American costume designer
Daughters Tracey and Charlotte (born 1989).
She was a costume designer at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey.
Costumes are the first impression that you have of the character before,they open their mouth-it really does establish who they are.
I like the architecture of lingerie.
The reward is that you can actually create a world separate from reality with a story, actors, music, and camera design. When it works it can entertain, move people and teach us all.
The exposure I have had to beautiful materials across the world, from Japan to Italy, enables me to pull design ideas together. This, combined with years of historical research, has created a great fountain of ideas for me.
My own style is pretty classic I much prefer to design for others.
Costume design allows you to do a different type of research and create characters, whereas in fashion, you create an image and clothing for the masses.
I design for the movie and the character as well as the person wearing the costume. I show the ideas to the actor, then do fittings for shape and technical things such as movement in the costume. Once the costume in this form is on the actor, you have a sense of their connection with it. I then take it to the next level with the final fit.
Inspiration comes from everywhere: books, art, people on the street. It is an interior process for me. .
