Costumes - a whole different ball game

This blog was first posted on my website on the 10/05/2011

V&A Museum London

This week I went to see "The House of Annie Lennox" exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Annie Lennox is a lady who has always inspired me with her music, style, and her political stance. Like me she is a singer, a celt, and living in North London. So in my fantasy world I'd like to think, kindred spirits. 

The collection of costumes and personal memorabilia is an insight into what drives her to make decisions on her music videos (are we still calling them that), and the stories behind them. The costume I was inspired by the most was the corset she wore in the video for "No More I Love You's". A beautiful silk lilac bodice with velvet flower buds bursting across the bust line. How very Moulin Rouge! 

Annie Lennox Costume

All of this got me thinking about costumes and the different disciplines of being a costume designer. I have just been commissioned to make costumes for a web series called The Bloody Mary Show, which is a comedy series based on the legend of Bloody Mary. I have three ladies to dress, each one of them a totally different character, style and shape. It's been a long time since I made costumes. As an amateur dramatic actress I not only played the leading lady and usually the tart with the heart; Nancy in Oliver and Rizzo in Grease, but also designed and made my own costumes, mainly out of vanity and fear that I would be dressed in some hession cloth that made me itchy and scratchy as opposed to on set siren! I perish the thought. I remember one particular rehearsal of Oliver, where Bill Sykes had just slapped me across the face, and I was lying in the gutter, tears streaming down my face belting out with gusto "As Long As He Needs Me" and someone from the wings piping up "have you got the baskets ready for the who will buy scene?" I suddenly realised I couldn't be in two places at one time - tears or not! 

The 7 steps for highly effective costume making

1. Leave the technical stuff behind, this is mostly a creative process.
2. Day 1 on set - the costume you have spent time stitching, pressing and making beautiful is likely to take a turn for the worse, particularly in the case of the Bloody Mary show. There WILL be blood, sweat, tears and slashing - I've adopted the LET IT GO mantra. 
3. Nothing that won't be seen needs to be perfectly finished, so, when time is limited you can wing it on the inside as long as the outside looks the part.
4. The actors need to be comfortable in what they are wearing, they need to feel good about it. Otherwise what's the point? 
5. Leave a little extra room on all of the seams just incase the actor / actress needs to kamikaze, plie, sing a seventh octave, have a baby or have sex (in theatre/film this happens a lot in clothes).    
6. There are limited budgets, so deal with it.
7. The film / series may be a big hit, the leading lady may get an oscar nomination and you may get the opportunity to dress her for that red carpet moment and NONE of the above will matter happy days! 

Bloody Mary's costume

In mid construction. This needs a final fitting, hems and binding to complete.

Bloody Mary - back view

Needs final fitting, tweaks and binding.

Finally, every good savage blog finishes with a story about cake. The V&A is not just my favourite museum but also my favourite stop off for lunch. Inspirational stuff followed by a nice mouthful of the earl, scones, jam and clotted cream in the most amazing tea house in London. I was lucky enough to follow that by getting my kit off and paddling in the water feature outside in the courtyard during our Indian Summer - Some like it HOT HOT HOT

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe left in Some Like it Hot - one of my all time favourite films! This dress doesn't leave very much to the imagine. I often wonder how the costume designer got away with it in those days. 

Mistress Savage Corsets