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.
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)
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