Moving from Theory to Reality: Building Costumes for Julius Caesar
Fabric & Trim Shopping. Once the designs are finalized, we hunt for fabric and trim options suitable for the costumes we plan on building. This process happens locally and online. Time allowing, we request samples from far-away vendors. Shopping locally gives us the opportunity to see the options in person and decide more quickly. Pulling from Existing Costume Stock. Once colors have been chosen, the designer looks through existing costume storage and collects items that might be altered to fit the aesthetic of the current production. Special attention is paid to the size of garments in relation to the actors who might be wearing them.Creating Patterns for Built Pieces. Carol Wood, Costume Shop Director, drafts a pattern for the base layer. For this production, “deconstructed” shirts were being built for every actor. The Base Layers in Process. Pictured here, several of the base layers under construction. This piece would act as a layer over which additional pulled costume items could be added. The white shirt was for Caesar, while the darker shirts were for the conspirators.Stitching the Pieces Together. Students from the Production Studio class displaying their stitching handiwork! They helped with pattern alteration, cutting, finishing edges, and stitching, all indispensable skills in costume. (L to R: Celina Julia Hofstadt, Deen Legesse, Tre Stephens, Oshin Bista, Katie Concannon, Gad Kibet. Not pictured: Bella Costantino-Carrigan, Christi Woldemdhin).
Experimenting with Looks. Before first fittings, Costume Designer Mira Veikley uses a combination of built and pulled items layered and styled to create a head to toe look, specific to each character and scene. Only two fittings had been completed when students left campus due to Covid-19, and work began on our “Zoom” Production.
