By Richard La Motte
Written by a veteran of the business, Costume Design 101 will show you everything you need to know about running the costume department for a film or TV show. Make no mistake, this isn’t a study of dressmaking techniques or period fashions, this is a practical guide to breaking down a script for the requirements of a wardrobe department, how to provide and maintain the costumes, handling the financial responsibilities, working the clothes for the camera and closing-out the department after the filming is over.
Reading chronologically so as to walk the reader through choosing to become a costume designer through to presenting concepts, breaking down a script, budgeting, accumulating and managing costumes, fitting, techniques for ageing and distressing and a huge reference section, this is a book that you can read through for an end-to-end education in what it means to run a wardrobe department but equally, you can use it as a reference work, dipping in and out at whatever point you need – as someone with no previous experience in costume design I found the section colour theory fascinating.
I would maybe have liked to have seen some templates for the paperwork aspects, the filing, presentations and so on – maybe as an online addition – but there are clearly described examples throughout and the writing is engaging enough that it makes for an easy read so this is a small gripe.
Clearly Richard La Motte has brought every day of his 40 years experience to the page in Costume Design 101 and it shows. A more comprehensive, thoroughly practical guide to running a wardrobe department would be hard to find.
Costume Design 101 is published by Michael Wiese Publications and is available from Play.com, Blackwell and all good book stores.