Shopping Skills for Costume Designers

Costume budgets for theatrical productions are never large enough to accommodate constructing each and every costume from scratch. Costume designers must shop shows-buy garments from retail stores and assemble/alter them to suit the needs of the production. Shopping is a foundational skill for costume designers, yet it has rarely been addressed in texts, until now. Shopping Skills for Costume Designers teaches costume technicians intelligent and creative shopping skills to get a show up within limited time and with limited labor and budget. Chapters cover what to know before hitting stores, deciding what to build versus what to shop or rent, internet shopping strategies, and how to turn thrifted garments into period costumes. Featuring interviews with noted working designers and complimented by an extensive companion website listing more tips, internet resources, and connections with other professionals and designers, readers will come away with the creative, knowledgeable, and efficient shopping skills needed to costume a fabulous show.