Costume Design Blog

Communication

One of the most important skills costume designers need is communicating effectively with the director. You need to find ways to communicate the ideas you come up with during the initial design phase, and also during the build phase, so that you don’t end up at tech and discover that you were speaking two different languages.

It’s also important to keep in mind that language is dynamic. Connotations differ between two individuals. And everyone interprets visual imagery differently. Many times, I’ve shown an image to the director and they have seen something that I didn’t see before. Or they interpreted the lines on my sketches as something completely different than I had intended. One of the biggest issues I’ve seen in costume designers is their ability (or inability) to get their ideas out of their heads and into a format that others can understand, identify with, and discuss or create.

Obviously the first attempt at creating a common language with the director is through a combination of research, sketching, and renderings. It’s important to dialogue with them during this because as I said above, everyone brings their own past associations to an image.

What I may see as an innocent, youthful young girl, someone else may look at it and see an over-sexed teenager. One person’s punk rock look is another’s Piccadilly Circus. So it’s great to sort things out visually, but you should never rely solely on visual images – you need to verbalize your ideas as well.

There comes a point where the ideas are transformed from the two-dimensional to the three-dimensional. Whether you are shopping the show, building the show, or having the show built for you, you must keep the director in on the process. Even if they don’t respond to you directly, or overtly, they want to know that you are producing what is in their heads. I know that may seem slightly backwards, it is your design after all. But theatre is collaboration. No designer – world famous, or fresh out of school – dictates to the director what the costumes will be.

So here are some tips for improving the language gulf between design and direction…

1. Put words on your sketches. Describe what you are drawing. Clarify details that may be missing or smoodgy. Take notes during meetings directly on the rendering so they know you are paying attention, and you both remember what decisions you’ve come to.
2. Take photos during fittings and send them to the director. Take photos while you are out shopping if you see something you may want to use, or characters you see on the street that may be good resources for characters. Invite the director to come to the shop and see the progress multiple times.
3. Take real items into rehearsal from time to time. This not only lets the actors get used to how the real shoes, hats, coats, purses, etc. work but the director sees these items as well.

The more open you are during the process, the easier it is. The designer and director get to know how the other thinks and problem-solves. By the end of the show, each is better at anticipating what the other means when they say “…”.

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