Thursday, March 31, 2011
Costume Designer Ann Roth: “I Don’t Dress Movie Stars”
Clothes on Film: "Interestingly, Ann Roth touches upon a similar point made by The Tudors’ costume designer Joan Bergin in our exclusive interview. Bergin explains that, like Roth, she creates for characters, not catwalk. This is a common misconception of the costume designer’s role. Sometimes there is overlap, intentional or not, but costumes are intended to serve the narrative; any allusion to contemporary fashion is either intentional (if it is part of the plot, say with The Devil Wears Prada) or inferred by the audience.
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4 comments:
The obvious difference between a costume designer and a fashion designer is who they are costuming for. Fashion designers are creating fashions that will fit in with today's current trends and sensibilities. Costume designers are looking at those trends and sensibilities and seeing how they fit with the world of the play and the characters. I like that Ann Roth does not look to other movies and plays for her research, because it really is stealing from other designer, and it is generally not a specific as you want to be because it is just an interpitation. Of course there are those moments when it is important to have a poodle skirt because it will instantly call to mind a certain time period, but how exactly it looks and works is up to the designer.
I love how through this simple interview, Ann Roth's experience yet stubbornness is portrayed so perfectly. Of all the interesting information in the article, I was most intrigued by the fact that she is not interested in fashion. Although, as Zoe said, there is a big difference between a fashion designer and a costume designer, I find that in order to costume well, one most pay attention to fashion in order to understand clothing concepts such as trends, women's interests, and body forms. Possibly Roth is just commenting on present day fashion and the continuing evolution that happens by the day, but I still feel that in order to understand why the character wears what they wear, as Roth comments on, a cotume designer must first understand the historical fashion references that come into play with those clothing choices.
This is a common mistake that people make about costume designers. People just see the stars, and not the thought, creativity, and the narrative that goes into costumes. As this article articulates it is about what helps to portray the story to the audience, and although sometimes the costumes are flashy they always need to have the story in mind first.
Thanks Ann for sharing your wonderful thought with us. And it is very true that you are a costume designer.
dean graziosi
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