You’re planning your next production. What are the best costume design tools to use?

When considering costume design, my 20+ years of experience says to invest in a costume designer who has a solid reputation and who has a long history working on a variety of productions. I have been fortunate to work with the same woman for most of my career. She does not use sketching tools, fabric tools, fitting tools, etc.... She is an intuitive and creative artist who has a strong visual and spatial aesthetic who loves what she does. Take care of the creatives. Pay them well and respect the unique manner in which they do their craft. Their expertise can be seen in the final product.

If you are into digital rendering but can’t afford procreate, I have had great success with SketchBook, a free digital painting software. It’s now my go-to.

... Imagination ... I still prefer to sketch by hand using human figure templates and haven't looked into CAD or CGI apps at all ...

Prior to sketching your designs, pull research images together. This will help inform your sketches and give you visual references to share with the director and other designers to make sure you are on the same page.

Some ways to get started, even if you don't feel you draw people masterfully: Collage boards, mood boards, color swatches. These days Pinterest makes separating ideas into characters very easy. However, remember some of the best resources might not be found online. As far as sketching, Procreate on the Ipad makes it really easy to overlay and communicate ideas about costumes. It still takes time and energy, but changes can be made fairly easily to color and line. You will want an e-pencil to help sketch more easily.

If you're going to heavily distress your fabric, it's a good idea to treat your samples the same way. You get a sense of what it will look like, your director and design team understand, and you know if the fabric can withstand the treatment or will behave the way you think it will.

Ir directo a las tiendas de telas a sentir las texturas, conocer los precios, revisar la caída, el peso, movimiento, calor. Llevar los bocetos, las medidas, las tallas. Con claridad de lo que queremos crear, para pedir recomendaciones de los expertos. Se puede convertir en una experiencia fascinante. No olvides anotar toda la información recabada, de manera ordenada: direcciones, nombres de tiendas y de las personas que atienden, precios, fechas, impresiones y muestras. Probablemente haya material que no vamos a ocupar en la puesta de escena actual, pero querremos recordarlo en alguna otra.

Don't be afraid to experiment with different fabrics and techniques. These days there are a lot of tutorials online to help get you started. It's always a good idea to get some extra cheap fabric to make a "mockup," so you can work out any fitting issues or try out difficult sewing techniques. You want to try to get something that is at least close to the weight or feel of your final fabric. This technically means you sew the garment twice, but it also means you have a better final product.

Every piece does not need to be built from scratch. It’s amazing when it can be, but you’ll also most likely need to be able to do basic alterations on existing clothes. In an ideal world, someone else would be building your designs, but that’s rarely how it works. Be smart about how much you can physically accomplish with your sewing machine.

Every piece does not need to be built from scratch. It’s amazing when it can be, but you’ll also most likely need to be able to do basic alterations on existing clothes. In an ideal world, someone else would be building your designs, but that’s rarely how it works. Be smart about how much you can physically accomplish with your sewing machine.

El orden y la limpieza. Es útil llevar una bitácora y checklist. Con el nombre de los actores y los materiales entregados (vestuario y utilería). Con el registro de la limpieza (fecha y costo). Precisar con ellos el lugar donde deben tomalo y dejarlo antes y después de la función. Siempre estar prevenidos con tijeras, hilo, aguja, seguros, ligas (un kit de costura). Y no olvidar los elementos para trasladarlo y mantenerlo organizado: Ganchos, cajas, fundas, etiquetas, etc.

One thing I've found helpful for both research and styling since I am not a costume designer and our theater company cannot yet afford one is creating a Pinterest board with the director or direct collaborators. This allows us to find a throughline in what we all see. I particularly love it because I'm not a skilled illustrator, so when I'm looking for what I see in my head I often find it (or find something that I hadn't thought of).

If you are doing a period piece, The Metropolitan Museum’s Fashion/Costume collection is catalogued online and is an indispensable resource. I have also taken to collecting coffee table books of different periods as these contain images of everyday people just living life in everyday clothes.

Nas produ??es teatrais que eu dirijo, costumam partir de uma perspectiva. Essa perspectiva é definida com base na análise do texto e defini??o do superobjetivo da pe?a. A partir disso, gosto de definir paleta de cores de personagens comparando com sua personalidade e inserindo simbolos para melhor ilustrar a trama ou dar vida ao personagem pelo detalhe. Acho um caminho interessante para se criar algo original e adaptado ao seu público local.

El trabajo de campo, las análogías o metáforas: Podemos empezar por empatizar con los personajes, sus gustos, su historia de vida, sus actividades, su personalidad, etc. Y es importante llegar a acuerdos con el equipo creativo sobre dicha personalidad. A partir de lo anterior, en el día a día, podemos jugar a buscar personas parecidas; personalidades, figuras públicas; comida; animales; cosas; situaciones; lugares que representen nuestro personaje. Para mí, la mejor manera de representarlo es con imágenes (collages) de todo lo encontrado: fotografías, recortes de revista, dibujos, imágenes en internet, etc. Todos los sentidos y aprendizajes que incluyamos durante la creación del vestuario, impactarán en el resultado.

The real first step to Costume Design is talking to the entire design team. Make sure you and the set designer aren’t making clothes and walls the same color (unless that’s part of the artistic vision) because one of you will have to change it. Make sure your costumes are ready to be worn when the actors need them at Tech, and keep fighting for equal pay for costume people.

The very first thing as the costume designer read and understand the script, create a mood board as your special guide, then sit down with your director and set designer to ensure none of you collides on set. Ts very beautiful to be on the same page with the creators so as to see ensure that you see exactly what they see.

Everything is about Collaboration. Make sure you're on the same page as your director and their vision and read over the script multiple times. If there's an idea you're really passionate about don't be afraid to speak up about it, but also know when to pick your battles and prioritize.

Always my first step do your research. Fabrics, buttons and trims give a period look so make sure you know your characters well and then include the movements that characters may be making in your final product. Your actors will apriciate this attention to detail. Sometimes it's as easy as choosing a stretch fabric that fits your needs.