The Art of Theater Costumes

As head draper for The Hartford Stage, B. W. Sellers is tasked with making the costumes.  He selected a number of his favorite costumes from many different plays over the years for an exhibition at the theater.

With the costume designer's sketch in hand, Mr. Sellers starts by "making a muslin" which involves draping, cutting, and pinning muslin on a dress form to match the design sketch.  Then the muslin is used to make a pattern.  I was surprised to see that he uses brown kraft paper to actually make the pattern.

The mannequins were posed with their hands holding a description of the costume.  This beautiful gown worn by Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet looks like black velvet but is described as being made from black-green and black-yellow velvet. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see the color differences show up in the photo!  It really looks totally black when you see it on display, but I assume it shimmers under stage lights.

The workmanship is incredible, and the fabrics are gorgeous--a treat for the eyes!