The Magic Garment: Principles of Costume Design

Comprehensive, clear, well-illustrated, and concise! This outstanding volume provides a systematic overview of the process of costume design for the stage, presenting beginning designers with the fundamentals upon which to build their costume skills. From styles of visual presentation and the use of fabric and materials, to developing skills in research, conceptualization, interpretation, and organization of budgeting, shopping and scheduling, The Magic Garment enables readers to develop an understanding of and appreciation for the process of costuming a production. Readers are exposed to a broad range of theatrical literature through illustrations, references in the text, and pertinent quotes from plays. They are also taught how to analyze plays from the costume designer's perspective. In addition, readers learn how to draw and render costume sketches and how to apply different design principles to specific types of costumes. The costume designer's art lies in effective interpretation, collaboration, and execution. The Magic Garment makes this process accessible and, with lively detail and a wealth of illustrations, brings the exciting world of costume design to life.

Among this exciting volume's outstanding features, it (1) incorporates research resources, bibliography, checklists, and organizational aids for designers; (2) includes synopses of all plays mentioned in the text and an historical costume outline tracing the development of dress through those periods and cultures most commonly required in Western European and American Drama; and (3) emphasizes the creative thought process of the designer as well as the practical get-it-on-stage aspects of costume design. Titles of related interest from Waveland Press: Brackelsberg-Marshall, Unit Method of Clothing Construction, Seventh Edition (ISBN 9781577660545); Catron, Playwriting: Writing, Producing, and Selling Your Play (ISBN 9780881335644); Cunningham, Basic Sewing for Costume Construction: A Handbook (ISBN 9781577664086); Strand-Evans, Costume Construction (ISBN 9781577660750); and Yordon, Experimental Theatre: Creating and Staging Texts (ISBN 9780881339079).