My Love for Costumes

I've always had a thing for costumes. 

It seems like everyone has their thing that they pay close attention to in movies or TV. For some it's the special effects. For others it's the dialogue or the camera angles. For some it's the costumes. That's me. I love me a good costume.

Despite that, I never had a passion for theater. 

However, for the first three years of college, I would walk past the Costume Shop on my way home each day, see the dress forms and sewing machines through the window and find myself wishing that I could get paid to sew. That would be the life! My senior year, I finally mustered up the courage to apply. I there until I graduated. I only wish I had applied three years sooner!

After the experience of working so closely with the theater productions, I have a new-found appreciation for theater and the work that goes into it. 

So much fabric!

When I graduated, my parents wanted a tour of the costume shop I had told them so much about. We took these pictures as we walked around.

The storage room was filled with costumes, sorted by era. The system of racks moves to the row selected.

There are so many textures, styles, and prints!

Surprisingly enough, I learned a lot about history from working here. In order to find the piece you were looking for, you had to know the difference between Edwardian and Victorian. I found it fascinating how greatly fashion has changed over time and the factors that influenced it, like war and revolutions. 

The cutting table is where Patty, my boss, worked her magic. She was a master pattern maker and an incredible seamstress. Each of us would sit at a sewing machine and get to work. There were often visitors, sometimes students and sometimes a helpless wanderer with button-less pants in need of our services. 

Often, we would play cheesy romantic comedies as we worked. We couldn't very well watch the movie, but we could listen!