1. The Seagull (Act I) by
Anton Checkov
Jenny Nguyen: Costume Designer
Group 77
2. Historical Period
• The Seagull was made in the 1890s, so the
clothing was formal
• Generally, women wore conservative dresses
or business suits around this time
• Men often wore suits that consisted of a
jacket, tie, slacks, and dress shoes (sometimes,
a cigarette, top hat, and a cane would be
involved, depending on their age)
4. Treplev
• A dreamer who strives to become a famous
writer
• Lives underneath the shadows of his mother,
Akadina, and her lover, Trigorin – who are both
famous
• Clothes would more casual than Akadina and
Trigorin
• He’s impatient, impulsive, and childish, so his
clothes would represent someone youthful
5. Treplev’s Clothing
• Treplev’s hair would be messy,
and ungroom, symbolizing his
impulsiveness
• For the same reason, his
clothes would be loose-fitting
and casual, no tie at all –
similar to the picture on the
right, but with no cane,
cigarette, or hat
• The colors of his clothes will
be brown, because he doesn’t
pay much attention to colors,
just his work
6. Arkadina and Trigorin
• Arkadina is a well-known actress, and
condescending when she watches her son’s,
Treplev, production, implying that her clothes
would be obviously expensive
• Trigorin is a famous writer, more aloof and
sincere than Arkadina, so his clothing will not
be as bold as Arkadina’s, even though they are
dating
7. Arkadina’s Clothing
• Arkadina would wear a
dress similar to the
picture on the left
• The dress illustrates her
wealth because of its
extravagance
• She would most likely
wear a dark dress, such as
violet or olive, because
she’s older
• She would also wear a
heavy amount of make-up
with her hair pinned up
8. Trigorin’s Clothing
• Trigorin would wear a
simple suit, hinting at his
wealth, but he’s not as
obnoxious about it as much
as Arkadina
• The suit would be dark
navy, consist of a tie, suit
jacket, hat, slacks, and
dress shoes (no cane) –
similar to the picture on
the right
9. Nina
• 19 years old, hopeless romantic, ambitious
• Yearns for Trigorin, who already has a lover
• Lacks money because her mother gave her
inheritance to her father, and therefore, has
an insecure future
• Wants to eventually become an actress
• Her innocence is often overestimated by
others
10. Nina’s Clothing
• Due to her young age, the color of
her dress will be a light, pastel
pink (similar to the picture on the
right); the light pink also
symbolizes how people
overestimate her innocence
• Since she is willing to chase after a
man, her dress will be slightly
provocative, showing off a bit of
her chest and shoulders
• Nothing she wears will be
apparently expensive, since her
inheritance went to her father
• During her performance of
Treplev’s play, she will be dressed
in a white gown
11. Minor Characters: Masha and
Medvedenko
• Medvedenko works as a schoolteacher, is poor,
complains about his poverty, and chases after
Masha; his clothes would be of low quality due to
his financial situation and would be dark to
symbolize his negative attitude and foreshadow
• Masha is depressed, has a pessimistic outlook on
her life, and eventually settles for disappointment
when she marries Medvedenko; therefore, she
would be wearing black or dark gray conservative
dresses and shoes at all times
