CD Magazine, Summer 2023 (Costume Designers Guild)

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THE ULTIMATE SHOW OF ACTIVISM

CATHERINE ADAIR, BETSY HEIMANN & JUSTINE SEYMOUR

COSPLAY UNDER THE SEA

THELITTLEMERMAID COLLEEN ATWOOD

SUMMER 2023 THE COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD LOCAL 892
CDGA 25
THE

FOR YOUR EMMY® CONSIDERATION IN ALL

INDUSTRY BARRY
DOGS IRMA VEP REALITY THE LAST OF US
SOMEWHERE THE WHITE LOTUS
RAIN
SOMEBODY
HOUSE PLUMBERS
WE’RE HERE WHITE

ELIGIBLE CATEGORIES INCLUDING OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

LOVE & DEATH SUCCESSION HOUSE OF THE DRAGON RAP SH!T WESTWORLD THE OTHER TWO A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS PERRY MASON
UNION President Executive Director Labor Report 11 12 15 FEATURED The Adrian From Noir to War: PerryMason,Marlowe, &Transatlantic 25th CDGA Cosplay Under the Sea: TheLittleMermaid 16 20 30 34 Ruth E. Carter The Chemistry of Kimono Naked Without Us 38 41 44 IN FOCUS Last Looks: Ann Beverly 56 VOL. 18, Issue 3 7

COMMUNICATIONS & CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Anna Wyckoff awyckoff@cdgia.com

CREATIVE DIRECTORS

Allana Johnson allana@yokcreative.com

Turner Johnson turner@yokcreative.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Gary V. Foss garyvictorfoss@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Bonnie Nipar bnipar@cdgia.com

PRESIDENT

Terry Ann Gordon tgordon@cdgia.com

VICE PRESIDENT

Ivy Thaide Ithaide@cdgia.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brigitta Romanov bromanov@cdgia.com

ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Doug Boney dboney@cdgia.com

MEMBER SERVICES DIRECTOR

Suzanne Huntington shuntington@cdgia.com

MARKETING & EVENTS DIRECTOR

Demetra Stavrakas dstavrakas@cdgia.com

SECRETARY

Kristin Ingram kingram@cdgia.com

TREASURER

Nanrose Buchman nbuchman@cdgia.com

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Catherine Adair cadair@cdgia.com

Phillip Boutté pboutte@cdgia.com

Salvador Perez sperez@cdgia.com

Nancy Steiner nsteiner@cdgia.com

ACD REPRESENTATIVE

David Matwijkow dmatwijkow@cdgia.com

COSTUME ILLUSTRATOR REPRESENTATIVE

Oksana Nedavniaya onedavniay@cdgia.com

LABOR REPRESENTATIVE

Dana Woods dwoods@cdgia.com

BOARD ALTERNATES

Michelle R. Cole mcole@cdgia.com

Julie Weiss jweiss@cdgia.com

Daniel Selon dselon@cdgia.com

Ami Goodheart agoodheart@cdgia.com

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Cliff Chally cchally@cdgia.com

Jacqueline SaintAnne jsaintanne@cdgia.com

Barbara Inglehart binglehart@cdgia.com

Mikael Sharafyan msharafyan@cdgia.com

EXECUTIVE SPECIALIST

Kristin Ingram kingram@cdgia.com

BOOKKEEPER

Aja Davis adavis@cdgia.com

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Natalie Gallegos ngallegos@cdgia.com

PUBLISHER Moontide www.moontide.agency

ADVERTISING

Ken Rose 818.312.6880

KenRose@mac.com

COVER

Costume Designer: B. Åkerlund

Photographers:

Albert Sanchez & Pedro Zalba

Makeup: Nicholas Gonzalez

Hair: Ricky Fraiser

Styling: The Residency Experience Team

Assistant to B. Åkerlund: Karl Magsig

Location: The Residency Experience

Fashion: Bespoke faux leather & crystal shield by Amorphose, cat suit with gloves by Brielle, diamond-spiked cuff by Stefere, ring by Dena Kemp, shoes B. Åkerlund personal archive.

8 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
BTS with costume designer and fashion activist B.Å kerlund at her showroom The ResidencyExperience.
Editor Bonnie Nipar Communications & Creative Director Anna Wyckoff
Director Turner Johnson
Editor Gary
Director
Associate
Creative
Managing
V. Foss Allana JohnsonCreative
Stacy Ellen Rich TerryGordon Contributor Albert Sanchez Pedro Zalba Contributor Cover Photographer CoverPhotographer

For Your Emmy ® Consideration In All Categories Including OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY COSTUMES

Colleen Atwood • Mark Sutherland

WINNER

COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD AWARDS

COLLEEN ATWOOD & MARK SUTHERLAND EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION

ON EVERY LEVEL.”

“BRILLIANT
FYC.NETFLIX.COM

President

What a terrific busy past few months. Our 25th anniversary CDGA gala kicked off the new year and was a wonderful celebration of all that is the creation of costumes. Honoring an exciting and diverse season of work, our members, designers, assistants, and illustrators reveled in an evening created for them to breathe, cheer each other and party! Success!

Celebrating with us were our incomparable honorees: Bette Midler, Angela Bassett, Deborah L. Scott, and Rachael M. Stanley. Their respect and acknowledgement of costume design’s value to production filled our hearts. Our host, Tituss Burgess was perfection. Steering the evening with his infectious comic skills, Tituss kept the evening running smoothly with panache. Laughs abounded as Billy Crystal introduced and honored the Divine Miss M. It was a star-studded evening and a great time was had by all.

This year we welcomed two new sponsors, Peris Costumes and Mercedes-Benz, to our event. They joined our long-standing sponsors Westfield Century City and Campari, who both celebrated 5 years of partnership with the CDGA. Thank you all.

Our gala’s theme combined Pay Equity’s hashtag #nakedwithoutus with the red-carpet standard “Who are you Wearing? ME!” A hit, our members not only embraced the opportunity to showcase their design skills but showed substantial support for our pay equity campaign. Taking the campaign very public, the press was

Terry Ann Gordon

In solidarity, Terry

enthusiastically engaged, resulting in terrific publicity for the cause. This is exactly what we can accomplish when our voices are raised in unison.

What’s coming up? The CDG Executive Board and Pay Equity Committee are presenting a panel of colleagues and professionals to publicize, educate, and discuss our equity issues and efforts. In partnership with the UCLA Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports, Anderson School of Business, support the cause and join us May 13th 10:00AM-2:00PM at UCLA’s Crown Family Auditorium. Watch the “In the Know” for upcoming information, invitations, and RSVP. Become your own advocate and advocate for each other!

Did you miss the marketing townhall? Fantastic information for all levels of participation. Amazing townhalls, events and classes are being offered and if you’ve missed them, please catch up on the CDG You tube channel, soon they will also be available on our website. Long gone is the opportunity for anyone to grumble, “What does the union do for me?” Our education programs are full of information sharing, data gathering, and classes for everyone about everything and anything. If you can’t locate information, call or email the Guild and we’ll point you in the right direction.

We’re building strong relationships with our fellow locals. Creating true unity and strength in numbers, we will present a united front for upcoming negotiations. IATSE will be sponsoring negotiation classes and sending out surveys that are essential for members to complete and submit. Be involved!

See you at the Guild!

Photo: Kelly Serfoss
11

ExecutiveDirector

Dear Members, Congratulations on our CDGA’s momentous anniversary. There was a time when the idea of an awards show celebrating costume design was dismissed. A quarter of a century later, we enjoy the global spotlight our event brings. The awards unite CDG members, teams, and allies in solidarity and camaraderie. We take pride in the number of Guild members honored, and the breadth of creativity displayed by all the nominees. Deborah L. Scott’s storied career is the perfect example of that creativity that spans decades. Rachel M. Stanley is another member who had a long notable career before she stepped in as the CDGs Executive Director. I am thrilled to be a part of that celebrated history.

I must acknowledge and congratulate the extraordinary accomplishment of Ruth E. Carter for being the first Black woman to win two Academy Awards. Her groundbreaking career continues to inspire on so many levels—not just her peers, but the next generation.

Our union is not just comprised of active costume designers, assistant costume designers, and illustrators. Retired members play a vital role. Not only are they the foundation that we build on, they continue to contribute in wisdom and experience. We celebrate their lasting contributions to our community. We have a wonderful posthumous article about Ann Beverly, but let’s not forget the other half of that designing duo, John Bloomfield. He is an active retired member and still loves and appreciate the community he has with the CDG.

In closing, we had the first meeting of our Negotiations Committee. In 2024 our contract will be revisited. Members are the backbone of every union. Your input and concerns are vital to this process. Make your voice heard. You don’t have to attend every meeting to be involved and engaged, but this is one of the most important ways to serve your community and bring your perspective to the 2024 bargaining table.

Brigitta Romanov

In solidarity,

Photo: Stephanie Romanov
12 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

OUTSTANDING PERIOD COSTUMES

Janie Bryant, Gaby Acosta, Megan Guthrie-Wedemeyer, Samantha Pavlat, Jaclyn Tamizato, Jamie Tedham

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

“CINEMATIC-QUALITY VISUALS.”
“★★★★” THE TELEGRAPH FOR YOUR EMMY ® CONSIDERATION IN ALL CATEGORIES INCLUDING

LaborDelegate

As a union member, you have rights and resources available to you. Unfortunately, many members are not aware of the protections available to them, and employers are not required to inform employees of their rights.

Union members have the right to request that their union representative be present during an interview that the employee reasonably believes could lead to discipline. Employees’ right to request their representatives is frequently referred to as “Weingarten rights.”

Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects employees right to self-organization,toform,join,orassistlabororganizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing,andtoengageinotherconcertedactivitiesforthe purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection.

The right to have a representative present during an interview was first articulated by the Supreme Court case NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc. In that case, the Court found that Section 7 of the NLRA protects employees who refuse to submit to certain interviews without a requested representative present. Employers are in violation of the NLRA if they proceed with an investigatory interview while refusing an employee’s request for representation, or if they retaliate when an employee makes the request.

Dana Woods

Any meeting may be an “investigatory interview” provided that the following occurs:

• A manager, representative of management, or supervisor is seeking to question an employee.

• The questioning is part of an investigation into the employee’s performance or work conduct.

• The employee reasonably believes that the investigation may result in discharge, discipline, demotion, or other adverse consequence to their job status or working conditions.

• The employee requests a union representative.

Any meeting not covered by the Weingarten rule is as follows:

• Instructional meetings where an employee receives training or correction on work techniques.

• Meetings in which an employer informs an employee (or employees) of personnel policies.

• Meetings in which the employee is informed in advance that no discipline or adverse employment action will result from the interview.

• Meetings about disciplinary decisions that have already been made.

• Meetings in which an employee is questioned as part of an investigation of another employee’s conduct or performance.

For more information, please see the below link:nlrb.gov/ about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/weingarten-rights

Photo: Anna Wyckoff
In solidarity, Dana Woods CDG Political Action Coordinator dwoods@cdgia.com
“We are able to do our jobs because other union members are doing theirs.”
15
Dana Rebecca Woods

Celebrating our 25th CDGA was a beautiful collage of our past, present, and future. Honoring our history by officially christening our Awards statuette remains my most memorable and cherished moment. Film has the Oscar, television has the Emmy, and now—we have the Adrian. In 1953 nine Hollywood costume designers—Marjorie Best, Renié Conley, Elois Jenssen, Sheila O’Brien, Leah Rhodes, Howard Shoup, William Travilla, Michael Woulfe, and Charles LaMaire—came together to form the Costume Designers Guild “to advance the economic, professional and cultural interests of its members.” At that time they also created our designers “stamp.” Used on costume illustrations and documents, all stamps are numbered to indicate that member’s Guild installation. Though never an official member, the iconic and prolific costume designer’s influence is evident, as Adrian was awarded the first stamp.

Following years of ongoing Executive Board discussions, we reached out to Gilbert Adrian’s son, Robin Gaynor Adrian, who granted the CDG permission to use Adrian’s name for our award. Appreciative of this honor, Robin says, “My father would be thrilled to know he’s remembered with this elegant tribute made in his name.”

Designed by costume designer David LeVey and originally minted by the jeweler Bvlgari, our statuette embodies timeless glamour, elegance, and energy. LeVey’s design was inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood and the 1951 film Singin’inthe Rain’s “Broadway Melody Ballet” designed by Walter Plunkett. As Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly dance across a surreal vacant stage, the drama of the scene is showcased, driven, and emphasized by the costume. Designing dramatic and powerful female silhouettes was Adrian’s forte and is embodied in our statuette.

Photos: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Margaret Herrick Library
16 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Jeanette MacDonald, Sweethearts , 1938
LanaTurnerin Ziegfeld Girl,1941 Bess Dawson during production of LovelytoLookAt , 1952 Adrian and Joan Crawford, No More Ladies, 1935 Reproduction ruby slippers made by Western Costume Company. Photo: Western Costume Company
17
Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man in TheWizardofOz , 1939

Born Adrian Adolph Greenburg on March 3, 1903, in Naugatuck, Connecticut, his creative parents embraced the arts and encouraged Adrian to draw. His mother taught him color theory and their housekeeper taught him to sew. His devotion to art, love of animal sketching and all that was exotic led to his enrolling in what is now Parsons New York. Early in his career he signed his work Gilbert Adrian. Advised to change his signature, he became the singular—Adrian.

At 19, Adrian left Parsons to continue his studies in Paris. Encouraged to attend the extravagant annual Bal du Grand Prix to showcase his talent, Adrian created his date’s elaborate costume. Fellow attendee Irving Berlin’s “fixed gaze” on Adrian’s date assured that his design was a success. Berlin immediately invited Adrian to return to New York to design his Broadway show, Music Box Review (1922–23). His costume and set designs for the review catapulted him into the upper echelon of New York’s theater community for the next two years.

In 1924, Rudolph Valentino’s designer/manager/ wife, Natacha Rambova, spied Adrian’s portfolio and lured him away from Broadway to design their films in Hollywood. Collaborating with the Valentinos on their films, a flurry of job offers followed from industry notables of the era. Adrian chose DeMille, whose dramatic flair, love of color and texture offered him the forum to translate his designs into flights of fancy. Over a two-year period, Adrian designed two dozen films with DeMille. When DeMille’s studio failed in its third year, they both moved to MGM.

Aware of his MGM stars’ magnified personalities, Adrian wrote: “I found that meeting with a star was like conducting a session in psychoanalysis. To create my designs, I had to see the direction of her drive. I studied her, deciding how I

would fire her imagination. To watch the unfurling of each woman’s emotions was part of my job.”

Designing over 250 films between 1928–41 for MGM at the height of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Adrian became renowned for his design versatility. Period, contemporary, and fantasy features were met with equal ability and artistry. His extravagant panniers for Norma Shearer’s Marie Antoinette (1938), as well as Jean Harlow’s exquisite bias-cut gowns for Dinner at Eight (1933) showcased the breadth of his abilities. Considered “the height of forward-thinking style,” Adrian designed Joan Crawford’s organdy evening gown in LettyLynton (1932). His impact reverberated throughout culture and global fashion.

1939 brought two legendary films. In TheWomen, Adrian deftly expressed a range of female personalities through costume, and TheWizardof Oz changed cinema forever. In Leonard Stanley’s book Adrian , Adrian’s son Robin recalled, “…it was the film he loved the most, because it allowed him to do … some pretty outlandish things. He really loved animals, so putting together the look of the flying monkeys was a real highlight for him.” He adds, “I was always so impressed by how my father could multitask. He would be sitting at his desk working on a sketch, approving a fitting that was happening a few feet away, and talking on the phone all at the same time. He was an incredible talent.” Adrian left MGM in 1941, refusing an order to make Garbo “more like a typical American girl.” He famously stated, “When the glamour ends for Garbo, it also ends for me.”

Adrian retired from Hollywood prior to Oscars being awarded for costume design in 1949 to continue designing his namesake clothing line and theater. He passed away in 1959. Robin says, “My only disappointment is that he never received an Oscar. When you think about my father’s work, he should have gotten seven or eight of them.”

The Costume Designers Guild is honored to name our awards statuette “the Adrian” in honor of Gilbert Adrian’s lasting contributions to the art of costume design.

Photos: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Margaret Herrick Library Adrian and Greta Garbo during production of TheSingleStandard , 1929 Original statuette, minted by the jeweler Bvlgari. Far left image in frame: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell for the film, The Women 1939 Namesake couture line at the Metropo litan Museum of Art.

• Men’s Tailoring

• Women’s Made-to-Order

• Shoe & Boot Manufacturing

• Millinery Shop

• Offices

• Cages

• Prep & Wrap Space

• Fabric Store

• Supply Store

• Research Library

• Purchasing

• Shipping & Receiving

Transatlantic : Cory Michael Smith as Varian Fry, Deleila Piasko as Lisa Fittko, Yoli Fuller as Souleymane Touré. Photos: Netflix Marlowe : Liam Neeson as Philip Marlow, Diane Kruger as Clare Cavendish. Photos: Universal Pictures Perry Mason : Katherine Waterston as Ginny Aimes, Mathew Rhys as Perry Mason.
20 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Photos: HBO

Tales of crime, espionage, and intrigue are both timeless and irresistible. Characters brought to life in the ’30s and ’40s became archetypes of cinema that still resonate today. We spoke to costume designers Catherine Adair, Betsy Heimann, and Justine Seymour about their recent period projects set in the genredefining time between the two World Wars.

Philip Marlowe & Perry Mason

As tough and trampled as his leather soles, the detective turns over rocks and stares unflinching at what is revealed. He may cut corners, but at the end of the day has a code and knows when to put his foot down. For season 2 of Perry Mason, costume designer Catherine Adair finds the titular character in transition. Mason (Mathew Rhys) was a private detective in season 1 and is now a lawyer, but is still dealing with shell shock and remnants of his life before the war. “My

assistant designer David Matwijkow and I found an early-period 1930s suit perfect for Matthew’s character. With the classic shoulder seams of the time sloping from the side of the neck down the shoulder blade and the less pronounced shoulder padding that predates the structured look more associated with the late ’30s and into the ’40s. We copied the suit in vintage fabric we found at Western Costume Company that had the ideal heavier weight and texture perfect for the role and film noir feel. Our aim throughout was to anchor the costumes in reality, more to reveal character than to draw attention to themselves.”

In an update of the noir classic, the violence is grittier, the politics more stark, and the characters are portrayed with an emphasis on realism. Betsy Heimann’s take on detective Philip Marlowe is rooted in the tenets of the genre. “It was important for him to be an everyman. I went with a classic 1938–39 three-piece suit with a fuller leg, a shorter jacket, and the hat had a slightly higher crown. I love the way wool absorbs the light. He was very of the period.” The result is an evocative silhouette that is as recognizable walking down the street as stepping from the shadows.

Perry Mason : Matthew Rhys as Perry Mason. Photos: HBO Marlowe : Liam Neeson. Illustration by Gina DeDomenico
21

Dressed to kill and as dangerous as she is stylish. The Black Widow is a villain even a hero can love, but when the time is right, she’s ready to strike. Heimann explains, “When Clare (Diane Kruger) first appears, she has a lily on her dress. She reeks of money and Marlowe is trying very hard not to fall into her trap, but he can’t help getting intoxicated by the perfume.” Later the character appears in a sleek gold lamé dress with frog closures at the neck. “That’s when she’s setting her final trap. She’s beautiful and entrancing until she gets you in her web.” Her transformation is completed in a black suit, black hat, and silver gun.

Mother, matriarch, and mastermind, the Grand Dame is accustomed to getting her way. She knows where all the bodies are buried because she might have planted a few of them herself. “I wanted Dorothy (Jessica Lange) to appear very soft. A few of the dresses you see are either very silky or chiffon with prints,” Heimann explains. This pretense hides the true strength and ruthlessness of the character. “She’s a snake in the grass. She’s got this soft exterior, but inside she’s a killer.”

Anyone who thinks crime doesn’t pay isn’t doing it right. Everyone has a dark side and that’s where the Miscreant comes in. He’ll make your dreams come true, for a price. To portray the secret illicit club operator, it was important that his costumes hide his role with perfect timing. Heimann explains, “In the beginning I put a light gray suit on Floyd (Danny Huston) because it’s very country clubby and you

didn’t really know who he is. Is he good? Bad? He could go either way, so hopefully it is a surprise when you discover he’s the bad guy. Then he’s the classic Sidney Greenstreet villain in the dinner jacket with black pants.”

The Black Widow: Clare Cavendish, Marlowe The Grand Dame: Dorothy Quincannon, Marlowe The Miscreant: Floyd Hanson, Marlowe
22 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Marlow : Jessica Lange as Dorothy Quincannon, Danny Huston as Floyd Hanson, Diane Kruger as Clare Cavendish. Photos: Universal Pictures
THE PLAYLIST FOR YOUR EMMY ® CONSIDERATION OUTSTANDING
P EG GY SC H N I T Z E R , Costume
D E R E K B U LG E R , Asst. Costume
J U L I E H E AT H , Costume
“Vividly illustrated by a firm sense of ’80s nostalgia, the show provides a gripping overview of the drama behind the business.”
PERIOD COSTUMES
Designer
Designer
Supervisor

The Working Man: Paul Drake, PerryMason

Respect is earned, but some people have to earn it the hard way. Paul Drake (Chris Chalk) has by the second season lost his job as a policeman and has run into hard times. But the character remains a man with pride. “The only thing that Paul has left is his integrity and his dignity. There would have to be a very good reason for him to dress inappropriately. His wife knows how to

sew, so they would’ve had a fairly decent closet for that time period and from his days as a policeman. He’s going to present himself as professionally as possible. That’s all he’s got left to show his wife, his community. That respect for himself is how he survives.”

The Girl Next Door: Ginny Aimes, PerryMason

The shadows can’t exist without the light. Something or someone has to be there to remind us that not everything is dark, if only to warn us that things can still get worse. Ginny Aimes (Katherine Waterston) is at first a cipher. “She’s a little bit of a conundrum in that she’s very recently got a job as a schoolteacher, and she doesn’t mince her words,” Adair explains. “At the same time, as a schoolteacher, we wanted to make her accessible. We found a print that was appropriate to that time

period for the bodice. It’s a deliberate choice because the first time she meets Perry Mason he says something and she quips back, and stops him in his tracks, but she does it with a smile on her face. So given the strength of the actress, we all felt that gave the character balance.”

Girl Friday: Della Street, PerryMason

Sassy, stubborn and inevitably right all along, the Girl Friday is right there to take a letter or extol a little vital plot exposition. To bring this character to life, Adair paid careful attention to the development of Della Street (Juliet Rylance) since season 1. “She would’ve said, ‘I am on a budget, but this is really important if I’m going to move forward and achieve my dream of being a lawyer one day and be taken seriously with a seat at the table.’ In reality, she only had three suits. But then I designed four or five blouses, and extra skirts so looks could get mixed and matched.”

Perry Mason : Chris Chalk as Paul Drake, Katherine Waterston as Ginny Aimes, Juliet Rylance as Della Street. Photos: HBO
FYC.NETFLIX.COM
YOUR EMMY ® CONSIDERATION
AMY ROBERTS, SIDONIE ROBERTS, CHRISTOF ROCHE-GORDON
beginning of
end Costume designers guild award WINNER ExcellenCe in period television Amy Roberts
FOR
OUTSTANDING PERIOD COSTUMES
The
the

The True Believer: Varian Fry, Transatlantic

A knight in shining pinstripes, the True Believer has a saintly mission. He may hate to cut corners, but when the stakes are high, sometimes rules are meant to be broken. When researching Varian Fry (Cory Michael Smith), costume designer Justine Seymour had access to some of the best possible primary materials. “Varian was a bit of a perfectionist, so his memoirs described the contents of his suitcase when he left New York. He actually mentioned that he is a Brooks Brothers man. That immediately opened a window into his world—very classically put together, no fuss, tastefully cut, but not overly expensive.” The result is buttoned-down, meticulous, and upright. The perfect face for a clandestine effort to smuggle refugees out of Europe before World War II.

The Ingenue: Mary Jayne Gold, Transatlantic

The rich girl who sometimes stumbles, sometimes sprints to the wrong part of town. This ingenue is an idealistic uptown girl, but with eyes wide open, and ready to do what needs to be done. To portray Mary Jayne Gold (Gillian Jacobs) during her time helping smuggle refugees out of France in the early years of World War II, Seymour knew that to portray the wealthy American heiress, she’d have to stand out. “When I read about her, she just sounded like— in Britain we say ‘Jolly Hockey stick’—in everything she did, she really went all out. Her surname is Gold and she’s the bank, as she calls herself. Mary Jayne needed to really pop when we first saw her walking across the piazza. I wanted her to sort of be a ray of sunshine in her yellow dress.”

Transatlantic : Cory Michael Smith as Varian Fry. Photos: Netflix
26 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Transatlantic : Gillian Jacobs as Mary Jayne Gold. Photos: Netflix

The Man of Action: Albert Hirschman, Transatlantic

He has an unwavering sense of justice and passion for protecting the innocent. What makes the man of action different from other heroes is that he has skin in the game and is always ready to jump into the fray. Describing the refugee-turned-rescuer Albert Hirschman (Lucas Englander) in a time of war, Seymour notes, “People were just being ripped away from family and friendships they’d forged. Being a refugee and made homeless and stateless is really gut-wrenching.” When someone rises above those circumstances, it is worth special note. “I really love his sort of rugged masculinity. Albert got a cool leather jacket to become the Harrison Ford of my world.”

Transatlantic : Lucas Englander as Albert Hirschman, Cory Michael Smith as Varian Fry, Gillian Jacobs as Mary Jayne Gold, Deleila Piasko as Lisa Fittko, Ralph Amoussou as Paul Kandjo. Photos: Netflix
Bette Midler
Tituss Burgess Angela Bassett
30 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Austin Butler Ashley Park Deborah L. Scott Brigitta Romanov
Premier Sponsor Supporting Sponsor Official Luxury Auto Sponsor Official Spirits Sponsor Photos: Shutterstock 31
Rachael Stanley
Deborah L. Scott CAREER ACHIEVEMENT Angela Bassett SPOTLIGHT Bette Midler DISTINGUISHED COLLABORATOR Rachel M. Stanley DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
CatherineMartin Terry Ann Gordon ColleenAtwood&MarkSutherland JanyTemime Matthew D. Loeb Deborah L. Scott Christina Ricci Brigitta Romanov AngelaBassett Billy Crystal Jason Rembert Carrie Cramer
32 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Bette Midler

Jany Temime

EXCELLENCE IN SCI-FI / FANTASY TV

House of the Dragon: The Heirs of the Dragon

ACDs: Katherine Burchill, Rachel George & Paul Yeowell

Shirley Kurata

NatashaNewman-Thomas

Illustrator & Concept Artist: Geo Pavlov

Supervisors: Joanna Lynch, Zoe Morris (crowd), Juan Antonio Bello (Spain/Portugal) & Eudald Magri (crowd Spain)

Carrie Cramer & Jason Rembert

EXCELLENCE IN SCI-FI / FANTASY FILM Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACDs: Minnie Garcia & Chantal Nightingale Thomas

Catherine Martin

EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD FILM

Elvis ACD: Kerry Thompson

Illustrator: Silvana Azzi Heras

Supervisors: Kerry Thompson & Jan Hurley (background)

EXCELLENCE IN VARIETY, REALITYCOMPETITION, LIVE TV Lizzo’s Watch Out for The Big Grrrls: Girl Run That Sh*t Back

Colleen Atwood & Mark Sutherland

Natasha Newman-Thomas

EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY TV

Wednesday: Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe

ACDs: Bobby Soutar, Jess Willcock-Stow & Alice Buckingham

EXCELLENCE IN SHORT FORM DESIGN Yeah Yeah

Yeahs: “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” (Music Video)

ACD: Margaux Solano

Jenny Eagan

EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Illustrator: Thom Botwood

Concept Artist: Benjamin Ip

Supervisors: Claudia Littlefield, Ioana Albaiu & Adina Bucur

ACD: Jessica Albertson

Concept Artist: Imogene Chayes

Supervisor: Emily Egge

EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD TV

The Crown: Ipatiev House

ACD: Sidonie Roberts Amy Roberts

Shirley Kurata Salvador Perez Michael Kaplan Jenny Eagan
Shutterstock 33
Austin Butler
Photos:

San Diego’s Comic-Con International is right around the corner: Friday, July 20 to Sunday, July 23, 2023. The reimagining of Disney’s classic The Little Mermaid touts modern looks for two favorite characters. We asked legendary costume designer Colleen Atwood for her tips to cosplay the spirited young Ariel or her handsome Prince Eric.

Directed by Rob Marshall, this live-action hybrid creates the magical underthe-sea world by using performance capture, a technique that records detailed movements and facial expressions of live actors to create computergenerated characters. Since the mermaids never actually wear their costumes, Atwood made mockups, prodigiously detailing the scales and hues for Ariel and her Sisters from the Seven Seas. The demos were scanned and used as reference for the visual effects team and for Marshall’s approval. “Much of my time was spent working closely with the digital team perfecting details to make each mermaid unique,” says Atwood. “It was a different kind of costume design, but I really enjoyed it.”

To cosplay Ariel as a mermaid, Atwood suggests using a textural spandex fabric silk-screened or hand painted with scales. “In nature the pattern of scales is irregular, so making your own hand-cut scales and sewing them on could be really creative.” For the ruffled dorsal fin and the flowing tail, Atwood used a combo of cheap sparkle sheers, outlined with glitter glue, then had them cut out. Atwood drew her inspiration from the dramatic tails of vibrantly colored betta fish. “The glitter glue edge gives a little structure and the tail itself is sheer diaphanous fabric.” A thin delicate ruffle adds sweetness to the bandeau top.

The Little Mermaid : Halle Bailey as Ariel .
34 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Photos: Walt Disney Studios

“The blue dress Ariel wears as a human fits in with the princess world above the sea. It’s based on 1830s and 1840s styles, but with a Caribbean flavor,” shares Atwood, “made of cotton organdy dyed to be the color of a tropical sky.” She designed rows of different pleating patterns to give the skirt its distinctive shape, adding an embroidered corselette to define the waist, a ruffle around the shoulder, and satin boots made by famed shoemaker Pompei of Italy. Unaccustomed to shoes,

Addingan embroidered corselette to define the waist,
A ruffle around the shoulder
Rows of different pleating patterns to give the skirt itsshapedistinctive
The Little Mermaid : Jonah Hauer-King · Prince Eric.
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Photos: Walt Disney Studios

Ariel soon replaces the boots with sandals the villagers wear.

“This dress is very labor-intensive to replicate due to the hand pleating in the skirt and hand smocking at the cuffs and shoulders,” notes Atwood. She advises to look for a fabric that has a similar texture, then color match a flat fabric for the puffy sleeves. “Just kind of fake it,” she laughs.

The second dress is made out of pineapple, or piña cloth. “It’s a very old organic fabric from the Philippines that’s been around for hundreds of years and is similar to organza.” Atwood loves its natural color and has often used it, mainly for corsets. “Considering the setting and the organic quality of the character, I decided to try it as a dress. I added light pinky-coral embroidery to the ruffled tiers in spirit of the Caribbean style and to convey Ariel’s girlish innocence.”

Prince Eric looks like a hunky hero from a romance novel. His white poet’s shirt is typical of the era and made of fine linen. “Two or three different weights were made to test the best

movement for underwater photography. Since Eric is wet in a good part of the movie, all his garments were cotton or linen.” His breeches are high-waist, flat-front gray linen worn with a woven cotton vest dyed indigo. “His black leather knee-high boots with tan tops were custom-made by Pompei as authentic early 19th-century replicas. The breeches for his more formal clothes at the palace were made out of ivory moleskin, which is a heavier cotton.” His white shirt and stock tie are worn with a black double-breasted, stand-collar coat along with his boots.

“All Eric’s pieces could be rented from a costume house or purchased online from a reproduction site. Patterns for the poet’s shirt are available online. Cosplayers could substitute modern gray linen pants cut off below the knee to tuck into boots.”

Atwood readily embraced the hybrid process

It was a very exciting project.
When you see the final product, it’s just jaw dropping.“
A woven cotton vest dyed indigo
black leather knee-high boots with tan tops
Patterns for the poet’s shirt are available online
The Little Mermaid : Jonah Hauer-King · Prince Eric, Halle Bailey as Ariel.
36 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Photos: Walt Disney Studios

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE

When Ruth E. Carter won Best Costume Design for her work on BlackPanther:WakandaForever,she made history by becoming the first Black woman to win the award twice. Carter has been making sartorial magic in the film industry for over 30 years. Her unique approach to costume design, using authenticity and inclusivity as the backbone, has earned her much-deserved recognition and respect. In her Oscar acceptance speech for BlackPanther:Wakanda Forever, she boldly stated, “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman.

She endures, she loves, she overcomes, she is every woman in this film, she is my mother.” Through her work, Ruth celebrates diversity and brings it to the forefront with incredible attention to detail. Her work is chronicled in a new book, TheArtofRuthE.Carter:CostumingBlack History and the Afrofuture, from Do the Right Thing to BlackPanther . Packed with photos, film stills, illustrations, and never-before-seen sketches and mood boards, the book is a fitting celebration of Carter’s career to date.

Foss Photo: James Anthony with crowdMGMT
38 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMMER 2023

FOR YOUR EMMY® CONSIDERATION OUTSTANDING

SCRIPTED VARIETY SERIES

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES

“ WONDERFULLY INTERGENERATIONAL, the show is both an anointing of the many heirs to Mel Brooks’ comedy throne and proof that he remains relevant after all these years.”
“ VULGAR, FUNNY , FUN AND SMART.”
(VARIETY, NONFICTION OR REALITY PROGRAMMING) BETH MORGAN Costume Designer MINNIE GARCIA Assistant Costume Designer KURTIS OSHIRO Costume Supervisor

Nestled on a winding road in Silver Lake tucked behind a mid-century family home stands kimono specialist, fabric buyer, and dual card member Laura Wong’s kimono atelier, Boro Boro.

Wong is a certified kimono expert and textile historian who in addition to offering kimono and vintage textiles for sale, also offers dressing services and rentals. To peer into her history and her world, shop her website or better yet, make an appointment at her studio.

The term “boro boro” literally refers to something that is tattered, worn out, and falling apart. There is a type of textile known as boro, which usually refers to cotton textiles, often indigo, that have been repaired, stitched, and patched many times over the course of their lives. Boro Boro was founded on this idea of appreciating that which is old and invigorating vintage items that others might discard with a fresh go-round.

Kimono are often passed down through generations. By extolling the virtues of upcycling and cherishing the beauty and rarity of vintage textiles, we can create new iterations of old designs.

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Photos: Laura Wong, Anji Salz, Drew Ganyer

Wong treasures the way kimono highlight the alluring surface designs of the textiles themselves. A favorite of hers, which was popular during the Art Deco period, is a technique called meisen. Silk threads were dyed with stencils prior to be being woven, and featured bold, colorful motifs that mingled western themes with Japanese methods. Picture if you will a kimono fabric in meisen process laden with decorative windmills.

Wong elaborates, “Kimono is often seen as a very traditional garment, but the reality is that it has evolved through history and continues to evolve today. Younger people in Japan are wearing kimono in ways that suit a contemporary lifestyle and contemporary sensibilities. For instance, kimono worn with western-style boots in bright modern prints. When I was starting to learn about kimono dressing, it was very much a concern to make certain that

IG @shopboroboro

Website: shopboroboro.com

shopboroboro@gmail.com

I was doing things correctly as there are a lot of criteria and reasons for the rules of dressing. I think I was very lucky to go to a kimono school where we were encouraged to learn the fundamentals, to know what was correct, but then not to feel so scared to bend the rules.

Ultimately, it’s fashion, right?It isStyle.

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Photos: Laura Wong, Anji Salz, Drew Ganyer

Costume designers have a long tradition of designing for the red carpet, and we asked members and allies to show their support in their personal style. It was the ultimate show of activism.

We have to celebrate the freedom of design, the freedom of costume, the freedom of dress and the freedom of expression.
-
NazaninBoniadi
MandiLine HaleiParker
44 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Photos: Shutterstock & Robert Reiff DawnRitz
45
AriyelaWald-Cohain LucindaWright NinaRocklin&DavidLandau Daniela Gschwendtner DougBoney Danielle Launzel AriyelaWald-Cohain TerryAnnGordon
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Photos: Shutterstock & Robert Reiff
costume designers contribute is so vitally important to storytelling.
What
-Angela Bassett
Kameron Lennox SalvadorPerez Jennifer May Nickel Jenny Beavan JacquelineSaintAnne
SarahPolley&QuitaAlfred CDGAGuests
Elisabetta Rossetti Serraino Harvey Guillén & Laura Montgomery
Time Travel
The only costume department in the USA with RFID check-in & check-out. Make your job faster and easier than ever before! Shop our looks at foxcostumes.com Any Time Any Place Any Where 47
MonaMay
With Us
Deirdra Govan
DeborahL.Scott KatieIrish ShawnaTrpcic AnnaWyckoff IvyThaide LuisSequeira CatherineAdair B.Åkerlund Drew Bird
48 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Photos: Shutterstock & Robert Reiff

FOR YOUR EMMY ® CONSIDERATION OUTSTANDING PERIOD

COSTUMES

SHARON LONG - COSTUME DESIGNER, CLAIRE TREMLETT - ASST. COSTUME DESIGNER, BASIA KUZNAR - ASST. COSTUME DESIGNER, ANNA LAU - COSTUME SUPERVISOR, TRACY M c GREGOR - CROWD COSTUME SUPERVISOR

“A TRIUMPHANT RETURN.

SHARON LONG’S COSTUMES ARE VISUALLY COMPELLING.”

A.V. CLUB
To me, some of the most creative people in the whole business... that’s where great art resides. -Bette Midler BetteMidler,BinaDaigeler,CateBlanchett
RuthE . Carter&D’onLaurenEd ward s SheilaMcCarthy Bonnie Nipar LaurenGlasses, Lydia Graboski-Bauer&Erica
a r t
D. Schw
z
WhitneyAnneAdams& NancySteiner PetraLarson Kameron Lennox AshleySinclair Arianne Phillips
Shutterstock & Robert Reiff 50 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Photos: Austin Butler BrigittaRomanov Natasha Newman-Thomas AshleyPark,GregTarzanDavis LewisPullman,MonicaBarbaro BazLuhrmann&CatherineMartin SarahKinsumba KathleenFelix-Hager
Photos: Shutterstock & Robert Reiff 52 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
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KarinaTorrico,StevenNormanLee &DanielaGschwendtner

Elizabeth Debicki ChristinaRicci Andrea Sorrentino Kasia Walicka Maimone HunterSchafer JanyTemime MarleneStewart
54 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Photos: Shutterstock & Robert Reiff
OksanaNedavniaya Trayce Gigi Field Nazanin Boniadi
MeganGuthrie-Wedemeyer Julie Weiss Antoinette Messam PhoenixMellow
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Photos: Shutterstock & Robert Reiff

The exquisite assemblage that is the artistic partnership of Ann Beverly and John Bloomfield moved fluidly through genres. They were creatively intertwined, authoring the costumes of many theatrical productions, BBC television series such as The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Doctor Who during the early days of television, before moving on to blockbusters like Robin Hood: Prince of Thievesand The Mummy. They also shared a love of over six decades that yielded two children, three grandchildren, and years of innovative exploration and vitality. When they met at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in England 1961, Ann was already well versed in costume design. John was studying law and working part time making props and setting up scenery. Watching Ann, he realized design was his calling. John calls Ann his teacher and she referred to him as her greatest student, to which he would reply,

“Because

you have been teaching me for

60 years.”

At times they worked separately as designers in both set and costume, but when they collaborated, it was magic. Theirs was a tactile approach. Layers of collage transformed mundane materials like newspaper and crinkled magazines into evocative and splendid art pieces for characters ranging from Shakespearean to contemporary to futuristic. One started a drawing and the other completed

56 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023

the thought; then they would swap again. Ann had the fine hand and John a stronger line, but they worked seamlessly finishing each other’s visual sentences. Building the pieces was no different. John says, “We just worked side by side in the whole of the preparation. Ann loved being in the workroom painting the costumes or breaking them down. She was brilliant at it.” Ann shied away from set and John became their official representative, but she was always involved. For a time in their personal and professional collaboration they bounced between diapers and drawing boards. They credit helpful parents as key to their success. The duo moved from the BBC to a series of international films, joining the Costume Designers Guild in 1993—Ann Beverly as an illustrator and John as a costume designer.

John maintains there is no job more diverse than costume design. “You have to be literary and dramatically minded, as well as a historian, diplomat, lawyer, accountant, and artist.”

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Before the time of CGI, hundreds of extras had to be addressed with ingenuity and boldness. The Bloomfields handled challenges as one person, which gave them unique capabilities and breadth. Their work is a legacy in filmmaking, with their distinctive hand being a visible throughline.

In 2023, to celebrate the donation of The Ann and John Bloomfield Collection and in recognition of the pair’s influence on and contribution to the art of costume design, the British Film Institute’s (BFI) National Archive staged an an exhibition of their work: CostumeDesign:TheAlchemy ofAnnandJohnBloomfield.Drawings and jewelry were displayed next to finished pieces. John notes, “The opening party was such good timing. It was the last time that Ann went out.” Seated on a special chair, she held court among her students, colleagues, friends, and family.

The Bloomfields’ life together took them all over Europe, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Africa, China, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, but most remarkable was their journey into a singular, shared imagination where each was the other’s lodestar.

58 THE COSTUME DESIGNER | SUMMER 2023
Photo: Dennis Hopper as The Deacon in Waterworld.
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