This was my first active help for a show. I helped sew two costumes.
I used a commercial pattern to construct John Hancock's blue paisley coat and breeches. Amber Stepanik embellished the coat and made the waistcoat.
I used a commercial pattern to construct Richard H. Lee's orange coat, orange breeches, and teal paisley waistcoat. Amber Stepanik embellished the coat and waistcoat.
This was my second show and also the first show that I helped co-design. I designed and sewed seven costumes.
The baker is a middle-class businessman who proudly owns his own shop. He moves back and forth between his ovens and the retail counter at the front of the shop. His costume had to be appropriate for the physical work of baking as well as interacting with his customers. I adapted a commercial pattern for the vest and pants. The shirt is based on a colonial men's shirt pattern.
I designed the Baker's jacket to look like a well-worn hunter's jacket he had inherited from his father. It is patterned off an old-fashioned military men's jacket with a few modifications. The pants were constructed from a commercial pattern, modified to fit the actor's non-standard physique. I also constructed the pants with an elastic top instead of a standard zipper front to ease a quick costume change. To break the monochromatic look of the brown pants and brown jacket, I added twine edge trim around the edges, red/gold ribbon on the jacket front and sleeves, and added green fabric details to the sleeve cap and shoulder.
To further distinguish a change of scenery, I added a scarf for the Baker to wear when he went "into the woods". I used golden yarn to provide a highlight while still coordinating with the overall tone of the costume. After finger-knitting a few long strands I wove them all together until I achieved just the right look.
The Baker's Wife runs the retail side of their family-owned bakery. She greets the customers and conducts the business while her husband moves back and forth between his ovens and her counters. Her green peasant shirt was constructed using a commercial pattern. The purple/green flowered corset-vest was constructed using a commercial pattern modified extensively to fit closely to the actress' physique. The dark green skirt is an A-line full skirt. I modified it from a drawstring waistband to an elastic waistband. I also removed several of the gathers so the skirt would fit more smoothly with the corset-vest.
Jack and his mother are very poor. Their clothes are beyond "well-worn", which illustrates their difficult position in life.
Jack's mother wears a worn shirt, ragged skirt, drab brown corset-vest, and shawl. The shawl was used "as is" from the costume department. The shirt was contructed using a commercial pattern. I "aged" the fabric "aged" by selectively soaking it in tea. The corset-vest was a specialized cotton fabric. It appeared visually to be old, worn leather, but the cotton fabric greatly increased the actress' comfort. The skirt was manually aged. I made extensive modifications to the three pieces worn by Jack's mother to fit the actress' physique while also ensuring they looked as though "didn't fit quite right", as would be likely for a poor person.
Jack's clothing is also designed to look as though it does not fit properly. His shirt is from the costume department. His vest was made from a pattern of the correct size which was modified to be too small. Jack is also wearing pants which appear to have been worn from the time that Jack was still too small for them, until now, when he is too big for them. They were made from a commercial pattern of the correct size which was then modified to show how it would have been "let out" as Jack grew.
After acquiring their riches, Jack and his Mother upgrade their clothing to reflect their new station in life. I set the design direction and pattern styles for their new clothes. I bought nice fabric for Jack's new vest. For Jack's mother, I modified commercial patterns for her jacket and skirt, including the addition of feather trim around the neck and sleeves. These clothes were all sewn by Kristen Knipp.
My intent throughout the production was to create costumes appropriate to each character's station in life. I also wanted to coordinate the styling to reflect a sense of community style. To suggest Jack's lesser social status from the Baker, I "downgraded" the jacket by eliminating the sleeve cap and shoulder detail. I used tan burlap ribbon to decorate the front and sleeves. This added some visual interest, while also suggesting poverty.
This mysterious old man has been living in the woods for a long time. The pants were constructed using a commercial pattern, modified with an elastic waistband to reduce costume change time.
The visual focus of the old man is his coat. I started with a coat from costume storage. I cut off the original sleeves of the coat at roughly the elbow. I then took a colonial-era shirt with very blousy cuffs, and sewed the shirtsleeves into the coat sleeves. I then sewed scraps of fabric onto the coat in a haphazard fashion. The overall appearance suggests a man who was once wealthy, but has come into hard times.
Little Red Riding Hood is the leading actor in the show. Her dress suggests a middle-class station in life. I constructed the dress from a fairly plain commercial pattern, adding lace trim at the collar, cuffs, and hem. I modified a commercial pattern for her corset-vest, using a synthetic leather material.
Little Red Riding Hood's cloak was the clothing centerpiece of the entire show. I constructed the cloak from a modified commercial pattern, using top quality red linen fabric for both the cloak and lining. This double-layer of linen maximized the impact of the vivid red color, while also providing a visually attractive drape to the cloak and hood.
After killing the wolf, Granny skinned it and made a little capelet for Red. I adapted the cape pattern to make the capelet. It is constructed from the same fabrics used for the Wolf's fur and pants.
The Wolf is a dangerous creature who has killed many people. To improve his hunting success, he attempts to camouflage himself by wearing the clothing of his prior victims. His most recent victim is a prince, so the wolf is quite well-dressed, with a tail coat and high boots. The Wolf's powerful muscles cannot be confined within human clothing, however. His muscles burst through his coat, and his tail sticks out from the back of his pants.
For this costume I altered an existing tailcoat, cutting slits to show the wolf's fur underneath. I used a modified commercial pattern using a custom leather-like cloth to construct the pants. The tail was custom made by Jenna Townstead.
This is a back view of the Wolf's coat. I made slits in the jacket and sewed fur patches into the slits to simulate the wolf's fur bulging through the ripped fabric. This technique also made the Wolf's costume changes much easier.
The Wolf had a dual-role as Rapunzel's prince for one of the weekends of the show. Which meant that for that weekend the actor is required to do a quick costume change. I designed the Wolf's shirt to facilitate this.
I started from the Prince outfit and worked backward. I worked with my co- costume designer Amber Stepanik to make sure that the Wolf's pants and knee-high boots can also work for his duel role as the Prince. It would also to make the costume change easier and quicker.
I had the actor wear a Spandex short-sleeved workout shirt to wear under the Wolf's jacket. To create the Wolf's hairy chest, I sewed Velcro pieces into the front of the shirt and I then did the same thing with the back of the wolf's fur, enabling the actor to hook the fur onto the shirt for his Wolf role. Then after the Wolf "dies", He would quickly remove the fur, put on his Prince shirt and jacket to do the other role. Our wig specialist, Erik Tristan, used trimmers to sculpture the wolf's abdominal and pectoral regions.
This was the second show that I co designed. I helped sewn six costume pieces and I designed and created six showgirls.
Barbara Terry designed the dancer's outfits and I helped sew the skirts.
In this musical number, the Devil (in the guise of Mr. Applegate, center) reminisces about previous days of mayhem and mischief. He is joined by some of his former associates--Napoleon, Nero, Jack the Ripper, Marie Antoinette, an Indian, and a Cannibal. As a creative device, the director wanted each of these characters to be portrayed by showgirls. I designed and constructed each of the showgirls' costumes.
This is my interpretation of Napoleon as a showgirl. I designed and constructed the blue satin military jacket (inspired by Steampunk). The jacket is embellished with gold buttons and gold epaulets. JJ Obee helped sew the epaulets to the jacket.
This is my interpretation of Nero as a showgirl. Her outfit is loosely based on a cheerleader outfit. Her skirt includes design features such as box-pleats and decorative ribbon. The cape, again inspired by an emperor motif, was constructed out of the same fabric as the skirt to link the two design elements.
For Marie Antoinette, I envisioned a hoop skirt--without the skirt! The skirt is constructed connecting hoops together with satin ribbon. Lindsey Dove crafted matching satin bows and glued them on for an even more fanciful appearance.
The skirt for this costume was constructed from a faux-leather fabric. The edge of the skirt is trimmed with a turquoise fabric that matches the corset.
For the "Jack the Ripper" showgirl, I envisioned a Steampunk-inspired Victorian top with a skirt and bustle. The costume was designed with a core structure of black, and the peripheral items (stockings, bustle, plume, and hair) of dark red and copper hues. The overall color design evokes darkness and blood. The top was adapted from a commercial pattern. Color-coordinated sheer lace was used for the midriff. The bustle was made in a shade of red to strengthen the secondary tones from the actor's hair and stockings. I made the capelet from the same fabric as the top and skirt to draw the costume together.
The cannibal outfit is capped by a shrunken skull. The color theme for the overall costume combines a core color of black (hair, bustier, bracelet, and stockings) with bright green as an extreme shade from the jungle. I modified a commercial pattern for the skirt, and added a hemp and bead fringe for visual interest.
I helped make one costume for this production. I also helped with the alterations.
This three-piece Victorian inspired ensemble was made from a CAD program that was downloaded and printed onto several pages. I put the pieces together in the correct place and traced the pattern pieces using the actors measurements as a guide. I then cut and sewed all the pieces together. I sewed this ensemble under a two week deadline.
I also altered John Merrick and Fredrick Treves suit jacket and pants to better fit the actors.
I wanted to add more detail and richness to The Duchess's jacket. So I added a burgundy lace to the front, collar and cuff. To better fit the actor and help with the quick change, I used velcro to the front of the jacket and hid the seams with burgundy buttons down the front.
This is my fifth show at Stage Works and my second as the Costume Designer. The play is about a group of actors doing a show and all the drama behind the scenes. The play within a play is based in the 1970's era and the main actors are dressed accordingly. The director, stage manager and assistant stage manager are dressed in modern clothes.
Dotty Otley plays the housekeeper Mrs. Clackett.
