the costume designer - fall 2012
DESCRIPTION
The official trade magazine of the Costume Designers Guild, IATSE Local 892 (Fall 2012)TRANSCRIPT
COSTUME DESIGNER4/C | BACK COVER | WITH BLEEDBLEED: 8.625” W X 8.125” HTRIM: 8.375” W X 7.875” HSAFE: 7.875” W X 7.5” HPDF/X-1a:2001
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F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
BEST COSTUME DESIGNPACO DELGADO
© 2012 UNIVERSAL STUDIOSuniversalpicturesawards.com
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REF 20 FINALMOONRISE KINGDOM - CDG (Fall/Winter 2013 Issue)COVER 2 - FULL PAGESTREET: 12/17/12DUE: 11/28/12 - 5:00PM PSTTRIM: 8.375" X 10.875" • BLEED: 8.625" X 11.125" • SAFETY: 1/4" FROM TRIM
Revisit the island of New Penzance and the summer of 1965 and consider...
For more on the artistry and acclaim on this film go to www.FocusGuilds2012.com
Directed by Wes AndersonWritten by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
BEST PICTUREBEST COSTUME DESIGN
KASIA WALICKA MAIMONE
“WONDROUSLY BEAUTIFUL. MADE WITHEXTRAORDINARY DETAIL, CARE AND LOVE.”
Manohla D� gis, The New Y� k Times
“SPECTACULAR COSTUMES. RAPTUROUS.”Andrew O’Heh� , Salon.com
WINNERBEST PICTURE
GOTHAM AWARDS
SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONSINCLUDING
BEST PICTURE5
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 3
COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD11969 Ventura Blvd., First Floor
Studio City, CA 91604phone: 818.752.2400 fax: 818.752.2402
costumedesignersguild.com
GENERAL CDG [email protected]
Editor’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Union Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 President’s Letter Executive Director Labor Report
The Costume Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 History of Dress
In Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Boldface Names On Location: New Orleans What’s On What’s In
Scrapbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURESPin, Post, or Tweet: Finding Inspiration Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
From Archive to Screen: Conversations About Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Hollywood Costume at the V&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Costume Design for the Historical Figure . . . . . . . . . . .28
CDG Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
vol. 8, issue 4
2826 18
COVERHistorical Figures in Recent Films Designed by Our Guild Members
Clockwise from left: Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Social Network, W.E., Lincoln, Julia & Julia, J. Edgar, Ray, Liz & Dick,
Hitchcock, Temple Grandin, Marie Antoinette. For details, see page 9.
Features credits: The Wizard of Oz MGM/The Kobal Collection. Lincoln © 2012 DreamWorks II Distribution Co. LLC and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Photo: David James. All Rights Reserved. CD Jacqueline West
Inspiration Board Argo
4 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
EDITOR’S NOTE
EDITOR-AT-LARGEAnna Wyckoff
ASSOCIATE EDITORSBonnie Nipar
Christine Cover Ferro
PRESIDENT Mary Rose
VICE PRESIDENT Van Broughton Ramsey
SECRETARY Terry Gordon
TREASURER Marilyn Matthews
EXECUTIVE BOARDSalvador Perez
[email protected] Chally
[email protected] Weiss
[email protected] Ferry
[email protected] Romanov (ACD)
[email protected] Sanchez (ILL)[email protected]
BOARD ALTERNATESMark Bridges
[email protected] Susan Nininger
[email protected] Van Duyne
BOARD OF TRUSTEESPeter Flaherty
[email protected] Saint Anne
[email protected] Wagner
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORRachael M. Stanley
MEMBER SERVICES ADMINISTRATORSuzanne [email protected]
RECEPTIONIST/SECRETARYCheryl Marshall
PUBLISHERIngleDodd Publishing
ADVERTISING DIRECTORDan Dodd 310.207.4410 x236
costumedesignersguild.com
When I had the honor of interviewing several of our Guild mem-
bers to discuss Costume Design for the historical figure, I found
myself in awe of the scope of their vision.
One chose to depict the space between a character and his
clothes, while another fashioned a black suit as the unmistakable
signature of one man and also as a “portal” to his inner darkness.
One used obstacles as assets, and another strove to tell a story of
baroque excess without caricature.
The breadth of the research, the quality of the observation
coupled with the consummate skill to see this vision through in
three dimensions, this is Costume Designer as psychologist, sociologist, and detec-
tive. This is bravura Costume Design.
Apparently, I’m not the only one impressed, as the Hollywood Costume exhibit
at the Victoria and Albert Museum has received a flood of praise. Three of our
members give us a firsthand account—I’m sure you’ll be tempted to book a ticket
to London.
In this issue, CD Alonzo Wilson of Treme fame gives us a charming cheat sheet
of his New Orleans. Thank you, Alonzo. Also, we have some new faces, like ACD
Rebecca Raleigh who was kind enough to contribute a piece on online inspiration.
One thought which surfaced through many of my interviews was how many of
you love to get up, go to work, and tackle this job. When the public thinks of Costume
Design, they see it through the fog of glamour. And there is glamour, absolutely. And
grit, but it is created on a budget and against a ticking clock. It is a testament to the skill
of our membership and its passion that costumes can be so powerful.
Anna Wyckoff
The most interesting challenge when researching the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor—which was the same task when researching Johnny Cash and June Carter or Larry Flynt—is the private persona. I found records documenting their work or their public lives readily available. Finding out who they were when they were home, in their private time, amongst their families and friends, is the most difficult to research. Interpreting their essence, the ‘quiet’ of what made them who they were, underscores the historical or public figure we all think we know.
–Arianne Phillips
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THE COSTUME DESIGNER AD - FP W/ BLEEDFuLL PagE LivE: 7.375” x 9.875”FuLL PagE trim: 8.375” x 10.875”FuLL PagE BLEED: 8.625” x 11.125”
11-19-2012
ROGER EBERT MICHAEL PHILL IPSGARY THOMPSONPHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS
RICHARD CORLISS
CHRISTY LEMIRE
REX REED
PETER TRAVERS
LISA SCHWARZBAUM
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 7
What inspired you to become involved with Costume Design?
Marcy Froehlich(History of Dress, Text)Costume Design magically combines all of my interests in storytelling, history, fabric, design, drawing, music and dance. It allows me to indulge in the thrill of the hunt (for the perfect button or blouse) but with someone else’s money!
Bonnie nipar(What’s On What’s In, On Location)As a young teenager growing up in Pittsburgh, I rushed home from school to watch The Early Show, which aired old ’30s and ’40s films just prior to din-nertime. I especially loved the costume extravaganza musicals and old comedies like It Happened One Night, Bringing Up Baby, and The Thin Man series. So while my peers were learning the new dances from Bandstand, I was learning period clothing! I still have paper dolls I made of Greta Garbo’s Anna Karenina when I was 12.
roBin richesson(History of Dress, Illustration) A love of clothing, drawing, and the mov-ies. Probably in that order.
suzanne huntington(Boldface Names)While not a Costume Designer, I have an education in fine arts, a myriad of other creative pursuits, and a penchant for clothing! The revelation of a character or personality spoken through a visual means, be it color, style, or patterns, is so interesting to me. I’ve always been natu-rally motivated by visual expression, so being surrounded by it as I am, feels like home to me.
reBecca raleigh(Pin, Post, or Tweet, Finding Inspiration Online, Gift Guide)I had a severe back deformity as an ado-lescent. My mother used clothing to cam-ouflage my flaws, a disguise for normal-cy. The art of using clothing for change inspired me to find a career where I could use clothes to tell a story.
christine cover Ferro(From Archive to Screen, Gift Guide)My undergrad’s theatre department had a yearly meet & greet/workday early in the first semester. I may have been the only freshman that sewed, resulting in my prompt recruitment into the costume shop. It felt like home and would eventu-ally become the first place any and every-one called when trying to find me.
stacy ellen rich(Boldface Names)I saw the film Amadeus when it opened in 1984. I was 14 years of age. I said to myself, “I want to be a Costume Designer.”
CONTRIBUTORSROGER EBERT MICHAEL PHILL IPSGARY THOMPSON
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS
RICHARD CORLISS
CHRISTY LEMIRE
REX REED
PETER TRAVERS
LISA SCHWARZBAUM
WWW.WARNERBROS2012 . COM
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
B E S T P I C T U R E
B E S T C O S T U M E D E S I G NLINDY HEMMING
“THIS IS A MOVIE THAT SHOULD BE CELEBRATEDBY ALL WHO LOVE MOVIES, PERIOD.”
S C O T T F O U N D A S ,
WARNER BROS.THE DARK KNIGHT RISESFYC BEST COSTUMETHE COSTUME DESIGNER (CDG)12/17/12
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Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 9
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On Wednesday, October 10, trying to beat the heat before the sun rose, I went out to pick up newspapers in the front yard. As always, the L.A. Times was in my flowerbed and the Daily News was late. My hus-band and I have a deal when that happens: I get the Calendar and Food sections. As newspaper readers know, the Wednesday Calendar doesn’t offer much. Looking for something else, a photo of Ben Affleck behind the camera and a large caption caught my attention in the Business section: “L.A. GETS CAST AS TEHRAN IN ARGO.” Most of the period drama set in 1970s Iran was filmed locally. I, of course, read every word of this astounding article, never mind that my eggs were getting cold. Most of the period drama set during the Iran revolution was filmed ... in our own San Fernando Valley. What a surprise!!! By now many have seen the film, but may not know that it was shot in the Valley. To tell it all, there is not enough space, but I feel the need to tell some of it.
Affleck and his crew faced their own daunting challenges on how to film a period drama set in 1979 Iran, mainly in Los Angeles, for about $40 million. Chris Baugh, the imaginative locations manager, worked magic by finding a Veterans Affairs medical building in North Hills that was remarkably similar to the U.S. Embassy where Tehrani students demonstrated and stormed the Embassy 7,000 miles away. The building was one of several locations that enabled the Argo production to film primarily in the L.A. area during the summer of 2011, with the help of a $6.4 million California film tax credit (thanks to Jerry Brown) and 800 local Iranian-American extras who were bussed in from Beverly Hills and other locations, also courtesy of Baugh’s ingenuity. I almost wanted send a thank-you letter to Affleck for the positive effect it had on us.
Meanwhile, on the small screen, HBO’s Hemingway & Gellhorn garnered 12 nominations at the last Emmy Awards, with Costume Design by our own Ruth Myers among them. Other well-deserved nods went to director Philip Kaufman, stars Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman. That it was shot in San Francisco and Northern California is amazing enough for a story set in early 20th-century Florida, Cuba, and Paris. You wonder how the production team managed. I can only guess that the film tax credit incentive might have had something to do with it. Whether it did or not, thanks to Jerry Brown for extending it for another year.
Let’s all hope there will be more directors and producers alike who value good films and television shows being made over easy profits. Give us projects we can be proud of. We’ll endure budget cuts and shorter prep times if we can work on things that give us pride and enable us to use our creative juices...
With love and affection,Mary [email protected]
We appreciate the ongoing support of our corporate sponsors
DiamonD LeveL
sapphire LeveL
ruby LeveL
union label
PReSiDenT’S leTTeR
COVER PHOTO CREDITSHistorical Figures in Recent Films Designed by Our Guild Members
Clockwise from left: Elizabeth: The Golden Age CD Alexandra Byrne © 2012 Universal Studios. The Social Network CD Jacqueline West © 2010 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Beverly Blvd LLC. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
W.E. CD Arianne Phillips, The Weinstein Co., Photo: Anthony Souza © 2011 Duke and Duchess, LLC. Lincoln CD Joanna Johnston © 2012 DreamWorks II Distribution Co. LLC and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Julia & Julia CD Ann Roth © 2009 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. Courtesy of Columbia
Pictures. J. Edgar CD Deborah Hopper, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo: Keith Bernstein. Ray CD Sharen Davis © 2012 Universal Studios. Liz & Dick CD Salvador Perez Lifetime. © 2012 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Hitchcock CD Julie Weiss © Fox Searchlight Pictures. Temple Grandin CD Cindy Evans © Van Redin/HBO. Marie Antoinette CD Milena Canonero © 2006 I Want Candy, LLC.
Courtesy of Columbia Pictures. (All Photos: All Rights Reserved)
10 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
union label
execuTive DiRecToR
Dear Members,
Fall is supposed to be a time when we begin to slow our schedules and get ready to hunker down for the winter, but that is just not the case with the Costume Designers Guild. We seem to be busier than ever here at the CDG with a welcome surge in work. The industry went into high gear this year for pilot season last spring, and it hasn’t slowed since. The downside is that most of the work is being done outside of Hollywood.
On the upside, we are busy with new projects and changes here at the Guild to help accommodate our on location members. Your Executive Board recently voted to investigate putting parts of our CDG library online. An outside firm will assess our library collection so that we can begin the process. With the new digitized resource, members will be able to access the library from wherever they are working. This will be a long, ongoing project, but I know our members will find it valuable once it is completed. We also have just completed the final additions to the website which enable our members to access the office at all hours of the day and night. When members log in to the members only area, they are able to update their personal information such as address and phone. They can also report work, put themselves on the availability list, add sketches to their gallery, or update their resume—whether they are in Asia, Europe or the USA, since the Internet is always open. They can check out the CDG magazine, The Costume Designer, and CDG Newsletter, or leave messages on the bulletin board. Our website has a pick of the week that keeps members up on other designer’s work, as well as feature articles and design details about our craft. Go online now and familiarize yourself with the website. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what you find.
I love this time of year and as we head into the many varied holidays, I wish you peace in your life and joy in your heart.
In Solidarity, Rachael Stanley [email protected]
2012–2013 caLenDar
December8 CDG Holiday Party
January7 Executive Board Meeting
february4 Executive Board Meeting17 CDG Award Nominees
Announced19 CDG Awards Event
cDg holiday office hoursClosed Monday, December 24Closed Tuesday, December 25 Open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wed., Dec. 26, Thu., Dec. 27, Fri., Dec. 28 Closed December 31Closed January 1
NOVEMBER 28, 2012 3:43 PM PSTAK_REF019_CDG_MAG_FP-5_FIN
REF 19 FINALANNA KARENINA - CDG (Fall/Winter 2013 Issue)2ND RHP - FULL PAGESTREET: 12/17/12DUE: 11/28/12 - 5:00PM PSTTRIM: 8.375" X 10.875" • BLEED: 8.625" X 11.125" • SAFETY: 1/4" FROM TRIM
FOR MORE ON THE ARTISTRY AND ACCLAIM ONTHIS FILM GO TO WWW.FOCUSGUILDS2012.COMFOR MORE ON THE ARTISTRY AND ACCLAIM ONTHIS FILM GO TO
BEST PICTUREBEST PICTUREFOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IN ALL CATEGORIES INCLUDING
JACQUELINE DURRANBEST COSTUME DESIGN
“THE COSTUMES PULSATEWITH FEELING. SUBLIME.
A passionate rendering ofLeo Tolstoy’s masterpiece.”A.O. SCOTT, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“AN INSTANT OSCAR®
CONTENDER FORBEST COSTUME.”
PETE HAMMOND, DEADLINE
laboR RePoRT
union label
WWW.WARNERBROS2012.COM
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
B E S T P I C T U R E
BEST COSTUME DESIGNJACQUELINE WEST
“ARGO IS A TRIUMPH. A MOVIE THAT DEFINES PERFECTION.EACH PIECE FITS SEAMLESSLY AND EVERY DETAIL WORKS.
EXEMPLARY AND METICULOUSLY DETAILED.IT IS A GREAT FILM.”
REX REED,
WARNER BROS.ARGOFYC BEST COSTUMETHE COSTUME DESIGNER (CDG)12/17/12
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Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 13
The American people have spoken and today each of us will move forward to do the work that gives our life value and affects the lives of others.
Thank you Costume Designers
Guild volunteers who gave time and voice to a security threat directed toward middle-class families in California. CDG volunteers fought the information war of the deceptive Proposition 32, funded by a few billionaires, some from outside our state. Prop 32, the Special Exemption Act, was an attempt to silence the voice of everyday people like you and me. We faced the threat to our values, and collec-tively we stood united, invested and com-mitted to our families, communities, and students who are working hard to get the education they need in order to succeed in the 21st century. Our collective financial resources educated voters about Prop 32’s false promise to take money out of politics.
We thank our IATSE-elected leader-ship for their well-targeted early action and steady handling in order to educate our membership and get the truth out to voters. IATSE International President Matthew Loeb, West Coast office rep-resentative Mike Miller and staff, busi-ness administrators, and E-boards of every Local in the IATSE stepped up by giving financial support as well as personal time to phone-bank, walk precincts, and get the vote out on election day. Thousands of IATSE volunteer hours went into the greatest effort ever to preserve our collec-tive bargaining rights.
When you pay your Local dues, remember the threat posed by Prop 32. Though we are labeled “big labor,” we are simply looking out for all 30 million work-ing people in California who continue today to have a voice in California politics.
This is what democracy looks like, sisters and brothers.
In Solidarity, Betty [email protected]
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11501 N. Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 Tel: 818 752-7522 • Fax: 818 752-7524 [email protected]
STUM
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14 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
THE COSTUME DEPARTMENT
Chemisette: A small chemise or dickey that is visible above the neckline of a dress.
Chignon: A women’s coiffure that features the hair pulled back into a large bun at the nape. Often supplemented by braided and coiled false hair, by day it was usually covered by a hairnet or snood. The style started low on the neck during the early part of the decade and eventually moved higher on the head.
g a r i b a l d i shirt: A blouse with
drop shoulders, full sleeves gathered into cuffs, and a full body pleat-
ed into the neck, buttoning center front. Often made of red wool and worn tucked into the skirt, it was copied from an Italian soldier’s shirt, and named for their war hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Jet: A shiny black gem-stone derived from fossilized
wood and often used in mourn-ing jewelry. Queen Victoria popularized it after her husband Albert died in 1861.
Kepi: A military cap with a front brim and a small crown that was shorter in front
Illustrations by Robin Richesson [email protected] by Marcy [email protected]
History of Dress 1860–1870than back. Worn by both the Union and Confederate armies, the style remained in use as a work hat after the Civil War ended.
o.n.t.: “Our New Thread” devel-oped in 1866 by J.P. Coats & Clark; a six-cord thread that had
the nap burned off in the finishing process. It was the first thread that
worked well with sewing machines.
pagoda sleeve: A bell-shaped sleeve, narrow at the shoulder, usually
3/4 length, and longer in the back. It was inspired by formal Chinese
costume; thus the name.
saCK Coat: The short hip-length jack-et that had previously been worn by workmen or boys that became popular in this period for casual wear. Often accompanied by a matching vest, it was first looser and usually constructed of rougher fabrics; later it became more closely fitted and refined.
sideburns: Male facial hair that extends from the
ear down the cheek, but not across the chin. Named for Civil
War General Ambrose Burnside.
dundrearies: Long, bushy sideburns popularized by the character Lord Dundreary from a British play.
stovepipe hat: A tall top hat (around 8”) whose cylindri-cal proportions resembled the chimneys of Industrial Revolution factories. President Abraham Lincoln made this style iconic.
FOR SCREEN I N G I N FORMAT I ON , PLEASE V I S I T WWW.WA RNERBROS 20 12 . COM
BEST PICTUREBEST COSTUME DESIGN
KYM BARRETTPIERRE-YVES GAYRAUD
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
“AN ORIGINAL VISION. CLOUD ATLAS IS A KALEIDOSCOPE,THE DESIGN OF WHAT YOU’RE SEEING IS HYPNOTIC,
AND IT WIRES YOU INTO THE FILM.”OWEN GLEIBERMAN,
WARNER BROS.CLOUD ATLASFYC BEST COSTUMETHE COSTUME DESIGNER (CDG)12/17/12
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16 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
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By Rebecca Raleigh Pin, Post, or Tweet:
Finding Inspiration Online
In just a few short years, the online community has transformed from a series of basic bulletin boards into complex social networks.
Social media has now morphed into a method of strategic market-ing for both companies and individuals, and has exponentially increased the amount of publicly shared information. In our world, online outlets are not only a platform for marketing the profession of costume design, they are also a place for the costume family to connect.
Sites ask users to “share,” “like,” and “pin,” swirling the mind into a tizzy, landing many users somewhere between overwhelmed, and over it. But numerous websites combine exciting images and ideas which whet the appetite for inspiration and interaction.
Pinterest connects individuals through imagery they find intriguing.
An online corkboard to share or “pin” elements that inspire you, Pinterest is a scrapbook of inspiration—from that haunting Kara Walker silhouette or a serene view of a Le Nôtre garden—available for other users to “like,” and “re-pin.” This virtual affirmation adds your photo to an admirer’s collection. As your Pinterest board gains followers (and you follow others), a silent dialogue of shared imagery ensues.
Instagram is a cell phone application which uses streams of photographs to encourage interaction.
Using Instagram is easy: simply upload a photo into the Instagram app, apply one of 18 filters for a professional look, and post. Instagram encourages an eclectic array of users—from the design student in Paris to a physician in Cape Town—to see your photograph instantly, “like it,” and respond with a comment.
Twitter enables users to express themselves in short 140-character texts called “tweets.”
A constantly updating ticker tape that keeps you informed of cur-rent affairs minute to minute, Twitter has also evolved into a soapbox site where users share thoughts on topics ranging from politics to fashion, and spirituality. These opinions create a dialogue between the user, the subject, and the “followers” who read the tweets. Celebrities, brands, and publications such as The New York Times and Women’s Wear Daily tweet constantly, as does our very own CDG (@local892), keeping followers up to date with thoughts like “CD Lindy Hemming is currently in Wales celebrating the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise.”
Facebook is the classic social networking site to connect with friends, family, and colleagues.
By now we all are familiar with Facebook. But the application can be used for more than just socializing. Groups have been created to support industries and their workers. Need a job? Looking for an assis-tant? From research to a recommendation for stain removal, Facebook is an invaluable resource for our community. The Costume Connection, I Need a Producer, and I Need a Production Team are all Facebook groups that update daily.
16 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 17WWW . WA R N E R B R O S 2 0 1 2 . C O M
B E S T P I C T U R E
B E S T C O S T U M E D E S I G N
A N N M AS K R E Y
R I CH AR D TAY LO R
BO B B U CK
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
WARNER BROS.THE HOBBITFYC BEST COSTUMETHE COSTUME DESIGNER (CDG)12/17/12
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18 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 19
In a 1995 interview with Wired magazine, Steve Jobs likened creativity to a game of connect-the-dots, with truly innovative design happening when the dots are culled from the far, the wide, and the unexpected. “The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have,” said Jobs. Carrying this principle over to costume research takes the designer beyond putting actors in appropriate clothes and makes it possible to depict intricate and vivid visual stories.
Costume Designers George L. Little (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker), Jacqueline West (Argo, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Delphine White (Copper, Breakout Kings) took some time to talk about how they go about acquiring their arsenals of dots.
It is a rare project that doesn’t require some man-ner of research. Aspects of a script will often be removed from the day-to-day world of both the design-er and the audience. Thorough knowledge of the sil-houettes, frills and general style of a previous century is a crucial step to transporting the audience back in time. Understanding the traditions and resources of a culture on the other side of the world can make all the difference in respectfully and accurately depicting its people. Contemporary subsets of people like mili-tary branches, immigrant communities, and hipsters might be superficially familiar and the stuff of count-less tropes, but they all have their own set of rules, customs and seemingly impenetrable details. Good research arms the designer with the nuances and tex-ture that imbue a specific world with a life of its own
By Christine Cover Ferro
From Archive to Screen:
Conversations About Research
Research board for Argo. In preparation for the film, the sci-fi films of the time and their crews were among the worlds West and her team delved into.
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and, in so doing, helps the audience better under-stand the lives of the characters.
Little summarizes the simple, if exhaustively time and labor-intensive research process: “You’ve got a subject, and you go everywhere you possibly can, whether it’s a personal connection or through libraries, newspapers, and magazines.”
Going Directly to the SourceWitnessesWhen telling a recent or current story, designers may often have the luxury of access to people who were present for the events in question. They can always be counted upon to remember details that, while often insignificant to historians, add that bit of some-thing that makes the story personal.
For a project about Caribbean women working as caregivers for families in North America, White got in touch with a local magazine and, through that source, was able to meet one of the women who served as inspiration and get an account of her daily life. She also did a bit of espionage at a department store favored
by these ladies, discreetly following them as they shopped and taking note of the colors and styles of clothing that they chose.
During preparation for Argo, West’s conversations with members of the Iranian expatriate community were instrumental in fully comprehending what life in 1979–1980 Tehran was like. In addition, she had the opportunity to speak with Antonio J. Mendez (engineer of the rescue mission), who, aside from being the person best suited to give the “Word of God” account of the experience, has kept many of the clothes he wore during the mission and lent them to West for the course of the production.
With lengthy experience on military projects, Little is no stranger to collaborating with technical consultants. Their authority proves ideal in shaping a realistic world, while raising a unique challenge. As with any human experience, key details vary significantly based on the source’s own story: where, when, or under whom he or she served. Speaking to sources other than those used by a director or other teams is likely to create differ-ing viewpoints.
Primary Sources Firsthand accounts like diaries, letters, photographs, civic records, and interviews, while not always available, present what
LoS AngeLeS
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM)Library: www.fidm.edu/about/fidm-libraryCollection: www.fidmmuseum.org/collections/
The Getty Research Institutewww.getty.edu/research/
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)Doris Stein Research Center for Costumes and Textileswww.lacma.org/doris-stein-research-center
Western Costume Librarywww.westerncostume.com/services/research-library
NeW YoRk
Adam & Sophie Gimbel Design Library at Parsons School of Design library.newschool.edu/gimbel/
The Bard Graduate Center Library of Bard Collegewww.bgc.bard.edu/library/
Gladys Marcus Library at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)www.nypl.org/branch/central/mml/pc/
Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library (closed for renovation until 2014)www.libmma.org/portal/the-irene-lewisohn-costume -reference-library/
The New York Public Library Art Divisionwww.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/art/artarc/artarch.html The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts www.nypl.org/research/lpa/lpa.html The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Artwww.metmuseum.org/research/curatorial%20research /the%20costume%20institute(Photographs of complete collection also available online)
oNLINe
Corbis Imageswww.corbisimages.com
Library of Congress Digital Collectionwww.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html
Life Photo Archive hosted by Googlewww.images.google.com/hosted/life
The Disfarmer Projectwww.disfarmer.org
Agence Photographique de la Réunion des Musées Nationauxwww.photo.rmn.fr(Searchable art database for French museums)
Web Gallery of Artwww.wga.hu
ReSeARCh ReSouRCeS
the reality of the situation was, and offer the most grounded infor-mation. They also provide a record that is free from interpretation, or as close to reality as possible. Accessing and working through all that information creates the foundation from which the designer is then free to build up the visual world of the story.
Creative works, from paintings and sculpture to fashion maga-zines, catalog illustrations, and Costume Designs from previous decades, are by their very nature filtered through the lens of the creator’s worldview, even when accuracy was the creator’s intent. These pieces continue to be valuable and necessary in their own right, with the understanding that designs based on them carry more levels of interpretation. Inspired projects are possible when the designer makes the conscious decision to embrace a height-ened reality, from a staging of Sunday in the Park with George with period-accurate silhouettes and pointillist paint treatments, to much of Eiko Ishioka’s body of work.
Period GarmentsHistorical clothing collections, available in numerous museums, offer an unvarnished account of fabrics, textures and sewing tech-niques and are a favorite resource for White. Because most museum collections can also account for the provenance of garments in their collections, they also offer a glimpse into the lives, and pos-sibly heads, of their previous owners. A call in advance to a curator or preservation department can garner some time behind velvet ropes and glass cases in order to examine the clothing firsthand.
PhotographyThe relatively speedy democratization of the photographic art form gives us, for the first time, a window into the lives of people beyond the scope of painted portraits. From war photography to portraits, and even sumptuous magazine spreads, photography has allowed us to see a more detailed and realistic version of the world starting around the 1830s than was ever possible before. Seams and wrinkles that didn’t factor into portraits were now in plain sight. And, while antique garments and other artifacts are still accessible, seeing them on people in their original context paints an entirely different picture.
West advocates photography as an invaluable resource: “I love the details and quirks that are captured,” she explains, especially in less formal shots. In preparing for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a favorite source was the work of Mike Disfarmer.
The Value of Nonvisual ResearchA common thread throughout the conversations was the importance of the written word in addition to, and at times over, visuals. All three designers rely on a multitude of non-pictorial resources to develop their insights into the world they’re creating. Time and again, text explains the “whys” in ways that standalone images simply can’t.
While Little is also a fan of photography, frequenting numerous collections both at libraries and online, he is quick to offer a caveat: “It’s very easy to find a lot of conflicting photographic research, and it’s all correct.” He stresses the importance of reading sup-porting information to place the visual into a context, to get the “heading or the story underneath it.”
22 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
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Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 25
WOMENS & MENS APPAREL , SHOESJEWELRY, ACCESSORIES AND MORE
“I read a lot,” West explains. When preparing research for projects, she’ll first read books and articles contemporary to the period, citing diaries and letters as particularly rich resources, before delving into pictorial research. For Argo, several accounts of the rescue mission and related materials were used, including Mendez’s books and Jean Pelletier’s The Canadian Caper. Joshuah Bearman’s 2007 Wired article also helped shape her choices for the Western characters. In dressing the women of Tehran, one of the books she read on the city gave an account of chadors that captured her imagi-nation. These garments, mandatory after the Shah’s exile, were also a symbol of national pride, with black ones in particular becoming known as the “Flags of the Revolution.” It wasn’t long before black fabric became scarce, and patri-otic women made do by over-dyeing whatever was available, including patterned linens and tablecloths. In reproducing these, West’s team stayed true to those accounts, resulting in numerous shades of black and subtle but still visible patterns in the chadors that appear in the bazaar and protest scenes.
White gleaned valuable information from morgue records, while ACDing for Beatrix Pasztor on A Dog of Flanders; they “went into great detail describing the fabric and colour of the clothing that the deceased individuals were wearing at the time of their demise.”
An understanding beyond cut and style in the world being created can sometimes guide design choices. White recalls a project where knowledge of the period’s etiquette helped her convince production to sign off on a black dress, despite a previous agreement to avoid the color, as the char-acter’s social standing required mourning clothes for a year following her husband’s death.
Interpretation, Adaptation and DeviationThe most compelling storytelling happens when it is rooted in truth. However, we’re not documentarians: interpretation is inherent to fic-tion, even when the story is based on reality. Ultimately, the script must be the road map to the end result, and the story is frequently well served by some deviation from the research, or even what one knows to be correct.
Both West and White stressed the importance of including older garments in scenes to create a truer, richer visual. “Not everyone is going to be a fashion plate,” West explains, and points out that her own closet includes prized garments dating back 10 to 30 years. She finds dressing background characters this way a particularly good opportu-nity to lend scenes texture and depth.
Some deviations are matters of function. White cites the impractical-ity, if not impossibility, of acquiring certain fabrics and other materials for projects. Issues of fit also arise with strict adherence to original cuts and proportions, as modern diets and exercise have changed bodies.
White also points out that the audience will always view the end result through a contemporary lens. What was pleasant or beautiful during another time period may look odd or even off-putting now, with everything from artificial silhouettes, extra wide crinolines to historically popular colors—like Dead Spaniard or Maize, are all but guaranteed to be questioned at some point in a designer’s career. The Costume Designer walks a fine line between staying true to history and presenting the character in the intended light.
Or, as a mentor once quipped, “When you know your research really well, you know when you can cheat and get away with it.” Lastly, sometimes adaptation is called for to simply tell the story. Little says, “You want a jumping-off point—here’s reality—but you also find when it’s more important to benefit the character as opposed to being strictly correct. You always have to consider that: the story comes first.”
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 27
Hollywood Costume at the V&ALike a fantasy party which defies the constraints of time, Hollywood Costume assembles guests as illustrious as Adrian’s pinafore for Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Penny Rose’s frock-coat, breeches, and boots for Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, and Alexandra Byrne’s aigrette, gown, and ruff for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (pictured). The exhibit is the most successful in the history of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, with more than 30,000 people viewing it in the first week, and it is already sold out. Dr. Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Director of the David C. Copley Center for the study of Costume Design at UCLA, curated the blockbuster show which celebrates the art of Costume Design as an essential tool of filmmaking.
Hollywood Costume is a unique celebration of Costume Design, featuring many American films. The exhibition is many things at once: it is an education for the general public on what Costume Designers do, why we do it, and the process and collaborations that are involved. It is also a visual feast of iconic costumes from some of Hollywood’s best-known and best-loved films, with each section of the exhibition educating and entertaining. The exhibit uses various technologies to present designer and director inter-views, design research, designer techniques, and film clips to draw the viewer into the visual art of Costume Design.
It celebrates our Costume Design past, present and future, and makes any Costume Designer feel proud to have chosen their career path. Not to be missed! –Mark Bridges
Deborah Landis is genius! Her visionary quest for bringing the art of Costume Design to the world stage has arrived, and it is a magi-cal experience. Deborah has created a groundbreaking, innovative, dynamic 21st-century exhibition showcasing the artists that create Hollywood Costume. She explores the central role of the Costume Designer in cinema storytelling. The exhibition unfolds as a cinematic experience in three acts, illuminating the Costume Designer’s process from script to screen, as they design the costume that creates the char-acter. Ultimately, Hollywood Costume’s 130 iconic garments showcase our art that will live on forever. –Ellen Mirojnick
It was an emotional experience to see the Hollywood Costume exhibit in person. I feel like, for the first time, our art form is being shown to the public in a way in which they will truly be able to under-stand and appreciate it. Our work is presented thoroughly, with dignity and intelligence. It’s not just an exhibition of costumes; it’s an educa-tion about our art form. The exhibit and book mark a turning point in public relations for our field, and will definitely change the perception of what we do and how we do it. I am so excited to have been a part of this occasion, and am so proud to be a Costume Designer.
–Kristin Burke
Left: Elizabeth: The Golden Age Universal/Working Title/The Kobal Collection/Greg Williams 2007Below: Hollywood Costume sponsored by Harry Winston 2012 ©V&A images
Few figures are as recognizable as the silhouette of Abraham Lincoln. The 16th President of the United States has been the subject of many biopics, the latest of which, Lincoln, is designed by Joanna Johnston and stars Daniel Day-Lewis. Johnston explains, “I suppose the challenge and the opportunity is that he is so famous and his image is so strong, I felt that he could easily become a caricature.”
Part archeologist, part psychologist, Johnston used the photo-graphs of Mathew Brady as a touchstone. She was obsessed with the space between Lincoln and his garments. “He’s scrawny and skinny and doesn’t fill the clothes,” she explains, “there’s this kind of void in there, and I wanted to capture that. It’s a difficult quality for film, because sometimes translations can look ill fitting, so it’s a fine balance.” She used a set of garments from the end of Lincoln’s life housed at the Smithsonian Institution as a blueprint, but did not copy them exactly. Because some details were not quite right for the project, she made incremental adjustments.
The movie developed over three years, but the actual costume prep time was three months. As she was working on other projects, Johnston began the initial research and the collaborative process
with director Steven Spielberg and Day-Lewis, of whom she says, “You can’t think of anybody better.”
It was an epic undertaking that included 140 speaking parts. The task did not end with making garments for principals and secondary principals, but also included the construction and aging of an army of Civil War uniforms. Because of the limitations of time and budget, Johnston had to carefully strategize which costumes to build. For some characters she made only one set of clothes so audiences would “hold the image of them through the film.” But there were also exceptions.
For the fashionable Mary Todd Lincoln played by Sally Field, Johnston re-created a dress from the Chicago History Museum. “It had every single tiny piece of information I needed. It gave me her dimension, her neck to waist, her circumference in her waist, and her bust.” It was the one garment Johnston copied exactly, but the dress was eventually cut from the final film. The rest of Mary Todd’s changes focused on capturing her essence.
“Because it has been a year since we filmed it, I can now see the bigger picture ... and realize what an exceptional piece it was to work on.”
Costume Design for theHistorical Figure
Like a Rembrandt portrait captures elusive and intangible qualities, Costume Design for the historical figure trades exactitude for evocation, embodying the person rather than merely re-creating them. It is a techni-cal feat for the Costume Designer to represent an individual the public has mythologized in a way that is also true to life. Regardless of the lim-ited time frame and varying budgets of film and television production, audiences do not consider the difficulty of the task, but only whether or not they believe in the depiction. In the final analysis, the ultimate arbiter is history. Four of our distinguished Guild members describe their recent experiences in the genre.
By Anna Wyckoff
The Stovepipe Hat
© 2012 DreamWorks II Distribution Co.
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 29
Historical FigureThe Black Suit
Costume Designer Julie Weiss has known Hitchcock her whole life. “He was part of my dreams,” she explains. Weiss was first aware of the Hitchcock script a few years ago, and knew she wanted to be part of this quest. “Who would have thought a black suit could define a Costume Designer’s journey?” she asks. It is a legitimate question for a Costume Designer, but with someone whose clothing is as well known as Hitchcock’s, it is still a challenge.
Hitchcock’s black suit was only part of a man whose work and personality represent the darkness of intrigue. Weiss’ design process involves thorough scrutiny of the subject—from psyche to role in society and relationships—in order to construct the film’s world in garments that express the subtle psychological insights she has gleaned. Her poetic instincts translate into costume choices which are an expression of a character’s essential nature, and the roles they choose to play in their life.
“When you’re dealing with a character like Hitchcock who already is remembered as the man stepping into his own silhouette, a large man, who when you say his name, is not only remembered for extraordinary films,” explains Weiss, “you also think of him as someone who is remembered physically, with his voice and music as much as the films that he has directed. He is part of his own filmic history.” She continues, “What’s exciting is that if you have someone like Anthony Hopkins, you see that it’s not that important that he is a precise copy of Hitchcock, because then, that is what he would be: a copy. And when you’re dealing with someone like Hopkins and with a director like Sacha Gervasi, when you watch the two of them together, you see that interpretation is a very key word for the Costume Designer.”
Weiss aims to make a costume so characteristic that it seam-lessly facilitates the actor’s transformation. She explains, “When you have that merger of Hopkins as Hitchcock and you get past that silhouette no matter how much of a hyperbole it has become ... that means you are in the presence of a great actor. When Hopkins left the set, sometimes you didn’t know who he was leaving the set as, because Hitchcock was still there long after the costume came off. And that’s why I do it.
“You can only do this with such a remarkable cast,” she continues. Weiss describes with wonder how Helen Mirren (as Alma Hitchcock) in a red suit becomes strong and in control, and in the next scene, wears a red dress sitting in a red chair, and becomes smaller and smaller. To Weiss, these are the moments that represent Costume Design.
“The assembling of the clothes, the fact that it was not a large bud-geted project, you had to rely on the passion of the project, but the pas-sion is nothing without a costume crew. Everyone who believed in this helped, including the costume houses,” expounds Weiss. “When
you do a project like Hitchcock, once you start filming and you see what a glorious excursion it is, you realize that it could be one of the best things you could do with your life, and you hope it is not the last.”
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30 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
The DiamondThere is celebrity, and then there is Elizabeth Taylor. Costume
Designer Salvador Perez found himself faced with the epic challenge of depicting one of the most photographed historical women in the world, with a twist: he had to transform another famous personality, Lindsay Lohan, into the starring role for the Lifetime movie Liz & Dick.
He began with copious visual research, and Perez was surprised at the volume of information available. “You could Google Elizabeth Taylor or a particular era or date, and there would be an image,” he observes. “The public has a vast knowledge of what Elizabeth Taylor looked like and wore. Her iconic images are so embedded in peoples’ memories that we had to keep it authentic. We had to evoke Elizabeth Taylor, but flatter Lindsay Lohan,” explains Perez. He notes that Taylor and Lohan have a waist size within an inch of each other, but Lohan is slightly taller. Perez used a combination of vintage undergar-ments and re-creations by lingerie specialists What Katie Did to flesh out the period silhouette.
But the challenge did not end there. Taylor was known not just for her style, but also for her furs and jewels. “How do you cover a woman in mink and diamonds on a television movie budget?” Perez questions. A longstanding relation-ship with furrier Edwards Lowell of Beverly Hills facilitated the answer: “They opened up their archives and let me rent some period pieces; we used so many furs that I could never have afforded to buy.”
The famous jewelry was repro-duced by Skinny Dog Design Group. They re-created such celebrated pieces as the Peregrina Pearl, the Krupp Diamond, and the Taylor-Burton Diamond (out of cubic zir-conia.) XIV Karats in Beverly Hills made the set of Bulgari emeralds. Additionally, Perez scoured Los Angeles for vintage baubles since there were more than sixty changes for Lohan alone, and she was never without accessories.
Perez strove for authenticity, but a gap in the documentation of her private life required him to design casual looks in her style. In another instance, 20th Century Fox, who owns the copyright to Cleopatra, refused to allow the costumes to be reproduced. Perez used these set-backs as opportunities to be creative, aiming to summon the spirit of Taylor and the original film while thorough-ly enjoying the process.
He created many looks for Grant Bowler, who plays Richard Burton. Perez laughs as he explains, “Grant Bowler has an amazing physique but I had to make clothes appropriate to the period. We almost had to hide his body because Richard Burton wasn’t in great shape.”
The final challenge was painting the scene around the prin-cipals. There were 400 extras and more than 1,600 costumes total. “Thankfully, Costume Rental Corporation (CRC) gave me carte blanche with their collection of ’60s and ’70s clothing,” says Perez, “we were doing 1951, 1963, and 1969 in one day, from a casual party on a boat to the opening of Hamlet.” Perez seems energized by the Herculean task. “I think that’s the dif-ference,” he smiles, “as a Costume Designer you want to honor history, but still be able to be creative and design within that world.”
© 2012 A&E Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. Photo: Richard McLaren
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 31
The GlitterBefore Lady Gaga, Madonna and Cher, even before Elvis,
there was Liberace—the original “Mr. Showmanship.” To con-jure his opulent personality, Costume Designer Ellen Mirojnick immersed herself in his world for HBO’s biopic Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas and directed by Steven Soderbergh. It is told from the vantage point of his lover, Scott Thorson, played by Matt Damon, and is the story of their rela-tionship.
Mirojnick unearthed reams of research, both public and private photos, and investigated performance footage and images. She found herself walking a tightrope between Liberace’s flamboyant stage persona, the more casual cloth-ing of his personal life, and the deeply psychological script. Carefully considering not just the historical details, but the story the director was telling and what it would take to trans-form Michael Douglas into Liberace without any feeling of parody or camp, Mirojnick sought “to really bring something to the character that will show the hidden depth, not just the outside decoration.”
Not only did Mirojnick have to re-create and interpret Liberace’s dazzling stage costumes, which were made in Hollywood using couture techniques and materials, she had an eight-week prep for the actual build. “From his jumpsuits to his capes, furs, diamonds, and rhinestones, there was no detail
spared for Liberace ... we had to do things to fool the eye,” she chuckles. The original garments were heavy, and Mirojnick marveled that Liberace could perform in them for hours. She chose to replicate certain signature pieces precisely, like the famed virgin fox coat rimmed in rhinestones with a 16-foot train, but in faux fur. “I worked night and day with Mary Ellen Field [at Bill Hargate] to beat the clock.”
In the casual clothes, Mirojnick strove for naturalness. “The wardrobe of the late ’70s and early ’80s was, in fact, a fabulous male silhouette. Matt and Michael assumed it really easily. It gives a man a great shoulder, the armhole and pant rise is higher, which they had to get used to, but it didn’t take a long time. It really is a kind of superhero ‘Inverted V,’ and I happen to think it is classic and handsome.
“But it’s really a tough story,” adds Mirojnick. “It’s color-ful, glittery, and exuberant, and it is dark at the same time. It was extraordinarily challenging, but to be able to get up every day and create these costumes is the best job in the world.”
At press time, no photographs have been officially released for Behind the Candelabra.
Salvador Perez Liz & Dick
Joanna Johnston Lincoln
Ellen Mirojnick Behind the Candelabra
Julie Weiss Hitchcock
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32 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
12 Days of Presents
12Pencils Sketching:
Illustrator Gina Flanagan can’t live without Prismacolor turquoise drawing pencils. Set of 12, available at Jerry’s Artarama. ($11.17)
11Energy Boosters:
Snack Attack Basket for on-the-go lunches in the car. Comes with 11 snacks and a decorative basket. www.wellbaskets.com ($75)
10Digits Polished:
Enjoy a spa manicure and pedicure packageat Pastel Nails, conveniently
located near Paramount Studios at 5770 Melrose Avenue. ($30)
9Dames a Dancing:
Give the gift of digital movement with the Intuos Wacom Tablet, recommended by Illustrator Phillip Boutte. ($79-$349)
8Reads for Research:
Filmcraft: Costume Design by Deborah Nadoolman Landis ($29.95); Town-Gown Conflict by Constance Barrère Dangleterre ($35); Fashioning Bollywood: The Making and Meaning of Hindi Film Costume by Clare Wilkinson-Weber ($29.95); Tim
Gunn’s Fashion Bible: The Fascinating History of Everything in Your Closet by Tim Gunn ($20); Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara by Mark Tungate ($39.95); Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline ($25.95); Victorian Fashions for Women and Children: Society’s Impact on Dress by Linda Setnik ($29.99); Menswear:
Vintage People on Photo Postcards (The Bodleian Library—Photo Postcards from the Tom Phillips Archive) ($25)
7Heavenly Minutes:
Bliss Spas Blissage 75 begins with a warm wax foot wrap and finales with a relaxing full body rub. ($155)
6Comfy Set Shoes:
Keen Ladies Bern Baby Boot in Forest Night ($160); Keen Ladies Auckland Ballerina Slip-on in Prune Purple ($65); J-41 Ladies Tahoe Sneaker in Navy ($89); Keen Men’s Coronado Sneaker in Brindle/Black Olive ($65); Merrell Men’s Radius Glove Shoes in
Chocolate ($130); Rockport Men’s Sagwon Ankle Boot in Dark Brown ($125)
By Christine Cover Ferro and Rebecca Raleigh
Gift ideas for CDG members, from stocking stuffers to major splurges
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Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 35
5Healing Creams:
Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream ($4); Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy ($28); TokyoMilk Dark Everything
& Nothing Shea Butter Handcreme ($22); Nivea Crème ($7); Bach Rescue Cream ($8)
4Piece Refresh Kit:
Yes to Blueberries Brightening Facial Towelettes Travel Pack ($3); Colgate Wisp Peppermint Mini-Toothbrushes with Freshening Bead ($2/4 pack); Palladio Rice Paper Blotting Tissues
with Rice Powder ($3.99); Organix Travel Size Extra Strength Moroccan Argan Oil ($4)
3 Bags for Buying:
Will’s Leather Goods Otto Crossbody ($330); IIIBeCa by Joy Gryson Church Street Envelope Crossbody Bag ($98); Marc by Marc Jacobs reusable tote ($68)
2 Sights Worth Seeing:
Warby Parker frames. For every pair you purchase, a pair goes to someone in need.
1 And a Costume Drama DVD:
The Story of the Costume Drama ($40)
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You probably know that walking is good for your heart. But, here’s some news that should really get you moving. New research shows that heart-healthy exercise is also good for your brain. It also may reduce
the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and what you can do, visit alz.org/californiasouthland. Thinking ahead now just might make all the difference
down the road.
alz.org/californiasouthland • 800.272.3900
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 37
BFN HONORS/FESTIVALS
CD Marcy Froehlich was nominated for an Ovation Award for All My Sons at The Matrix Theatre. The ceremony took place on November 12, 2012.
CD Ann Roth was lauded in tribute at the Hamptons Film Festival. Among the many wonderful guests in attendance was Meryl Streep, who recited a poem she wrote called “Ode to Ann.”
CD Audrey Fisher was invited to Rio de Janeiro to pres-ent a Costume De-sign workshop to 70 enthusiastic par-ticipants at Festival do Rio 2012, South America’s largest in-ternational film fes-tival. Audrey gave a keynote presentation on Costume Design featuring her work for True Blood and included sketches, still photographs, video clips and actual costumes from the
show. Due to its success, plans are already in the works for another visit in 2013.
CDG Labor Rep and IA Organizer Betty Madden was interviewed by Henry Walton for the Sunday-morning Labor Review show on KPFK 90.7. The interview covered the high cost of healthcare and explored the alternatives to the current system.
BFN ENTREPRENEURS
CD Janie Bryant has been named a brand ambassador for Hearts on Fire Diamonds.
CD Stacy Ellen Rich and her couture line, Heir Apparent Hand Sewn, are being featured in two venues this season. Six pieces from the line are in stock at The Loved One store in Pasadena. In early December, Rich and her line are being featured in a designer profile for the popular website, The Working Wardrobe.
BOLDFACE NAMES - WORK
In October, supernatural-themed projects were par for the course for CD Bonnie Stauch, now designing Deadtime Stories: Grave Secrets, the new Nickelodeon series starring Diane Ladd, filming in the Los Angeles area and wrapping in late December. CD Joyce Kim Lee puts to rest another Nickelodeon project in a similar vein, this time the pilot The Haunted Hathaways. CD Marie France recently wrapped the AMC and Endemol Studios pilot, Low Winter Sun, directed by Ernest Dickerson. France prepped the crime drama in Los Angeles and filmed in Detroit. She is poised to design the series if green lit. CD Nancy Steiner is presently in town working on the Lifetime period pilot, Cinnamon Girl, with supervisor Robin McMullen and ACD Jennifer Starzyk as Steiner’s key. Renee Zell-weger and Anthony Tambakis co-created the pilot set against the backdrop of the L.A. music/movie scene in the late ’60s/early ’70s.
Tosh.0 and The Doctors costume designer CD Car-rie Cramer recently came on board to lend her design detail for Alison Sweeney of The Biggest Loser. CD Ane Crabtree is excited to begin designing Showtime’s Mas-ters of Sex this December in Los Angeles. Michael Sheen (Dr. William Masters), Lizzy Caplan (Virginia Johnson), and Beau Bridges (Barton Scully) are featured in the series.
IN FOCUS
BOLDFACE NAMES
CD Carrie Cramer andDaniel Tosh (Tosh.0)
38 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
The dynamic duo of CD Julie Schklair and ACD Courtney Stern are responsible for the ABC Family shows Switched at Birth and Perception and will soon launch into the new Jerry Bruck-heimer pilot, Trooper, in Austin, TX. The pilot features Mira Sorvino as a sensible mother who becomes a N.Y. state trooper, with Jay Hernandez as an additional cast member. CD Olivia Miles and new CDGer ACD Elena Balshem are also in Austin having just begun the Lifetime pilot, The Secret Lives of Wives, directed by Liz Friedlander and inspired by the Iris Krasnow novel.
CD Roberta Haze recently designed the HBO pilot, Hello Ladies, written, directed, and starring Stephen Merchant as a gawky Eng-lishman who comes to Los Angeles, Land of the Beautiful People, in search of the love of his life. Haze is now ensconced in Ft. Lau-derdale, and having a fabulous time designing Graceland, a new USA Network series about a group of DEA/FBI/Customs agents all sharing the titular beach-front mansion, seized from a drug lord ob-sessed with Elvis. CD Katina Le Kerr is another designer feeling incredibly blessed with wonderful people and scripts on her proj-ect of the last two seasons, Homeland, shooting in Charlotte, NC. ILL Lois DeArmond recently whipped up some illustrations for CD Carol Ramsey for a spectacular dance sequence in an upcom-ing episode of Magic City, now in season two on the Starz Network.
This October, CD Allison Leach designed a commercial featur-ing a dance extravaganza starring 65 dancers for Microsoft’s new Surface tablet, completed in two days thanks to Leach’s team of ACD Tiffany White and newly minted CDGer Chrissy Callan. CD Christopher Lawrence just returned from Prague, where he designed a number of Comcast commercials with frequent col-laborator and director, Phil Joanou.
On the film front, CD Ann Foley is just putting the finishing touches on the remake of About Last Night for Screen Gems, with director Steve Pink here in Los Angeles. The The Last Stand: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Graceland leads L to R: Aaron Tveit, Daniel Sunjata
IN FOCUS
BOLDFACE NAMES
MOTION PICTURE COSTUME CO.
3811 VALHALLA DR.BURBANK CA 91505
P. 818-557-1247 / F. 818-557-1695WWW.MPCCWARDROBE.COM
40 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
IN FOCUS
BOLDFACE NAMES
movie stars Michael Ealy and Adam Rodriguez. Early this month, CD Beth Pasternak started designing the feature, A Many Splintered Thing, described as an “anti-rom-com” with Chris Evans, Michelle Monaghan, Topher Grace, Aubrey Plaza, and Luke Wilson, shooting in Venice Beach and San Francisco, and wrapping mid-December. CD Michele Michel just finished the final touches on the Lionsgate feature, The Last Stand, filmed in New Mexico and the Paramount lot, with Arnold Schwarzenegger stepping back to acting, along with Forest Whitaker, Rodrigo Santoro, Luis Guzman, and Johnny Knoxville; CD Carlos Brown assisted Michel from Los Angeles.
ACD Liuba Randolph has enjoyed a run of il-lustrating work recently for fall TV shows: CD Lou Eyrich for American Horror Story: Asylum (don’t watch this with the lights out), CD Debra McGuire for Touch, New Girl, and Ben and Kate, as well as for CD Durinda Wood’s up-coming LA Opera, Dolce Rosa, conducted by Plac-ido Domingo, adapted from an Isabel Allende short story. Wood was also thrilled for the challenge
Randolph illustration for McGuire: Ben and Kate
Randolph illustrations for Wood: LA Opera’s Dolce Rosa
of designing a ’70s musical comedy, Lucky Stiff, set in London, Monte Carlo and Atlantic City, all thankfully shot here in town. CD Francine Lecoultre is designing the gritty action drama, The Devil’s Ink, this fall. CD Maya Lieberman wraps a bow on her latest feature this month with Baggage Claim, a romantic comedy for Fox Searchlight about a flight attendant who has 30 days or 3,000 miles to beat her sister to the altar and avoid becoming the oldest unmarried woman in her family. The comedy stars Paula Pat-ton, Derek Luke, Taye Diggs, Djimon Hounsou, Jill Scott, and Adam
To find a store nearest you and experience the entire collection visit us at www.matthewchristopher.com
M A T T H E W C H R I S T O P H E R
TO EXPERIENCE THE ENTIRE COLLECTION VISIT WWW.MATTHEWCHRISTOPHER.COMFOR RED CARPET AND PLACEMENT IN FILM & TELEVISION PLEASE CONTACT [email protected]
42 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
BOLDFACE NEWS
CD Louise Frogley was featured in Los Angeles Magazine’s Haute List Blog, discussing her choices for Denzel Washington’s character in Flight.
Glamour magazine’s Daily Style Blog interviewed CD Salvador Perez, Jr. on his close collaboration with FOX’s The Mindy Proj-ect’s creator and star, Mindy Kaling.
On ZAP2it.com, CD Kathleen Detoro talks about where she goes for great ’60s pieces for CBS’s Vegas.
The Long Beach Post ran a profile on ILL Alan Vil-lanueva’s journey as an illustrator.
Compiled and written by:Suzanne [email protected] Ellen [email protected]
IN FOCUS
BOLDFACE NAMES
Brody. CD Alexis Scott sounded wistful at the conclusion of five glorious weeks on the west shore of Lake Tahoe having designed Last Weekend, a dark comedy of manners starring Patricia Clarkson as a matriarch whose weekend family getaway descends into complete and utter chaos. CD Ruth Carter hasn’t left the state of Louisiana for quite some time, having transitioned straight from The Butler to Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy, now shooting in New Orleans and featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, and Michael Imperioli.
L to R: Costumer Monica Gartner, CD Alexis Scott, costumer Charlie Carr, and key Summer Petersen
Make your labels. Use your labels.Submit your labels to the Guild office
for a future label cover!
Labels
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experience on over 40 films
www.danaschneider.com 310-435-6694
dana schneider Jewelry shop on eTsy.com
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CDG-Ad Dana Schneider.indd 1 11/28/12 2:25 PM
CDG LibraryA large collection of research materials is available to our members at the Guild office.
Here’s a sampling:
Montgomery Ward catalogues, 1894-1980Sears catalogues, 1897-1966Spiegel catalogues, 1928-1976Seventeen magazines, 1946-1983Life magazines, 1937-1982Butterick and Vogue pattern books, from the 1960s and 1970s
Also available is a vast array of research books.
We would like to remind our members that the library is available for their use, and is open whenever the office is open. Normal office hours are 9:00 am to 6:00 pm; please call in advance to schedule an appointment.
Costumes of Distinction
Layo
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Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 45
YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL YOUR DESIGNING NEEDS
Civilian Costumes for Men, Women and ChildrenPeriod and Western CostumesUniforms: Police, Fire, Paramedics, Airline, Trade, Service, School & all US and Foreign MilitaryPatches and Badges - existi ng or made to orderOn-site 6-head Embroidery MachineDesigner’s Offi ce and Trailer SuppliesResearch Library and Color CopierShow Packaging and Episodic Packaging DealsTailoring Shop/Made to OrderProducti on Offi ces with 24/7 access, internet ready Cages open 24/7 with trailer accessVIP Fitti ng Rooms and Laundry RoomDomesti c and Internati onal packing and shipping
Costume Rentals Corporation11149 Vanowen St., No. Hollywood, CA 91605
Contact: Mel Sabino, Linda AllegroTel (818)753-3700 • Fax (818)753-3737
46 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
Meauxbar942 North Rampart StreetNew Orleans, LA 70116(504) 569-9979My favorite restaurant, I could write a novel about this place. A neighborhood bistro nestled on the edge of the French Quarter, across from historic Armstrong Park, and a stone’s throw from the famous Treme neighborhood. Chef Matt and his partner Jim make this place your home every time you dine.
French Sole333 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 267-9000 A great little shop for women’s shoes. Studio services are not available in this city (with the exception of Saks), but the customer service here is great. They allow us to take shoes on 24-hour approval for fit-tings and go out of their way to help us find and fit the perfect pair.
Broadway BoundCostumes Inc.2737 Canal StreetNew Orleans, LA 70119(504) 821-1000I get all my plumes and many of my beads and stones here for my Mardi Gras Indian suits; Miss Helen and Anna should have their own reality show. This is the shop many of the Mardi Gras Indians use for their notions and supplies.
Jefferson Variety 239 Iris AvenueJefferson, LA 70121(504) 834-5222A bit like a fabric flea market, you might find yourself searching through mounds of bolts stacked entirely too high. However, if you have the courage and the power to dig ... treasures you will find. This offers ideal novelty fabric for Mardi Gras costumes, the Second Line parades, and Mardi Gras beads and the like for Treme.
Rubensteins102 Saint Charles AvenueNew Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 581-6666Where famous New Orleans musicians like Allen Toussaint shop. The finest standalone men’s apparel in the city. Valet parking makes it worth the stop.
Promenade Fine Fabrics1520 Saint Charles AvenueNew Orleans, LA 70130(504) 522-1488The gem has wool suiting, fine silks, designer prints, vintage fabrics, amazing buttons, ribbons, and trim. Hands down, the best fabrics in New Orleans.
IN FOCUS
on loCatIon
New Orleans with Alonzo WilsonCostume Designer Treme HBO
48 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
The NeighborsCostume Designer:
karla sTevens
PartnersCostume Designer:
lori eskowiTz-CarTer
The New Normal Costume Designer:
CaThy CranDall
NashvilleCostume Designer:
susie DesanTo
Game ChangeCostume Designer:
Daniel orlanDi
Malibu CountryCostume Designer:
elizabeTh bassCD to Reba McEntire:
Terry ann gorDon
Go On Costume Designer:nanCy goulD
Animal PracticeCostume Designer:
sabrina rosen
Political AnimalsCostume Designer:
laura golDsmiThCD to Sigourney Weaver:
ann roTh
what’s ON
The Client ListCostume Designer:
DoroThy amos
Nas
hvill
e/A
BC
; M
alib
u C
ount
ry/A
BC
; The
Nei
ghbo
rs/A
BC
; Par
tner
s/C
BS;
The
New
Nor
mal
/NB
C; G
o O
n/N
BC
; Ani
mal
Pra
ctic
e/N
BC
; The
Min
dy P
roje
ct/F
ox; T
he N
ewsr
oom
/HB
O; G
ame
Cha
nge/
HB
O;
The
Clie
nt L
ist/
Life
time;
Pol
itica
l Ani
mal
s/U
SA
The Mindy ProjectCostume Designer:
salvaDor perez
The NewsroomCostume Designer:
hope hanafinAssistant Designer:
hanna jaCobs
Fall 2012 The Costume Designer 49
On the Road Costume Designer:
Danny gliCkerAssistant Designer:
miChele k. shorT
Not Fade AwayCostume Designer:
CaTherine marie Thomas
Assistant Designer: miCkey CarleTon
Hansel and Gretel: Witch HuntersCostume Designer:
marlene sTewarTAssistant Designer:
ann foley Illustrator:
ChrisTian CorDella
LincolnCostume Designer:
joanna johnsTonAssistant Designers: jane gooDay
kenneTh van Dyne holly waDDingTon
Parental GuidanceCostume Designer:
genevieve Tyrrell
Silver Linings Playbook
Costume Designer:mark briDges
Jack ReacherCostume Designer:
susan maThesonAssistant Designer: elaine Davis
perlmann
Django UnchainedCostume Designer:sharen Davis Assistant Designer: paula elins
Illustrators: felipe sanChez gina flanagan
This Is 40Costume Designer:leesa evans
Assistant Designer: kayTi haugh
what’s IN
HitchcockCostume Designer:
julie weissAssistant Designer:
kenneTh van Dyne
Gangster SquadCostume Designer:
mary zophres Assistant Designer:
Terry anDerson
Stand Up GuysCostume Designer:
linDsay mCkayAssistant Designer:
sarah springer
Linc
oln/
Touc
hsto
ne/D
ream
Wor
ks; S
ilver
Lin
ings
Pla
yboo
k/Th
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Com
pany
; Hitc
hcoc
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; Jac
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each
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aram
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; Not
Fad
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way
/Par
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oad/
IFC
Film
s;
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Pic
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/The
Wei
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aren
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20th
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Fox
; Gan
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War
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Gre
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Witc
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; Sta
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Lion
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50 The Costume Designer Fall 2012
SCRAPBOOK
Offering legendary lives for the scrutiny of mere mortals, the biopic film bridges the gap between subject and audience with a winning combination of fact and fiction. Part of its lasting popularity may be attributed to a double dose of celebrity, often clad in epic costume.
One iconic example can be found in 1948’s Joan of Arc, which features Ingrid Bergman dressed in medieval surcotes, armor, and chainmail. The depiction garnered Costume Designers Karinska and Dorothy Jeakins the first Oscar for Costume Design in a color film, which broke ground for an avalanche of future accolades in the biographic genre.
Woodbury/MCD | the costume designer - full page ad | 04.29.11
trim size: 8.375" x 10.875" bleed size: 8.625" x 11.125" live area: 7.875" x 10.375"
Earn a BFA in Fashion Design · Study Costume Design as
a minor · Choose millinery, shoe, and handbag design as
electives · Research costume history in the 6,000-piece
Fashion Study Collection · Cross disciplinary boundaries to
psychology, communication, graphic design, and animation.
Join the fashion revolution: mcd.woodbury.edu/fashiondesign
Alter fashionworld!
the
Gown by: Stephen Ferradino, Class of 2010 Photo by: Volker Correll
Costume Designers GuildLocal 892–I.A.T.S.E.11969 Ventura Blvd., First FloorStudio City, CA 91604
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The Official Magazine of the Costume Designers Guild
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COSTUME DESIGNER4/C | BACK COVER | WITH BLEEDBLEED: 8.625” W X 8.125” HTRIM: 8.375” W X 7.875” HSAFE: 7.875” W X 7.5” HPDF/X-1a:2001
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