IMTC's The Hound of the Baskervilles: Costume Build Part II - Prepping All the Things

So. Costume design and construction (costume technology or garment technology) is not always just about making pretty pictures and sewing clothes.  Preparation is key.  For Hound of the Baskervilles I wanted a certain look for the city of London and the Countryside of Dartmoor, Devonshire. To me that meant having cleaner lines in the former and a plethora of patterns in the latter. Holmes and Watson are sort of neutral since they have to exist in both worlds. Doctor Mortimer is a representative of Dartmoor...so he is in brighter colors and prints. Same for Mrs. Frankland and the other ladies on the moor.

Nature plays a big role in this show. The lack thereof in London v Dartmoor and the Outdoors. Even with the characters who play multiple roles, I tried to get a sense of nature in each of their outfits.

Dr. Mortimer is in bright colors. Stapleton isn't in bright colors. Stapleton is a naturalist (not a "Naturist" that's altogether different and quite honestly would have made for a very ..um....interesting show. LOL). As the naturalist and avid student of nature, he blends in more than most so that he can not be seen and only observe. His outfit makes it possible for him to birdwatch and butterfly chase under concealment.

That said...the ladies on the moor are not interested in the nature of things, as it were. In nature, it is the male that is brightly colored and more fantastic. (Like Doctor Mortimer - shown here with rendering unfinished. at the time, I wasn't sure what his coat would look like. That happens sometimes. Not unusual in storefront theater. Costuming can be a bit of a "choose your own adventure". Makes for a challenge)

The females are normally more hidden. It's primarily for "young guarding" that this is the case for most of the creatures.  On the moor, though...the ladies are representative of independence and strength. They are all pattern. I deliberately chose bold patterns for them so that they would stand out.

There is only one female character who does not fit into either mould.  You'll have to see the show to find out who that is.

For the preparation thereto. It's my policy to prewash all fabrics before I use them. It makes for stress free laundry in the future. Plus, dye typically takes better when a fabric has been prewashed. And the plan is to dye the cotton fabric for Mrs. Barrymore so that it's a little brighter with the pattern shining through.

Then further on...serge serge serge. It is imperative when making theatrical costumes to serge the edges. Actors are hard on their stuff. You want to try and use the costume again for rentals to other companies or in other shows in the future. Serge serge serge.

After the serging...the plan is to dye the fabric. Tub dying is the way I do it, mostly because it gets closer to the color I want sooner than doing it in a washing machine. So yeah...I do it by hand. It yields better results and it loses less dye in the process.

Thereafter - press. Press all of the fabrics and put them onto a roll. It's a giant pain in the ass....no doubt.....because sometimes the roll...rolls off of your pressing station and you have to start all over. I'm a believer this action is a key factor to why all costume designers are totally mad. LOL

Next phase is pattern drafting or tracing. I try really hard to keep all of my patterns whole. (Period patterns are expensive. Draping and drafting yourself is a lot of time if you're not always doing it...so I use paper patterns a lot of the time for more complex things. I can drape...I choose not to for timeline sake)

So in order to get the size I need, I trace them with a ponce wheel onto kraft paper and recut them. People always ask me..."why does costuming take so long" well....it only does if you go through all of these steps. A lot of people slap stuff together with speed and hope. It just doesn't give garments the kind of longevity.

It normally takes about two weeks for preparation. And that's if you're doing an 8-16 hour day for two weeks.  With a cast of this size...it took me about three weeks to prep all of the womens stuff properly before cutting. I devoted about 4 hours per day to patterning, draping and drafting and another few hours per day preparing the fabric by serging it then washing it, dyeing it, pressing and rolling it.

Once the fabric and patterns are prepped the cutting can begin...and...you have to cut everything out one piece at a time and not double it up like patterns tell you to....especially when working with patterns that you have to center up or match. You'll thank me later.....only thing is....you'll have to serge everything again once it's cut out.

Process is pretty cyclical. LOL. (Almost Sisyphusian...but.....I love it just the same)

IMTC's The Hound of the Baskervilles: Costume Build Part I - Dear, Prudence

Idle Muse Theatre Company prides itself on producing theatre that will transport you to another place and time. Regardless of what the characters are wearing... we take you there...but we also then turn around quickly and say..."it actually doesn't matter that someone is in a three piece suit with a narrow lapel - the issues are the same and situations are similar. Social relevance is as important a story device as the plot is to us." 

That said, we often find ourselves frequently doing period Victorian and Edwardian pieces - but I'll let the dramaturg and director blog about social, class, and cultural constructs.

Rather, let us talk briefly about Victorian sensibilities in the way of clothing and what it means to be a Victorian in said clothing.  

Victoria herself was very self conscious and liked to use her clothing to protect her from the outside world. She was constantly covered from top to bottom. As a designer that concept in and of itself is very appealing....because...it is a choice for that character. A character that wants to be protected typically wears more layers and covers up more flesh: Layers, High necked collars. 

But then - there's all the pretty tatted lace and frills. Florals. Corsets. Yummy corsets. Yes. 

Yeah. That. We as a culture (and I mean worldwide not just English or American) find the Victorian silhouette so romantic and lusty that we have really (sometimes literally) over fetishized the look of the corset and the thigh high stocking and the high necked lace collar. Those particular garments in and of themselves have created a look that is very dominant for the female figure. What was once the epitome of vulnerability is now a very strong look. The choice is different now....as modern women we can dress as we please and if that look is appealing, so be it and the devil may care. 

It was not so in 1889. Women wore what they wore because if they didn't their decorum and moral character was immediately questioned - or worse - taken. London was theivey and rapey. And frightening. About the time of our play begins, the famous Jack the Ripper was preying on women of ill repute. There was, immediately, a response in fashion. Garments were tighter, higher and lower in all the appropriate places. 

Fashion was not just social - but like an exoskeleton of safety.

In Dartmoor Devonshire women have a little more freedom clothing wise. It's more practical lifestyle. Rather than dodge a running carriage in a street filled with horse manure and urine...women find themselves in the middle of nowhere and having to do a lot more walking. But there are creatures  - not just likely thieves and rapists like London - but actual creatures.

If one covers up oneself in London to protect oneself from immorality and degradation, then...one covers up oneself in the country to be safe from nature.

How, then, do we tell the story of Beryl Stapleton in period clothing? In period clothing on a budget. A tight budget. Tiiiight.  In the land of storefront theatre, as  a costume designer and producer - I try very hard to stay at $100 per person including shoes. In a cast of 11 that is very difficult. (and most of the full timers out there reading this are laughing at its near impossibility)

I've found that in this challenging arena - Layered Texture is queen. (Salve regina).

Or in Beryl's case the lack thereof. She is vulnerable and exotic and enticing. Those are easily translated into the traditional silhouette. I chose the bustle (more on that later) the overbust corset and cotton lawn under things (it's very sheer cotton and is super easy to work with)

But she is also a victim in a world where someone would notice if she were dressed inappropriately or in a state of distress. 

In order to achieve that my choice is layers of white chiffon and delicate organza butterfly details.

Why white chiffon and white organza? The idea behind the chiffon is that it will give a solid appearance when her outfit is lit head on and be more gossamer if  back lit. More spectral. More mystical. It's also a pretty solid choice to highlight her frailty.  

She is very fragile and as the show unfolds you come to find out exactly why.

Also - I can pretty much have my way with the texture. Beryl will be ruffled and trimmed and posh...and very transparently dressed in the right moments of the show to highlight her vulnerability.

As for the period trappings.  Meet...Prudence the Lobster Tail Cane Bustle. (Yes. I name some stuff in my line of business. It keeps me from going mad...)

There is a bustle pad (Purchased. I'm not THAT crazy) and a hand made cane bustle. yeah. handmade. (Right now in the photos it is just basted. I will eventually seal up this sucker. Actors are notoriously hard on stuff. Which is fine by me. I don't have to memorize anything and talk in front of people for two hours. I'll get them what they need in order to move the way they need to comfortably).

And now the fun budgeting begins. I wanted sheerness and "see-throughity" but didn't really want the look of the concentric caning. So...I made Prudence and then gave her a lovely triple layer of tulle.  The tulle is still sheer and will soften the look of the lobster tail.  By the by - I deliberately chose this shape of bustle.  While the actress will still be able to function as a human...it will look like she cannot. We have trained ourselves to see collapsible bustling. This bustle is something much more staunch and has a visual weight that most other bustles won't have  - e.g. the other two ladies in this show will be wearing them -  but their bustles look more as if you could set the dresses aside and use the bustles as pillows upon which to nap. 

Prudence will make Beryl look like she's a prisoner of her own clothing - regardless of the lightness of the chiffon and the frothy ruffling. She will look bound up and trussed up like a sacrificial poultry. 

Ok well hopefully sexier than that....

And the finished look. (only ruffled by machine, y'all. All layers are hand sewn. three layers of tulle.)