Beth Marshall, Costume Design

 

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Bibliography

Cunnington, C. (1990). English women's clothing in the nineteenth century. New York: Dover Publications.

Dryden, D. (1981). Fabric painting & dyeing for the theatre. New York: Drama Book Specialists.

Marshall, B. (2014). Vanity Fair. [online] Pinterest. Available at: http://www.pinterest.com/crimsonimprint/vanity-fair/ [Accessed 18 Oct. 2014].

Richardson, J. (1973). The Regency. HarperCollins.

Shep, R. (1993). Corsets. Mendocino. CA: R.L. Shep.

Sichel, M. (1977). Costume reference. Boston: Plays, Inc.

Walker, F. Vanity Fair. (2014). [sketchbook]. [Received September 29, 2014]

Waugh, N. (1970). Corsets and crinolines. [New York]: Theatre Arts Books.

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Specialist Practice: Evaluation

In evaluation of this project I have come to some conclusions that I find very helpful in my journey of career decisions. Firstly I have realised that theatre is definitely not my intended area, as from this and past experience I have come to believe that theatre is ephemeral and does not share the immortality I believe film to have. As I have noted before, theatre costumes often lack the level of detail I enjoy going into in my work, which is more often enabled in film.

Secondly, I have also realised that my preferred work style is not conducive to working in large teams. I have long been aware that when given a project I prefer to be able to go away, find a quiet area and get on with, asking for help or advice when I need it. In Specialist Practice I found more often than not that I was expected to work in the crowded, noisy space with the other Vanity Fair makers even when we were of no benefit to one another, taking up precious space that needn’t have been taken up. Perhaps this project would have been different if we were more experienced – the slightly frantic atmosphere of a team who had worked on few, if any, live productions was not an atmosphere that promoted confidence, and it became clear with the hurdles we faced that we were not completely certain of what we should be doing. Working as independently as I did also seemed to allude to other members of the team that I was constantly behind schedule or wouldn’t have my garments finished in time, which are concerns I never held. My time management is effective enough that I never miss a deadline. If I were to do this project again, I would ensure that even if I worked independently I would communicate more clearly the stage at which I was at with my project, to reassure the more concerned team members.

In terms of my practical work, there are some silly mistakes that I made and room for improvement but also some good work; I got ahead of myself between fittings and hemmed my dress far sooner than I should, which resulted in it being too short after some alterations. This was rectified by the addition of the gold panel (which I believe really added to the overall appearance of the dress) but could have been avoided had I thought this through more patiently, rather than focusing on getting as much work done as I could in a small amount of time. When the second fitting showed my back panels to be too small, rather than panic and stress over it I was able to quickly and effectively solve the problem by recognising how to recut the panels in a way that would allow for extra seam allowance. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to continue my blog rather than return to workbooks, as I find blogging a more natural platform on which to record my process. 

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[costumesbybeth]

Nov 5th - Opening Night

The morning of Opening Night consisted of everyone trying to complete the little jobs that needed completing before the curtain went up. I had finished my own costume, and so I helped other people where I could.

I spent some time handstitching a small cummerbund for one of sophie's puppets, which was simple but fairly time consuming. I had just about finished when the director decided to cut the puppet's cummerbunds from the play altogether. The important lesson learned here is that changes are constantly being made in the production process and you can't get upset if those changes suddenly don't include your work at all.

I was surprised by the speed and efficiency with which we, the dressing team, managed to get all the actors dressed and ready for the performance. With such a small team and a fairly large amount of actors, I had expected it to take longer than the 15 - 20 minutes that it did. On reflection, I also found that in the dressing process it was important to recognise when your help was needed, and when it was better to stand aside to avoid being underfoot. 

Whilst the performance was on there was little to be done in the dressing room except tidy things up, as there were no costume changes for us to help with. At the end of the performance, undressing went even quicker, no doubt thanks in part to the actors' and crew being eager to get home and rest ready for tomorrow's performances. 

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November 4th - day of Tech Rehearsal

With the dye room open again today I was able to submit my garment for the final painted touches. With my own costume out of the way I was able to continue helping out with other jobs on the production; I measured and cut fabric for a new shawl to replace one that the designer disliked, and attached the pieces together with a french seam (occasions to practice french seams are always appreciated); I also created a pleated waistband that fasted with poppers, which was rather trial and error as I have very little experience with pleating. The shawl and the waistband were both made of satin, and I found it pleasant to work in a fabric other than calico for the first time in this project. It also served to remind me of the different characteristic fabrics have; whilst the calico is matte and textured and fairly stiff, the satin was much smoother and more slippery to work with.

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November 3rd - Dress Parade notes

Padded bloomers look much better than bumroll

gold panel at dress hem needs finishing and painting darker

neckline insert needs lowering and painting into to conceal CF seam

feed cording through neckline to pull it closer to the actress

shawl needs painting into 

The dress parade could easily have been intimidating if approached with the wrong frame of mind - I find it is important to remember that feedback opportunities such as the fittings and dress parade are not intended as personal attacks but as constructive criticism. The aim of both the interpreter and the tutor (in the case of fittings) or the designer and director (in the case of dress parades) is to make the costume as good as possible and that you are supposed to be working in harmony.

It was a relief as well to find that my dress bodice now fits my actress perfectly. To find that it was still too small or had yoyo-ed back to being too big would have been disheartening, and at this point also a very stressful and time restricted alteration to make. Without the third fitting however I would only just have discovered my bodice was too small, which has taught me the importance of fittings and how essential it is to have as many as possible.

There seems also to have been some mis-communication within the production team. When I pointed out in the dress parade that I had not yet been given the bows and ruffled trim that were pictured in the design, the textiles team told me that this was because I had not yet made and given them in to be painted. Having previously made sure to ask the designer specifically about the trim earlier in the project, she assured me I would be neither making nor painting the trims, and that they were the responsibility of the textiles team. In hindsight I could have prevented this mix up with a follow up discussion with the textiles team, to ensure all three parties were clear on what I was and was not expected to make.

As it stands, Mandy has said that the bows and trims are unnecessary and needn't be added.

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Third Fitting Notes

remake back panels of bodice

let out the sleeve cuffs - currently too tight

Add panel to hem to correct shortness

redistribute the gathered skirt fabric to the back

After taking in the back panels of the bodice from the last fitting the costume is now too small. I have yet to identify how this is possible, as the amount of fabric I will have to put back in to the CB is more than I initially removed. Despite the seeming impossibility of this, it is what it is and I will have to unpick the bodice from the skirt, remove the back panels and remake them, as I had already trimmed down my seam allowances. This is a very confusing and frustrating turn of events in what is already a very frustrating project, but if nothing else it serves to challenge me and my problem solving skills.

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[costumesbybeth]

End of week 4: Review

Major disruptions to the dye room schedule have lead to delays and stress; the cotton calico with which we were supposed to have made our toiles and costumes ran out after only the toiles were complete. It was two days before the supervisor was able to replenish this supply, which not only meant that we couldn't begin work on our costumes but also meant that fabric was not able to be cut in time to adhere to the dye room schedule, which was then put a day behind.

This has been an important lesson in the knock on effect of delays when working in a team; when one step is affected, all steps are affected. It is important therefore everyone carefully plans the requirements of their role, and to the best of their ability anticipates problems that may occur. Efficiency leads to better time management and less stress, which in turn helps not only make a more pleasant experience and work environment, but also helps to keep up morale and motivation.

With the calico absent, I chose instead to work on my corset and was able to get it finished, complete with cut bones and bound edges. I would say that nearer to the end of the project I would add to the embroidery if there was time, but with the way the project is going I doubt time will be something we have to spare.

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Garment line drawings

Seams are indicated with dotted lines and quilting with criss-crossed lines. Decorative cording has not been included.

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Garment Line Drawings

bodice and skirt seams indicated with dotted lines

(Decorative bows and ruffles have not been included as these will be made by other team members.)

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Second Fitting notes

Reshape neckline into a V as marked

insert layer behind V neckline to recreate design

Raise waistline by 4cm

take in the back panel 4cm

more gathering under the bust

slight gathering over the bust

make sleeve cuffs narrower

My unfamiliarity with regency era dresses has made me hesitant about raising the waistline - I am used to having the waistline sit on or at least near the natural waist, which is obviously not the style of the period. By raising the waistline as shown by my tutor, I can give the costume a more appropriate silhouette.

The overall takeaway from this fitting was that much of the costume was too large (which is more easily remedied than it being too small), so I will adjust the pattern pieces to reflect the new measurements and shapes of the fitting.

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Toile fitting photos

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End of week 3 - Review

This week has been a little more strained than the previous; whilst the fitting went relatively well and left me with some minor alterations, it has left both supervisors and tutors worried that the alterations would not be done in time to start draping the toiles, and the toiles in turn would not be done in time for the next fitting on the following monday.

I decided to add some more decoration to my corset in the form of cording on the back panels. With this in place, I was then able to stitch my boning channels and finish the centre back with a facing, which looks very neat and professional. In light of the wrinkling issues that emerged in the fittings, everyone has added a bone channel down each side seam as well, in the fell seams. I found the fell seams incredibly difficult, but I suspect this is because the seams are curved. On a straight seam, I think it would be much easier to manipulate the fabric in to sitting neatly whilst I sew it. As it is, my side seams are neat from the outside but less so on the inside. This is regrettable, but as the outside is what's important, redoing them is not a priority.

At this point I was told to leave the corset as it is and commence my toile draping, or run the risk of not being ready for my fitting. I enjoy draping on the stand immensely, as it feels much more instinctive than pattern drafting, and requires a more hands-on problem solving approach. 

I was able to drape the bodice with minimal problems; I had a brief conversation with the designer regarding gathering, as I know she had specified previously that she did not envision any in the bodice, but my research had shown that the dresses of the era typically did have gathering for bust shaping, as opposed to darts. We agreed that under bust gathering would be appropriate, but if possible the neckline should be kept flat. 

As per historical examples I had researched, I draped the bodice with shoulder seams further back than modern seams sit. Whilst I don't think this particularly affects the fit, it is a small detail that adds to the overall accuracy of the garment as a historical piece.

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These historical examples of 1810-20 dresses have helped influence my design interpretation. The bottom image shows a popular style of bodice shaping with a central closure that I intend to recreate with hook and bars rather than buttons, as hook and bars are quicker to do up and undo which makes them more appropriate for theatre where quick changes are key. The top and middle dresses show examples of V shaped necklines similar to the one in the design I am working from. The top features no gathering, giving the bodice a flat appearance, whereas the middle uses gathering to shape the bust in what is a more instantly recognisable regency style. Both are potential techniques I could recreate, so I will discuss them with my designer to see which is more appropriate to her vision.

References

Marshall, B. (2014). Vanity Fair. [online] Pinterest. Available at: http://www.pinterest.com/crimsonimprint/vanity-fair/ [Accessed 21 Oct. 2014].

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Monday Meeting - Oct 13th

Tack sleeves in for fitting

make sure there are two sleeves for balance

Tack Waist/Hip/Bust and CF lines for accurate fitting

High quality toiles inspire confidence in the Actors

drape toiles on top of corset

Specifications for my design;

bodice not gathered as in design; only painted in to

skirt gathered for regency shape

textile workers will dye fabric and make trims

bodice CB seam closure

Having discussed my costume with the designer, I now understand that my role in the project will not include any of the hand painting or dyeing fabric that I initially thought it would. This negates part of my learning agreement in which I planned to develop my experience and skills in those areas.

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Corset Fitting Notes

Move design line at CB into the seam allowance as marked and finish with facing

Widen hip gusset as patched - be sure to amend pattern pieces

Widening gussets will ease wrinkling/tension in CF

gather bust gussets as pinned

move design line on strap tip to edge of seam allowance

Raise underarm design line

remove straps and bind separately

bind edges in continuous strips - no joins

punch eyelets last - no need to buttonhole

Note; the hip gussets were inaccurate, as I knew they would be from the drafting problems.