well--so much for posting twice a week. :D
most of my time right now is taken with building the operas so i don't have a lot of time for writing about building them. i will catch up soon, i promise, but in the meantime i thought i'd make a quick post to answer two questions that i received via email.
"why don't you just use real vintage patterns? or for that matter, why don't you just use authentic vintage clothing?"
there are a number of reasons why this is not an option. first, vintage clothing is usually not stage-worthy. it isn't built to withstand the stress of stage action, daily washing, alterations to fit several different people (understudies, alternates, rentals to other companies), etc. the fabrics are often frail, and the the abuse the garment has already taken weaken the seams, there are fade or wear lines at hems, etc.
second, and this applies to using vintage sewing patterns as well, 21st century american adults are not the same size or shape as post-WWII american adults. the proper foundation garments can help shape the flesh to a similar silhouette, but it won't change the bone structure. improvements in nutrition and health care mean that the contemporary adult is larger and taller than 50 years ago. so many adjustments are needed to make a vintage garment or pattern fit that it is more time efficient and less work to start from scratch.
and last, but probably most importantly to a stage costumer, the market in vintage clothing is a hit-or-miss place. i could spend every day running all over town, scouring the internet, calling everybody in the business that i know, without any guarantee of finding what i need. and even if i find something almost right, the work needed to make it fit or to adapt it for the needs of the show can add up to double the amount of effort it would take to build from scratch. i'd rather spend 8 hours making something exactly right.
and let's not even discuss the fact that i need duplicates of things like dinner jackets, cocktail dresses, and so forth for the chorus. i have never found, nor do i know anyone who has found, duplicate authentic vintage garments of any period before the 70's, and those were the dreaded bridesmaids dresses.
"how do you decide what to include in your design and what to leave out?"
hmmm, sometimes i don't decide, the director does. sometimes i can't find the materials for what i had in mind, or i can't make what i had in mind work. and sometimes i find the materials and i make it without any problem and it looks hideous or doesn't allow the performer to do the stage business or it just gets in the way.
sometimes, the director or the performer ask for something specific that wasn't part of the original design, such as a specific type of shoes, so i find a way to incorporate what they want with what i had planned.
and sometimes, something magical happens, and everything i planned works, the director likes it, and all is right with the world.
luckily, i'm never working on my definitive costume, so i don't have the pressure of what history will say about me. :) at some point, you just have to decide on something--ANY decision is better than none at all, because at least it gives you some place to start work. and i've found that most designs can be made to work, with a little coaxing and sometimes a shot of vodka (for whoever is having a tantrum at the moment--sometimes that is me.)
more later, I PROMISE!
