I design for the movie and the character as well as the person wearing the costume. I show the ideas to the actor, then do fittings for shape and technical things such as movement in the costume. Once the costume in this form is on the actor, you have a sense of their connection with it. I then take it to the next level with the final fit.
In productions such as 'Anna Bolena' and 'Rigoletto,' the costumes are tailored, and they're tight. In 'Moby,' it's like you're wearing pajamas, and you have more freedom. It's very comfortable on stage.
A film is a great deal about what you see, and the silhouette of a character tells you a lot. I'd love to go into film costume.
As a costume designer, I first try to figure out what the character's economic situation is and hit the stores they'd shop.
The thing that's great about being a costume designer is you never know what's going to be next; you never what world you are going to enter.
Costume design is so important and really helpful, and I really love that aspect of character development, just figuring it out.
Costume design allows you to do a different type of research and create characters, whereas in fashion, you create an image and clothing for the masses.
I didn't want to do Chekhov or Shakespeare. So I switched my major from acting to costume design. Eventually, I got a job working as a wardrobe assistant for a theater company. I would dress the actors, fix their costumes, do the quick changes for them and all that stuff.
There were episodes where I would wear seven or eight outfits. It took a lot of time to get those together. What the character wears is very essential to how I create the character.
