What is Costume Design?

What is Costume Design?
Every garment worn in a theatrical production is a costume. Before an actor speaks, his wardrobe has already spoken for him. From the most obvious and flamboyant show clothing, to contemporary clothes using subtle design language, costume design plays an integral part in every television and film production. It is an ancient theatrical craft and the process today is identical to when Euripides was writing long ago. Costume design is a vital tool for storytelling.
When a costume designer receives a script, the process of developing the visual shorthand for each character begins. Costume sketches, fashion research and actual garments are used to help costume designers, directors, and actors develop a common language for the development of each character. Sometimes a glamorous entrance may be inappropriate and destructive to a scene. The costume designer must first serve the story and the director.
The more specific and articulate a costume is, the more effective it will be with an audience. Minute details loved by actors often enhance their performances in imperceptible ways.
Many actors credit their costume as a guide to the discovery of their characters. Actors sometimes need sensitive costume design for imperfect bodies. Flattering figures, camouflaging flaws, and enhancing inadequacies are part of the job description.
Costumes are defined and refined, and the process can be angst-ridden. Each frame of film is a canvas and has its own proscenium. Nothing within it is left to chance. Each choice of color, texture, pattern, and form is deliberate. Like the popular myth of actors improvising their dialogue: contemporary costumes are often taken for granted and sometimes seem to magically "appear." Every actor appearing in front of the camera is scrutinized like a child on their first day of school. Even the most sophisticated audience commonly overlooks some of the finest and most effective contemporary costume design in film and television.
Film is the great collaborative art. The design triumvirate - the director of cinematography, the production designer, and the costume designer -- struggle to create an invented world to help the director tell his story. A film is one gigantic jigsaw puzzle. A movie is an enormous architectural endeavor of sets and lighting and costumes for one time and one purpose. This minutely crafted kingdom must sit lightly on the shoulders of the narrative.
Costumes have always had enormous influence on world fashion. When a star captures the public's imagination, a film or television role has catapulted him or her there. A style cycle begins as this role is recreated in retail fashion to the delight and demand of fans. The exposure this celebrity brings to a costume generates millions of dollars for the fashion business. When a film engages the public's psyche, it is a powerful selling tool for a clothing manufacturer. Costume designers receive tremendous pride from seeing their efforts reproduced on a global scale, but little recognition and no re-numeration for setting worldwide trends.
Often the most successful screen imagery spontaneously becomes iconography. New "classics" feel like they have always been part of the culture. Yet, costumes never spring from the public "collective unconscious." Behind every costume there is a costume designer.
Costume designers are passionate storytellers, historians, social commentators, humorists, psychologists, trendsetters and magicians who can conjure glamour and codify icons. Costume designers are project managers who have to juggle ever-decreasing wardrobe budgets and battle the economic realities of film production. Costume designers are artists with pen and paper, form, fabric and the human figure.

Fashion design

Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social attitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories. Some work alone or as part of a team. They attempt to satisfy consumer desire for aesthetically designed clothing; and, because of the time required to bring a garment onto the market, must at times anticipate changing consumer tastes. Some designers in fact have a reputation which enables them to set fashion trends.
Fashion designers attempt to design clothes which are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. They must consider who is likely to wear a garment and the situations in which it will be worn. They have a wide range and combinations of materials to work with and a wide range of colors, patterns and styles to choose from. Though most clothing worn for everyday wear fall within a narrow range of conventional styles, unusual garments are usually sought for special occasions, such as evening wear or party dresses.
Some clothes are made specifically for an individual, as in the case of haute couture, or off-the-rack. Today, most clothing is designed for themass market, especially casual and every-day wear.

rocking fashion

Jigme Palden PazoTGIF Nepal Fashion Week 2009 was awash with glitz and glitter as the five day fashion extravaganza came to a grand finale on Friday evening at the Yak & Yeti Hotel in Kathmandu. With a riot of sparkling colours and dazzling embellishments, the concluding day pulled out all the stops in whipping up a frenzy with the sub-continent’s ethnic exuberance. It was Incredible India on the catwalk, like Nepal had perhaps never witnessed before, as the ramp queens pirouetted in spectacular sarees, salwars and lehenga cholis to vitually knock the audience dead. Unmistakable strains of Indian music filled the air as the devastating models draped in everything from chiffon to linen and cotton to lycra sizzled on the runway looking like they’d just stepped off the sets of a Bollywood blockbuster. Shimmering visions of the Bharatiya Nari in all her resplendent glory bewitched all and sundry, even though many of those visions came with the classic Nepali features and in one case, even Caucasian. The auditorium at the Yak and Yeti was packed to capacity with standing room only as the most high profile fashion event in the country reached a deafening crescendo.Indian ethnic wear is never complete without the celebrated bridal collection, and kickstarting the evening was Manju Banjara’s depictions of the Indian bride. Blood red hues to complement the flames of the wedding fire glided down the runway in breathtaking variations whether in sarees or lehengas with intricate metallic embellishments to do any Mughal artisan proud.In comparison, the western bridal collection from the same designer that followed failed to come anywhere close to its predecessor. Western brides in white gowns clutching bouquets couldn’t quite create the same impact as the fire brigade red brides.The glistening Indian collections that dominated the evening’s proceedings, were interspersed with western wear including Uttam Banepali’s semi formals and Pratigya Thapa’s Camden collection. Star names to grace the final day were Nepal’s object of lust actress Rekha Thapa who scorched the ramp with fellow actress Namrata Shrestha. The first ever Miss Nepal Ruby Rana Shah who was crowned back in 1994 accompanied by her husband Prajay Vikram Shah and actress Arunima Lamsal added extra spark to the already starry evening. However the star attraction of the day was undoubtedly Femina Miss India 2008 Simran Kaur who demonstrated to all in attendance why her poise and luminescence made her the toast of a nation of 2 billion people last year.