How do you approach
costumes?
designing
The role of the costume designer is multifaceted you have to know how to design
clothes, understand colour, know your
fabric and how it behaves, have a thorough
knowledge of construction techniques and
the history of clothing. The designer then
has to bring all of these elements together
to successfully give life to the design
idea. I like to think of costume design
as architecture for the body. First of all I
consider the scenario or story; what period
it is set in; where is it located, whether it
is historical or fantasy; who the characters
are; and what the mood of the piece is.
I do a lot of background research - looking
through my library of books, trawling
the internet, looking at art, architecture anything and everything really that might
interest me in relation to the theme. It could
be colour, shapes, textures or particular
historical characters. I share images and
ideas with the choreographer, and discuss
and watch the choreography. I also work
closely with the set and lighting designer
in determining colour and the look of
the production. Sketches follow, then
discussions with the cutter and costume
technicians on how the costume is to be
constructed.
Couture
Every day we create our outfits based on who we are, where we are and the times
we are currently living in. These important aspects to create a stylish outfit are the
same as when Noelene Hill designs the perfect costume for a performance. Noelene
is the costume designer for Queensland Ballet and has been for 11 years. During
this time she has created stunning pieces that are not only gorgeous to look at but
also communicate the story and embrace the characters of each performance
FOM has been able to share Noelene’s experiences and
discuss her attitude towards creating costumes.