Copying in Costume: Cyclical Inspiration and the Trouble with the Highest Form of Flattery Wanett Clyde | Film & Fashion Spring 2019
Copying in Costume: Cyclical Inspiration and the Trouble with the Highest Form of Flattery
With the professionalization of costume design there have been perks and pitfalls. Once, the contributions of costume designers was recognized as vital, the early greats like Edith Head enjoyed a level of status and authority on set and in the film industry at large that has been modified over the ensuing years. Though costume designers have their own followings, utilizing social media to connect with fans, there have been several steps backward in protecting their rights and interests. Costume design is an unusual aspect of the film world in the way that it overlaps and becomes entwined with the fashion industry. While it is true that the stars themselves develop lucrative collaborations with fashion houses, costume design from popular shows, particularly fantasy, science fiction and period pieces become the springboard from which fashion collections launch. Helmut Lang’s F/W 2012 collection takes its cues directly from the first season of HBO’s powerhouse drama, Game Of Thrones. An adaptation of the immensely popular fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire written by author George R.R. Martin, the show’s costumes mix fantasy elements with earthy, natural materials. Incorporating elements - leather, long haired fur, layering, shades of black used by costume designer, Michele Clapton, this collection is not so much
Westeros to The Runway
Clapton & Team | Helmut Lang F/W 2012
inspired by Season 1, but reads like every day, wearable versions of the show’s garments. Clapton dresses her characters to convey changes in status, for main protagonist Jon Snow we see his wardrobe change from a boy of his home, Winterfell, to a man of the Night’s Watch. His sartorial evolution also signals a location change to a much harsher and rugged climate at the frigid, distant, Wall. And the clever layering and shading of the blacks make Jon appear fiercer and larger. The Helmut Lang collection is generally designed to be slenderizing, but clearly echoes the colors, textures and layering of the show. Clapton has won three Emmys, including one in 2012 for the season that this collection is inspired by. Her costumes have also populated the world of films like Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and the TV series, The Devil’s Whore, for which she won a BAFTA. She is an example of how inspiration for design can sometimes work backwards, from the runway to the set of a television show or movie. Keen fashion observers can spot Clapton’s inspiration in the runway collections that launched while she and her team conceived and created the looks for season 5 of the show, which aired in 2015. Clapton enjoys a coveted status in the costume design world. She is one a very few in her field to profit off her designs with lucrative collaborations with other artisans. She brokered a deal by which she co-creates jewelry pieces which
Clapton & Crew | Gareth Pugh FW08
Clapton & Crew | Elie Saab SS12
From The Runway to Westeros
Clapton & Crew | Valentino Couture SS13
are featured on Game of Thrones and also mass-produced to sell to fans. Clapton has also recently revealed a forthcoming costume design book, which will feature high quality photographs of her costumes on and off of the show’s stars. It’s interesting to note that the set photographer, Helen Sloan, also benefits from this external collaboration in a way that many filling her role do not. Can these phenomena be attributed to particular savvy possessed by Clapton and Sloan? Do they employ agents, managers are similar who guided these decisions and helped broker these substantial victories for these critical, but frequently overlooked, industry roles? Is the benefitting from being a part of the massive HBO machine, which seeks profits in as many spheres as possible? Terry Dresbach, costume designer for Starz hit show, Outlander, based on a series of bestselling books by author Diana Gabaldon, was certainly vocal in her response to the news of Clapton and Sloan’s book. She took to Twitter, as she’s wont to do, to express her extreme surprise at executives seeing the profitability of a costume design publication. Dresbach is no stranger to connecting, sharing and venting her spleen via social media. But this comfort online was born out of her love for her source material and the women and men who came to love her and her coveted place in that world as much as the books themselves.
Outlander to The Runway
Dresbach & Crew | Vera Wang Fall 2019
When she took on the role in the Outlander production she was heartened by the legions of fans clambering to know every detail of how Jamie and Claire, the book protagonists, would be brought to life. Much like A Song of Ice and Fire, fans of this book series were insatiable in their desire for more, more, more information about the show and her inspiration for the show’s clothing. Dresbach, previously absent from all social media, leapt into the fray creating a blog and joining Twitter to communicate with fans. The show is set in both 1940-60s America and Scotland and 18th Century Scotland and France the show has a spectacular array of costumes, eras, and options to choose from. Though Outlander is Claire Randall-Fraser’s story, viewers, book and show only fans alike, were keen to see the traditional Scottish plaids of Claire’s 18th century husband, Highlander Jamie Fraser. She shared intimate details of her design process and in progress and close-up shots of costumes, materials, techniques, sketches, behind the scenes fitting photos and the locations of fabric shops and suppliers she used. She was wonderfully generous with information and eager to start a discourse with fellow fans of the series via discussion boards on the blog. Additionally, she supported historical costume enthusiasts, amateur home sewers and more professional participants alike, in their copies of her work. The show provided fresh fodder for those in the cosplay world, more comic and convention
Dresbach & Crew | Dior Fall 2017
From Dior Outlander to The Runway
'Rogue One' is one of a growing number of films inspiring clothing collections. But the creatives behind onscreen styles aren't always asked to be involved. "We are hired to design whatever we're designing and they own all the rights to it," says Costume Designers Guild president Salvador Perez. Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Source: The Hollywood Reporter It’s common knowledge in Hollywood that, for all the talk of fixing pay discrepancies and gender discrimination, some of the most underpaid and underserved crewmembers are those in the costume department. Unfortunately, this seems to be an international issue.
related, an in the historical reenactment sphere which pays particular attention to detail and delights in using period appropriate techniques and materials. Dresbach enjoyed it all. The Christian Dior Fall 2017 Couture show takes some of its design cues from Dresbach’s vision for Outlander protagonist, Claire Randall- Fraser. The inspiration was cyclical as Dior inspired Dresbach as well. The inspiration for one of Claire’s most iconic looks was the equally iconic Bar Suit, part of Dior’s New Look era. In the narrative, time traveler Claire infuses fashion sensibilities from her more modern life into her life in the past. Thus, a variation of the New Look in the 18th century. Which is fitting as Dior’s suit shares a silhouette with garments from that time as well. Cyclical inspiration. These highly wearable couture pieces are not as literal as the patterns created or Dresbach’s designs. The inspiration is subtle, and indeed a variation on work from their own House. Dresbach held fast to her vision, and the descriptions in the text, on two key garments. Claire’s 18th century wedding dress and a stunning red dress that had already been designed in the imaginations of book readers everywhere. The recreation of this particular garment by Simplicity was the catalyst for some of the discussions started by Dresbach on Twitter.
Simplicity Patterns changed the cover image to another color after the backlash. Pattern available, here.
Source: Bleeding Cool
Source: Bleeding Cool
When a retro and historical shoe reproduction and period costume enthusiast and designer, Lauren Stowell, from American Duchess, a vintage shoe reproduction company that ironically supplies footwear for many period films and television shows, was hired by Simplicity to make patterns for her most iconic costumes, Dresbach was rightfully and vocally upset. Using Twitter as her primary mouthpiece, she drew attention to the problems with being left out of the chain of production that saw her designs repackaged and simplified without her permission or input. She was very clear that her issue was with Simplicity Patterns. Her essential argument was not truly against the designers of the pattern, rather the company for removing the design teams from the equation and thereby minimizing their work, time and essentially capitalizing off of their creative intellectual property. She was also perturbed by the lack of opportunity for costume designers to make further profit from their work as the designs, and the actual garments created, typically remain property of the production. This is true in film, television and live productions as well. There were mixed reactions to Dresbach’s anger. Some accused her of hypocrisy, citing her own use of historical inspiration to create the looks in the first place. Others came to the defense of Stovall, who made her own public comments
More Do It Yourself Outlander
about how the “copies” came about. Still others thought that Dresbach was overreacting and, in essence, biting the hand that fed her as it was her most devoted fans who were the most excited about the patterns being released. Cries of a lack of professionalism and more peppered the tweets, blog and instagram posts as home sewists, cosplayers and reenactors clashed depending on their stance and loyalty to either American Duchess or Dresbach. Eventually, Dresbach abandoned and then dismantled the blog as arguments, quietly carried on. Those paying attention to the real issue, the lack of agency for costume designers, couldn’t quite let it go for different reasons. Think of the enormous number of merchandising ventures that feature characters in costume. Take a franchise like Star Wars. The beings populating those films have landed on lunch boxes, in Happy Meals, on tshirts and pajamas and backpacks and slippers, toys have been clutched in the hands of children (and adults) all over the world. Han Solo is recognizable by the actor who plays him, of course, but it’s the costume that makes the man. In the case of this juggernaut, it is crucial to note that George Lucas made his a large chunk of his initial fortune through the retention of the merchandising rights for the characters he created, which he was only allowed to do because no one could have predicted that the first film would become the cultural touchstone that it immediately became. This blunder on the part of the movie studio would not
Dresbach shared the source of this textile, Britex Fabrics in San Francisco. They enjoyed a bomb in interest in their shop. They shared blog post updates on inventory for all the Outlander fabrics sourced at their store. The panel print sold for $99 a yard, the high price didn’t deter Outlander enthusiasts. britexfabrics.com/blog/tag/outlander
be repeated once the scope of the financial loss became clear. These rights are now hotly negotiated and rarely given up. Savvy actors have learned to trade higher upfront salaries for a piece of the backend that frequently includes a cut of profits from their faces on candy and cookie packages. Though Dresbach highlighted this point, it was lost in the larger blame placing conversations with average Joes taking undo personal insult to complaints that have far reaching financial stakes tied to them. In her legitimate complaints they only saw how her words applied to their desire to copy, however misplaced this assumption was on their part. Her work on Outlander was of particular stand out as she is married to showrunner, Ron Moore, whom she met when they both worked on Carnivale. She had his ear on what absolutely could not be stinted on or substituted when it came to pleasing herself and other rabid fans of the franchise in a way that most costume designers don’t enjoy. It was a fruitful relationship that produced some extraordinary costume design. Unfortunately, Dresbach ultimately moved on from the show. She cited health, time and a desire to relax after several high stress, fast paced years. But one wonders if this monetary issue, which is really a reflection of respect and credit for work rendered, played a role in her departure. These questions reemerged with her comments about Clapton’s book. Clapton herself leapt into the fray when she highlighted the pay disparity for costume designers and other behind-the-scenes workers on set.
With the show's production over, Sloan has been putting together the book The Photography of Game of Thrones, a compilation of her work that will be published in September. The process has caused her to realize the show's scope, and her part in it, which she called "surreal."
Source: BuzzFeed.News
Source: Vanity Fair
Game of Thrones: The Costumes is part of a new four-part retrospective book series, the first of which will be out on May 28; other entries in the series include Game of Thrones: The Storyboards, by lead storyboard artist William Simpson; The Art of Game of Thrones; and The Photography of Game of Thrones, by principal unit photographer Helen Sloan.
Will the next generation of costume designers finally get their due thanks to Dresbach’s bravery in challenging these norms so openly and vocally? Certainly, Clapton’s book deal and merchandizing deals will spark new negotiations with studios and showrunners. How do we open up this field to people of color, make it accessible for disabled artisans and older craftspeople who haven’t had the opportunity to study fashion in school? We as fashion researchers increase their chance of success by continuing our scholarship, highlighting the history of this and other aspects of dress history so that proper respect, and monetary compensation, is a given and not a thing to fight for. We can help push this industry forward by sharing our passion for design and revealing the critical contribution that costuming plays in story telling.
Resources https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/04/15/outlanders-red-dress-debatedesigner-says-will-delete-costume-photos/ https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/04/15/simplicity-releases-officialoutlander-red-dress-pattern-costume-designer-reacts/ http://blog.americanduchess.com/2016/06/the-red-dress-project-18thcentury.html https://historicalsewing.com/controversial-red-dress/comment-page-1 https://twitter.com/OutlanderCostum/status/853450002701725696 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/costume-designers-leftmerchandising-fashion-around-big-budget-films-tv-shows-955890 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/game-thrones-costume-designerwage-inequality-below-line-workers-worse-uk-1141220 https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/04/game-of-thrones-costumebook-order-michele-clapton-interview?verso=true https://ew.com/emmys/2018/07/12/outlander-costume-designer-terrydresbach-emmy-nomination/ https://ew.com/tv/2017/12/05/outlander-costume-designer-claire-wardrobebudget/ https://tv.avclub.com/outlander-s-costume-designer-on-her-job-in-thewomen-s-1798249727 https://www.buzzfeed.com/caseyrackham/outlander-costumesecrets?utm_term=.gsG4xDwAP https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kateaurthur/game-of-thrones-setphotography-helen-sloan
Copying in Costume: Cyclical Inspiration and the Trouble with the Highest Form of Flattery Wanett Clyde | Film & Fashion Spring 2019