Costume Design

Can you design costumes that show a character's personality?

We would like you to try to sketch out one or more costumes for any of the characters who appear in this scene (Jim, The Old Captain, Dr Livesey, Squire Trelawney or Mrs Hawkins).

Try to communicate the different aspects of the their personalities. You will need to research the period and fashions of their time, and listen carefully to and descriptions in the audio play.

There are templates you can print out or copy at the bottom of this page.

Please annotate (add notes to) your design so we can see the reasons for your design decisions. Write next to each design what personality trait you tried to communicate.

Take a photo of each design and email your work to paul.graham-bell@leedscitycollege.ac.uk

We are looking forward to seeing your ideas!

Costume used to to help the audience understand different characters on stage in our 2020 production of Moulin Rouge

Designing your costume

Templates can be really helpful when starting your design:

http://www.leontheatre.com/s/costume-template.pdf

A costume designer is often part of a bigger wardrobe team and will need good communication skills to ensure their designs are realised accurately.

An example of a costume design by one of our students for The Royal Opera House Design Challenge

What decisions does the designer make?

A costume designer’s job is to make deliberate decisions about the appearance of the actors on stage. A costume can be the first information that the audience is given about a character, as many characters will be seen before they speak.

Costume designers might make decisions related to:

Shape,

for example: the shape of any item of clothing, such as a skirt or jacket; the outline of the actor in the costume; any padding or shaping that needs to be added to give the actor the correct physical shape; the shape of footwear or accessories like hats. Different shapes can have a different effect on the audience or create a different impression of the character: a tailored, sharp cut suit is very different to a flowing, billowy skirt.

Colour,

for example: the colours used on items of clothing, jewellery, footwear, accessories, and make-up or masks. Colours on stage have many functions, for example, they can be used to create an atmosphere or tell an audience about the mood or personality of a character.

Fit,

for example: how the clothes hang on the actor’s body; which parts of the clothes are loose or tight; how the fit of the costumes reflects a certain era or period. An unseen corset, for example, can be as important as the design of a dress. Costumes do not always fit actors perfectly: a designer can choose to make the costume less well fitting in order to make a point about the character and how they choose to dress.

Texture,

for example: the choice of fabric, its weight and thickness; how coarse or smooth it is.

Condition,

Costumes can also be distressed or broken down to give the effect of age or damage (for example using a cheese grater).

Adding ornamentation (for example, braiding) or even changing colours through dyeing can make a cheaper material feel more luxurious. Different textures create different feelings or moods for costumes, as well as indicating a character’s social or personal status.

Sketches of the costume designs are a good starting point for communicating your ideas to other people. Your sketches can show your costume from the front, and from any additional angles (remember that the back of the costume is equally important!). Make it clear what angle the sketch represents by adding a note.

Remember: everything’s deliberate!

Good costume design is a series of deliberate decisions. Everything an actor is wearing has been selected for a reason and contributes to the audience’s experience.

LCC Backstage Costume Tutor Katie Bradford

Katie's design tips

You don’t have to be able to draw or sew to be a costume designer. Excellent costume designs can be created using techniques such as collage, where you cut and stick images together. If you want to attempt a collage design, remember that you don’t need to only use pictures of clothes: you can choose images with different textures and colours and cut these into the right shape for the costume you are designing, you can also try using fabric by pleating it and making it 3D.

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