Costume is defined as any dress worn on stage, including underclothes, accessories, hair, and makeup. The primary function of a costume is to enhance the characterization of a role by developing the feeling of a character. Costume design aims to portray the characteristics of a role through the costume. Greeks and Romans were the first to use masks to identify stock characters, and costuming grew more important as drama re-emerged in Europe in the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, a desire for historical accuracy in costumes began to develop.

1. Dressing the Part
By:
Nell Millard & Jessica Gafford

2. What is costume?
Technically, a costume is defined as
dress in general. This include
underclothes, accessories (such as
shoes and jewelry), hairdressing and
makeup.
However, anything worn on stage
becomes a costume.

3. What is the primary function
of a costume?
To enhance the characterization of a
role. The characters in a presentation
may be defined largely by their
garments.
What is the purpose of
costume design?
To develop the feeling of a character by
portraying the characteristics of a role
in the costume.

4. A (Very) Brief History of Costume
Greeks and Romans used character masks
to easily allow the audience to identify
the stock characters in tragedies and
comedies (before 525 B.C.).
Costuming grew in importance as drama
slowly re-emerged in Western Europe at
the end of the early Middle Ages
(roughly A.D. 475-1000).
It wasn’t until the 19th
century that desire
for historical accuracy began to grow.

5. A Few Costume Design Resources
Costume Design by Barbara & Cletus
Anderson
A basic introduction to costume design that
takes students through the entire process of
costume making, beginning with the idea for a
costume to the final fit.
The Costume Technician’s Handbook by
Rosemary Ingham
Provides a guide to developing costumes that
are personally distinctive and artistically
expressive.

6. A Few Costume History Resources
Costume and Fashion: A Concise History by James
Laver
Covers the landmarks of costume history, the forms and
materials used through the ages, as well as the
underlying motives of fashion and the ways in which
clothes have been used to protect, to express identity,
and to attract or to influence others.
Fashion in Costume: 1200~2000 by Joan Nunn
A detailed survey of costume in the Western world over
the past eight centuries.
What People Wore When by Melissa Leventon
Follows the path of fashion through the centuries, and
studies the detail of the contrasting styles of individual
clothing and accessories.

7. A Few Costume Rendering Resources
Character Costume Figure Drawing by Tan
Huaixiang
Shows exactly how to create character in the pose, then
how to give personality to the face.
A Handbook of Costume Drawing by Georgia
Baker
Illustrates and describes the dominant male and female
costume silhouettes for major historical periods ranging
from Egyptian dynasties through the 1960s. Important
details, including head and footwear, hair styles, fashion
accessories, shoulders, waist, hem, and neckline are
provided to maximize the historical accuracy of each
design.