Designing stage costumes
A much-repeated cliché is that theatre costumes are badly made, tawdry, unfinished and don’t bear close inspection.…
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Making stage costumes
A look at how Theatre costume makers translate two-dimensional designs into fabric, decoration and trimmings to tak…
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Materials and colour in costume design
Theatrical costumes do not have to use expensive materials to create the illusion of grandeur. In the 18th century …
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Interview with Lez Brotherston, costume designer
Lez Brotherston is one of the UK’s most dynamic and innovative designers, working extensively in dance, theatre, op…
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Movement in stage costume
Dance costume is a highly specialised field and as well as having to reflect the overall concept of the work, body …
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Audio: Early 17th-century costume
Theatre designer Jenny Tiramani discusses early 17th century costume.
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Cut and structure in stage costume
Designs are an evocation of a costume and not a detailed pattern of cut and seaming, so working out the structure i…
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Nathan's costume house
Nathan's, established in 1790, was the leading house for historical costume as well as supplying Court dress, mili…
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Reflecting historical periods in stage costume
This section explores the challenges for designers to create costumes for theatrical productions set in historical …
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Lez Brotherston's costume design ‘bible’ for The Brontës
View high-resolution, zoomable facsimile of Lez Brotherston's costume design 'bible' containing every costume worn …
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Theatre design reading list
Recommended reading list about theatre design
UK design for performance 2003 - 2007
Selected designs for performance featured in the exhibition Collaborators which used costumes, puppets, drawings, photographs, models of stage sets and interactive digital presentations to highlight the collaborative nature of theatre design.
Transformation and Revelation: Gormley to Gaga. UK design for performance 2007–2011
17 March 2012 – 30 September 2012. Exploring the theme of transformation, this display will reveal contemporary designs for performance by over 30 British Theatre Designers.
Review: The Actor in Costume by Aoife Monks
Aoife Monks' The Actor in Costume reviewed by Kate Dorney
Marcel Breuer and Motley
Marcel Breuer met the designers behind the Motley Theatre Design Group in 1936, during the London Theatre Studio project in Islington, London. When the Motleys ventured into the field of contemporary fashion and decided to open a shop called Motley Couture, they asked Breuer to design the interior of their shop for them.
A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Costume design for Anna Pavlova (Custom print)
Costume design for Anna Pavlova in Oriental Fantasy by Leon Bakst (A4 Satin print)
Buy nowEvent - Hollywood Costume
Sat 20 October 2012–Sun 27 January 2013
EXHIBITION: Hollywood Costume is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see over 100 of the most iconic costumes in the history of film-making.
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