Costume Unit The Basics of Costume Silhouette Use of line and color

Costume Basics Costume line, or silhouette, projects the period of the fashion. Historically, there are three types of silhouettes.  Draped  Fitted  Combination of fitted and draped: The X shape

Draped Line A rectangular piece of material that falls in a fold over the body and is held or gathered at the shoulder and sometimes at the waist. Body outline is obscured, attention is on the drape of the fabric. Ex: chiton (Greece), toga (Rome), sari (India)

Fitted Silhouette Material is cut and sewn to emphasize the body. This is a Y shape either upright or inverted (upside down Y) Ex: Shakespearian/ Elizabethan era men’s clothes, matador (Spain), sheath dresses in 50s and 60s (US)

X Shape Fitted bodice (top, bust portion – shoulders to waist) Draped skirt Tight at the waist and wider at the shoulders and hips Ex: 80s shoulder pads with full skirts, 50’s full skirts with shoulder pads under blouse

Psychology of Lines Diagonal lines – add interest  Imply action, excitement, adventure Horizontal lines – add width  Suggest calmness and down-to-earth qualities Vertical lines – add height and stateliness  Implies strength and dignity

Psychology of Color Blue and Green = restful Red = danger Black = tragedy

Color psychology Purple = Royalty (Another random fact: In Elizabethan times, it was against the law for anyone BUT royalty to wear purple. It was too expensive a dye for the general public to afford anyway, since it comes from indigo plants grown far away in Asia.) White = purity and innocence

Color Psychology Colors help the audience identify relationships.  Complimentary colors (family) vs. clashing colors (enemies) (sports teams)  Blended colors -marriage (purple); ex: Romeo (blue) and Juliet (red)

Design Time period dictates line and/or silhouette Character dictates fabric pattern and color Socio-economic status of character dictates richness of fabric and style Personality of character dictates color and style

Design - THE SCRIPT IS THE KEY for understanding the characters’ needs. Accessories are important to identify character personality & time period. The designer must study: The script and the characters! The time period/history

The script Look for information about the time of day, and time of year. It may be in the italics/stage directions or the character may elude to it in the script. Look at the place—where in the world is this play taking place? How old are the characters? Look at the relationships between the characters. Look for anything specific a character might need to do in the costume (dance, climb etc..)

The script Look at the places the characer is going. Create a plot of how many costumes a character has in a production. Meet the actor playing the part and discuss issues that may concern them about wearing any of the costumes. Talk to the director about his/her concept of the show.

Putting it together Ok, you have read the script, researched the time period, talked to the director about the concept. Now you want to meet with the actor playing the part and discuss the costumes you are making. Take measurements and ask questions like does the actor need pockets for props, etc?

Don’t forget…. Remember that research and the script are the primary sources for the information. Creating a costume is not done as just an individual inspiration. You need to work with the production team for it to mesh all ideas together.