Costume Breakdown: Hampton Court Palace
Hey y'all! The long awaited HCP/pro-shot breakdown is finally here.
There are some key differences in the makers + construction of some of these Hampton Court costumes, so throughout this post I'll be talking a lot about the different costume makers + studios that make both the Hampton Court costumes and the longer term productions. I have a write-up here on what the different costume makers are and and what productions/costumes they’ve worked on.
A couple broadly applicable notes:
- Everyone got a new costume.
- With the exception of Lexi, everyone seems to have gotten new boots.
- Everyone got the Roman numeral earrings.
- Most of the crowns are new (made by Dean Burke Hats per the usual)
- With the exception of Lexi and potentially Natalie May Paris, everyone got a new wig.
Jarneia Richard Noel (@/jrichardnoel, @/lewis.haythorpe, @/jrichardnoel, @/karontwinkleeyes_sw)
Jaye'J had a costume with the most recent costume update; she got it in Feb 2020 and wore it through her departure from the show in 2021 (pictured top left). She is not wearing that costume but instead a new one. That’s not surprising; over time costumes break down and the fit and structure won’t work as well for the actor, and for the pro-shot they would want new costumes.
The fit of her costume, especially the shape of the peplum and its’ alignment with the skirt, is fairly different. It looks like this costume was made with the peplum attached to the top, whereas her 2020-21 had the peplum attached to the skirt.
Jaye’J got the updated necklace design with the black ribbon laced through the chains. She had previously only had flat La Ducas but got new heeled ones for Hampton Court, which I talk about more here.
Millie O'Connell (L-R: @/karontwinkleeyes_sw, @/isaacgrinnellphoto, @/hollylouisehmua, @/lewis.haythorpe)
Millie's costume is made by Costumes by Wendy. They had made almost all of the early UK principal costumes but haven't worked on recent productions. I've gotten a few comments about how Millie's HCP costume looks more like Millie's old costumes (which were made by Costumes by Wendy) than some of the new UK Boleyns (which are made by Ashleigh Cherry Costumes and/or Plunge Creations), and that's why! There's also one notable difference: Millie's HCP uses the monochromatic dark green vinyl with a clear vinyl layer on top. Up until now, that had only been used on some of the John Kristiansen costumes.
Her makeup in the bottom left photo was done by Holly Louise Davies.
Natalie May Paris (@/nataliemayparis, @/nataliemayparis, @/karontwinkleeyes_sw, @/ellisleighladd)
Like Jaye’J, Natalie also got a new costume. It’s presumably made by the usual UK maker, although I have yet to be able to identify who that is. The bodice is fit very differently than her 2021-21 West End bodice, but there aren’t any design changes.
Lexi McIntosh (@/msleximcintosh, @/lewis.haythorpe, @/kiiii_x, @/nataliemayparis)
Lexi also got a new costume made by Paul Aspinall Costumes and Amanda Barrow, who are the usual UK Cleves makers. The biggest change between her Hampton Court and West End costumes is that the HCP has the updated mesh used on the 2021 West End and 2022 UK Tour cast change costumes. She is seemingly wearing her old thigh high boots.
Aimie Atkinson (Pamela Raith/@/peachyraith, @/kiiii_x, @/aimieatkinson, @/karontwinkleeyes_sw)
Aimie received the updated costume design. It was made by Rainbow Mascots. To my knowledge this is the first time they’ve made any Howard costumes, as most recently they’ve been made by Ella McGowan/Dancewear by Ella.
Aimie’s costume has the single studded cross on the neckline, which is a first for the UK. Up until now UK has used double with US-based John Kristiansen makes using single. The skirt construction and mesh line up with the typical UK makes. Otherwise, nothing of note.
Maiya Quansah-Breed (@/kiiii_x, @/lewis.haythorpe, @/aimieatkinson, @/lewis.haythorpe)
Maiya’s costume was made by Jennifer Adgey. The lacing on the side of the pants matches up more with the John Kristiansen style than the typical UK. Otherwise it’s very standard for the recent UK Parr costumes.
The boots are, as always, custom La Ducas with some beautiful embellishment by Crystalled by Jane. They didn’t receive any major updates in the crystal patterns, following the most recent designs used for the 2021-22 West End and 2022-23 UK Tour casts. However, while the strap widths and number are usually differed, these boots all use the single double width strap.
