Putting A Costume Together

by Janet Anderson

Lots of discussion has happened on how costumers work on their costumes. This is one master-class costumer's process. She probably has a bigger stash than most of us, but the process can be adapted.

I find that I work on costume projects in several clearly-defined stages, which may be separated from each other by months, if not years.

Phase One - Conception

(This usually occurs during long road trips for some reason). An idea sufaces from the mental swamp, often associated with a presentation concept as well. During the drive, I design it and figure out the stages of construction (put the trim on the sleeves before you sew up the side seam; the bodice would be better as a side-lace version, etc.) This may take several car trips to complete. If it's an historical project I may come home and hit the books for the necessary research.

There are always lots of projects floating around in my brain. Many costumes never make it past the daydream stage, but live complete and perfect in my head.

Phase Two - Materials Acquisition - Box Stage

This may continue for months or even years. I usually have several projects in Concept stage. If I find fabric or get sparked by some trim, they move into Phase Two and I start a box for the project. As I find neat stuff for the project, it gets put into the box. Sometimes a new Phase One comes along that can use the previously acquired stuff and the old box gets raided. Sometimes the project dies for one reason or another.

I may also sort through other boxes of unassigned stuff (like the four LARGE storage boxes of gold trims or several shoeboxes full of jewels) and see what works for the project and move it over.

There are usually six to ten project boxes going, plus several dozen that are in the fabric-only stage. (In part, because fabric speaks to me in the store and tells me what it wants to be, so it comes home with a project associated with it). I'm usually carrying two or three swatch cards with me just in case something strikes my eye that might work.

Phase Three - Out of the Box and Onto the Dummy

Oh no, I have an event and nothing to wear!!!! This sends me hunting madly through the project boxes till I pick one. The fabric, trim, and embellishments are loosely pinned to my dressmaker's dummy for evaluation. The design concept is refined, based on the materials acquired and the way things look together. At this point I inevitably realize that I need More Stuff. If it isn't 2 am, I head downtown to the Garment District (a lovely LA advantage) and return to Phase Two.

If I have the luxury of time, I will live with the project loosely pinned in concept on the dummy for a week or so. I keep looking at it from different angles and reassessing the design and materials till I'm happy with them. Often, this involves a color study as well.

Phase Four - Patterning and Mock-up

I run a major pattern distributing company. Do I make costumes straight from a pattern? No. It isn't in me to do so. I may start with a pattern (I hate to draft armscyes), but it's going to get modified. Or I may have to draft/drape my own. I drape more than I draft, just because I'm more comfortable with it.

From paper, it moves to mock-up/sloper, which is basted together for a test fit of the critical parts. Depending on how weird I've gotten with the design, this may involve only the bodice piece or most of the garment. I do not omit this step. Even when I only have 12 hours to build the dress, I still do it. I have learned the hard way!

Phase Five - Major Construction

This tends to get done in a blitz. Every night for a week, or Friday night to Sunday night, or on occasion, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. when I have to get into it for the ball that night. If I've thought all the steps through completely and have patterned well, this goes pretty fast.

For a historical project, I tend to have the underwear already at hand and build over the proper silhouette. If I have to build the underpinnings as well, this will take a LOT longer.

For a SF project, I allow time for building underpinnings and structure, because I nearly always have something bizarre in mind that won't work with anything I already have. The underpetticoats for the Queen of the Spider Courts took three weeks alone to build.

Rules of thumb:

Build from the bottom up and inside to outside.
Try it on frequently.
Iron as you go.
Look at it from all sides, especially the back.

Phase Six - Embellishments

As major construction goes on, the garment lives on the dummy and is continually reevaluated for design and materials. Sometimes this results in a major redo. Most often, it results in more embellishments than originally planned.

Embellishing can continue on for the life of the garment. I keep adding bits - more trim, more beads - to refresh a garment or just because I think it needs MORE. That's why one of my dresses is called "the Simple Little Regency Dress from Hell" - 1000 hand-tied pearls later, I called it quits.

I tend to do a lot of embellishment, limited only by the amount of time I have. Sometimes, I do pieces ahead and put them in the project box, but usually the initial embellishment is done as part of the major construction. Embellishment is done most often at night, while "watching" TV or old movies I can recite by heart. It's almost always handwork anyway!

Phase Seven - Accessories and Headwear

After the major garment is living on the dummy mostly finished, I go through my large collection of jewelry and accessories and figure out what I'm going to wear with it. If I need to build a hair ornament or a hat or a full headpiece, I will do it after I have most of the major garment construction done. These accessories get built in a blitz of work, with glue, jewels, fabric, trim, buckram, wire and everything else spread all over the kitchen!

Then I try to find shoes, so I can hem the darn thing. I hate to hem, so it is usually one of the last things I do.

Phase Eight - Evaluation and Admiration

If I've been a good little costumer and gotten it done ahead of time, it will live on my dummy, with its accessories, until its first official wearing. I spend a fair amount of time looking at it as I pass by. I will tweak it a bit if I think it needs it. But I usually just enjoy looking at it and feeling proud that I created this marvelous thing!

Then it's on to the next project that is ready to come out of the box... and, boy, are there a lot backed up waiting right now!

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