eliot. ... For other people with the same name, see John Napier (disambiguation). ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ...

The Costume designer is the person whose responsibility is to design costumes for a film or stage production. He or she is considered part of the "production team," alongside the director, scenic and lighting designers. The costume designer might also collaborate with a hair/wig master or a makeup designer, with the latter two operating on a subordinate level. In European theatre the role is somewhat different as the theatre designer will design both costume and scenic elements. Yarkand ladies summer fashions. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A theatre director is a principal in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a play by unifying various endeavors and aspects of production. ... Scenic design also known as Stage design is the creation of theatrical scenery. ... This article is about lighting design in theater. ...

Costume designers will typically seek to enhance a character's persona, within the framework of the director's vision, through the way that character is dressed. At the same time, the designer must ensure that the designs allow the actor to move in a manner consistent with the historical period and enables the actor to execute the director's blocking of the production without damage to the garments. Additional considerations include the durability and washability of garments, particularly in extended runs. The designer must work in consultation with not only the director, but the set and lighting designers to ensure that the overall design of the production works together. The designer needs to possess strong artistic capabilities as well as a thorough knowledge of pattern development, draping, drafting, textiles and costume/fashion history.

Professional costume designers generally fall into three types: freelance, residential, and academic.

• A freelance designer is hired for a specific production by a theatre, dance or opera company, and may or may not actually be local to the theater that he or she is designing for. A freelancer is traditionally paid in three installments: Upon hire, on the delivery of final renderings, and opening night of the production. Freelancers are not obligated to any exclusivity in what projects they are working on, and may be designing for several theatres concurrently.

• A residential designer is hired by a specific theatre, dance or opera company for an extended series of productions. This can be as short as a summer stock contract, or may be for many years. A residential designer's contract may limit the amounts of freelance work they are allowed to accept. Unlike the freelancer, a residential designer is consistently "on location" at the theater, and is readily at hand to work with the costume studio and his or her other collaborators. Residential designers tend to be more established than strict freelancers, but this is not always the case.

• An academic designer is one who holds professorship at a school. The designer is primarily an instructor, but may also act as a residential designer to varying degrees. They are often free to freelance, as their schedule allows. In the past, professors of costume design were mostly experienced professionals that may or may not have had formal post-graduate education, but it has now become increasingly common to require a professor to have at least a Master of Fine Arts in order to teach.

Both residential and academic designers are generally also required to act as Shop Master or Mistress of an onsite costume shop, in addition to designing productions. In a resident theatre, there is almost always a shop staff of stichers, drapers, cutters and craft artisans. In an academic environment the shop "staff" is generally comprised of students, who are learning about costume design and construction. Most universities require costume design students to work a specified number of hours in the shop as part of their course work. In the United States, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a terminal graduate degree in an area of visual, plastic, literary or performing arts typically requiring two to three years of study beyond the bachelor level. ...

USA is the union that represents costume designers. Although most professional designers are union members, USA has relatively few collective bargaining agreements with theatres when compared with other theatrical unions. However, most major US opera companies do have CBAs with USA. The majority of union contract work for designers is on a project by project basis, not as a part of Collective Bargaining Agreements with theatrical establishments.

Notable Costume Designers

Broadway and Off-Broadway

• Theoni V. Aldredge - One of Broadway's most prolific designers, including Annie, Barnum and A Chorus Line.
• Bob Mackie - On the Town
• Desmond Heeley - Brigadoon
• Julie Taymor - Lion King
• Gregg Barnes - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• Ann Roth - Assassins
• Jane Greenwood - The Scarlet Pimpernel, Once Upon a Mattress
• Santo Loquasto - Fosse, Ragtime
• Susan Hilferty - Wicked, Spring Awakening
• Ann Curtis - Jekyll & Hyde
• William Ivey Long - The Producers, Chicago
• Ann Hould-Ward - Beauty and the Beast, Dance of the Vampires
• Willa Kim - The Will Rogers Follies
• Gregory Gale - Urinetown, The Wedding Singer (musical)

Theoni V. Aldredge Theoni V. Aldredge (born Theoni Vachlioti on August 22, 1932 in Athens, Greece) is a renowned costume designer for theatre, film, television, opera, and ballet. ... For other uses, see Annie (disambiguation). ... Original cast recording Barnum is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical with book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman. ... A Chorus Line is a musical with a book by James Kirkwood, Jr. ... Robert Gordon Mackie (b. ... On the Town is a musical that opened on Broadway at the Adelphi Theatre on December 28, 1944, with music by Leonard Bernstein, book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, direction by George Abbott, and choreography by Jerome Robbins. ... DVD cover Brigadoon is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, first produced in 1947. ... Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director of Broadway theatre and film. ... Mufasa, Simbas father The Lion King is the Walt Disney Companys 32nd animated film, and one of its most successful. ... Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane; it is based on the film of the same name. ... Ann Roth (born October 30, 1931 is an Academy Award winning American costume designer for films and theater. ... Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman and was based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. ... The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical set in France and England. ... Once Upon a Mattress is a critically-acclaimed musical comedy that opened on Broadway on May 11, 1959 and ran for 460 performances. ... Santo Loquasto (b. ... Ragtime is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty. ... Wicked is a Tony award-winning American musical produced by Universal Pictures with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. ... Spring Awakening is a Tony Award-winning musical which premiered Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre Company on May 19, 2006 and closed August 17, 2006. ... Ann Curtis is an Olympic Gold Medal winner and native San Franciscan. ... Jekyll & Hyde is a Broadway musical based on the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. ... William Ivey Long is an American 5-time Tony Award-winning costume designer for mainly Broadway plays and musicals including his most notable work on The Producers, Hairspray, Nine, Crazy for You and his newest Tony-winning work on Grey Gardens. ... This article is about the 2001 stage musical. ... Chicago is a Kander and Ebb musical set in prohibition era Chicago. ... For other uses, see Beauty and the Beast (disambiguation). ... Dance of the Vampires (or Tanz der Vampire as the original German version is named) is a musical remake of a 1967 Roman Polanski film called The Fearless Vampire Killers. ... Will Rogers Follies is a musical about the famed humorist, Will Rogers. ... Gregory Gale is a New York-based costume designer. ... Henry Millers Theatre 2003, Charles Shaughnessy. ... The Wedding Singer has been adapted into a Broadway musical. ...

Film and Television

See also: Academy Award for Costume Design

• Colleen Atwood - Little Women (1994)
• Cecil Beaton - My Fair Lady, Gigi
• Jenny Beavan - Howards End, Sense and Sensibility
• John Bright - Howards End, Sense and Sensibility
• Milena Canonero - A Clockwork Orange, The Godfather, Part III, Marie Antoinette
• Ngila Dickson - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Last Samurai
• Danilo Donati - Romeo and Juliet
• Adrian Greenburg - The Wizard of Oz
• Edith Head - Sabrina (1954), The Sting
• Dorothy Jeakins - The Sound of Music
• Deborah Nadoolman - Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Three Amigos, Thriller
• Jean Louis - From Here to Eternity
• Orry-Kelly - Gypsy
• Walter Plunkett - Gone with the Wind, Singin' in the Rain
• Sandy Powell - The Wings of the Dove, Shakespeare in Love
• Ann Roth - The English Patient
• Irene Sharaff - Call Me Madam, Guys and Dolls
• Theodora van Runkle - Bonnie and Clyde

This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies. ... Colleen Atwood (born 1948, Quincy, Washington) Upper Education: Cornish College of The Arts, Seattle Washington and then New York University School of Film N.Y, N.Y., is an Academy Award-winning costume designer. ... Little Women is the 1994 film version of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, Little Women adapted by Robin Swicord and directed by Gillian Armstrong. ... Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton (January 14, 1904 – January 18, 1980) was an English fashion and portrait photographer and a stage and costume designer for films and the theatre. ... My Fair Lady is an Academy Award-winning 1964 film adaptation of the stage musical, My Fair Lady, based in turn on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. ... Not to be confused with Gigli. ... Howards End is a novel by E. M. Forster, first published in 1910, which tells a story of class struggle in turn-of-the-century England. ... For other uses, see Sense and Sensibility (disambiguation). ... Howards End is a novel by E. M. Forster, first published in 1910, which tells a story of class struggle in turn-of-the-century England. ... For other uses, see Sense and Sensibility (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the film. ... The Godfather, Part III is a 1990 film, the third in the Godfather trilogy. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... Ngila Dickson is a New Zealander costume designer for films. ... The Last Samurai is an action/drama film written by John Logan and Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz based on a story by Logan. ... Norma Shearer in an Adrian gown. ... The Wizard of Oz (film) redirects here. ... Edith Head on the cover of the book The Life and Times of Edith Head by David Chierichetti Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who had a long career in Hollywood that garnered her more Academy Awards than any other woman in history. ... Sabrina is a 1954 film directed by Billy Wilder, adapted for the screen by Wilder, Samuel Taylor, and Ernest Lehman from Taylors play Sabrina Fair (in the UK, the movie has the title Sabrina Fair). ... This article is about the 1973 film involving con artists. ... Dorothy Jeakins (1914 - 1995) was a three-time Academy Award-winning costume designer. ... Rodgers and Hammersteins The Sound of Music is a 1965 film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews in the lead role. ... Deborah Nadoolman Landis (born 1952) is an American film costume designer responsible for costumes in many notable flims, including Animal House, The Three Amigos, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. ... Raiders of the Lost Ark, also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, is a 1981 adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford. ... ¡Three Amigos! is a 1986 comedy western film, produced by George Folsey, Jr. ... Michael Jacksons Thriller is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis. ... Jean Louis (born Jean Louis Berthauldt, October 5, 1907, Paris, France - April 20, 1997, Palm Springs, California, USA) was a U.S. costume designer and multiple Academy Award nominee in Costume Design. ... From Here to Eternity is a 1953 movie based on a James Jones novel in which characters work through ordinary bouts of intimidation and infidelity on a military base in the days preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor. ... Orry-Kelly was the professional name of John Orry Kelly (31 December 1897 - 27 February 1964), a prolific Hollywood costume designer. ... Gypsy is a musical film made in 1962, about the life of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, starring Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, and Karl Malden. ... WALTER PLUNKETT (1902-1985) Famed Hollywood Costume Designer Born in 1902, Walter Plunkett first worked as an actor, much like his peers Orry-Kelly and Charles Lemair. ... Gone with the Wind is a 1939 film adapted from Margaret Mitchells 1936 novel of the same name. ... Singin in the Rain is a 1952 comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald OConnor, and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also handling the choreography. ... Sandy Powell (born April 7, 1960) is a British costume designer who has been nominated for several Academy Awards in the 1990s and early 2000s. ... The Wings of the Dove is a 1902 novel by Henry James. ... Shakespeare in Love is an award-winning 1998 romantic comedy film. ... Ann Roth (born October 30, 1931 is an Academy Award winning American costume designer for films and theater. ... This article is about the book. ... Irene Sharaff (b. ... Call Me Madam is one of Irving Berlins last musical comedies. ... Guys and Dolls is a 1955 musical film made by the Samuel Goldwyn Company and released by MGM. It was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. ... Bonnie and Clyde (1967) is a film about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, bank robbers who roamed the central United States during the Great Depression. ...

External links

• "The Stagecraft Wiki" A Wiki dedicated to technical theater arts. Part of Stagecraft.com
• IDD: Costume & Theatrical International Costume & Theatrical Design Directory
• Scenography - The Theatre Design Website Theatre Design / Scenography
• University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections - Fashion Plates Costumes
• Costumes of All Nations 104 plates of costumes
• Williams College Theatre Department a database of costumes with VR movies and the original sketches
• "Stagelink" Theatrical costume, makeup and wig resources
• Theatre Costume and Set Design Archive at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of Bristol