Costume Design

Costume Design

• What is a costume?

All clothing, under clothing, hairdressing, makeup, and accessories, such as hats, scarves, fans, canes, umbrellas, and jewellery, worn or carried by each character in a production. The design and appearance of costumes are the province of the costume designer.

• The nature of Costume Design:

• Reflect the design team’s agreed-upon interpretation of the play concept
• Exhibit a unity of style among all costume designs for a production
• Reflect the personality and nature of each character
• Provide visual information about the world of the play: Setting

• Types of Costume designs:

Character costume designs:

Decorative Costume designs:

What a person wears, and how it is worn, says a great deal about that person and the society in which he or she lives

Clothes can also be visible clues to the wearer’s emotional state

• Information provided by the clothes:

Historical Period

Age 

Gender

Socioeconomic status

Occupation

Climate and Season

Analysing the script

Interpretation of Period

Interpretation of Colour and Fabric

Practical Considerations:

Needs of the Actor

Production Venue

Budget

Construction Demands of the design

Renting Costumes

Buying costumes