Costume Nerd Club

I've been thinking about this so much since starting work in costuming and I guess I'd just love to hear feedback on an idea I have about how I want to conduct myself as a costume designer. In theater, there are typically a lot of purchases made. And when budgets are low, many places resort to the "Bezos Boutique" ahem for costumes. (Along with other exploitative companies and fast fashion chains.) More and more, I want to make a list of places that I will not purchase from as a designer. And it's not meant to be a "well, I can only purchase from designer companies" but more of a focus on: • can I focus on buying locally? • can I thrift or rent more items that have future use than single-use slop? • can I avoid supporting exploitative companies? I know the response from many designers would be: but we don't get paid enough to do XYZ to accommodate that. Which ultimately means that either WE as designers are exploited for the time it would take to ethically buy (let's face it, we're already exploited though) OR it means designers have to resort to exploitative companies. I'm designing a show this summer, and really considering using it as a soft launch of this internal ethical list of alternatives. I know it'll be hard, and will take time, but I also am deeply curious what it would take to do this work in a way that aligns with my personal beliefs. Anyway, I'm curious if folks have every seen this in action? Or been in discussions around this? Or even have feedback or tips on this kind of thing?

I'll be getting my Bachelors this year and I was thinking about getting a Masters in Costume Design. Fashion design was a dream of mine since junior high school and I was always specifically into costume design all throughout my twenties. I was wondering what you think about how necessary this is. I do have chronic health issues so I wont be able to work on sets/theatres. This is making me think maybe I should get a Masters in Fashion Business. -- though I know I would be interested in it, my heart, excitement and inspiration is in sewing, costumes, designs, etc. I'm thinking maybe I should just get the certificate from FIT? Is it possible to get remote work for costume design ? ( since i will have to be remote with any job i get ) I'm 36, is this a factor people consider when hiring in this part of the industry? Just trying to determine what would be feasible for me considering the reality of my situation while staying in integrity with my passion. Thanks for listening! :)

Just a brief PSA: your ideas are worth pursuing and you should always ask for help! I made this gown over a year ago for an 18th century ball, and shortly after we attended it, these azalea bushes started blooming in my neighborhood. My husband and I take a walk every day after lunch and every time we passed by, I kept thinking, "wow, that would be a really good place to take pictures of my gown". BUT, I'm easily overwhelmed. The idea of getting dressed up and hauling a tripod down the block stressed me out so much-- what if it gets hot out and I start to sweat? What if I can't lift my arms enough to adjust the camera? Does my shutter remote even work or is it a cheap POS? What if there are people around? What if I put in all this effort and the pictures are bad because I was uncomfortable and awkward in front of the camera? What if I just have a panic attack and want to go home? So I just steadily watched the azaleas bloom bigger and bigger, and then gradually start to fade and die, and I completely missed my chance. "Next year," I kept saying. And so this year, around Jan 1, I started looking out for those azaleas! When I finally started seeing some, I revealed my secret plan to my husband on one of our walks, and he said, "that's a really good idea, you should definitely do that when they fill out!" So then a few weeks later, the bush was ready-- and I still wasn't. I still couldn't stomach the idea of putting on all the layers, doing hair and makeup, framing the shots etc, in the middle of the day with "so many unknowns". I told my husband "I think I'm going to miss them again because for some reason, I just can't pull it together and do the thing...". And he said, "I know you like to do things yourself, but I'm working from home tomorrow. Would it help if I took the photos for you?" And ding ding ding, there it was-- finally, I felt like this was something I could do! If all I had to do was concentrate on getting dressed and modeling, half the stress disappears. The thing is, I could have asked him to help me this entire time, but it's just not in my nature. I really am my own worst enemy in this regard. Anyway! I got gussied up (and yes, I filmed my first ever GRWM video 😁) and spent a delightful 20 minutes snapping some very special photos with my kind, patient, gentle husband. I felt very relaxed (even though my dress was kind uncomfortable due to tight sleeves and weight gain!) and genuinely had a lot of fun. Honestly as soon as I saw the first photo preview, I was like...this is exactly how it looked in my head. We were fighting the light because of the time of day but all things considered, I think the photos came out better than I could have hoped. I can't believe I have these after dreaming about them for a year and almost giving up 😌 So yeah-- if asking for help will push you over the edge to do things, don't be scared! Sometimes half the battle really is in your head. I will be posting more about this dress soon-- let me know if you have any questions about it.