What was the last music video you watched? What about the last TV episode? Can you remember what anyone was wearing?
Sometimes, costumes are the main attraction. Tabloids talk about them for months. Other times, the costumes blend into the piece, where they do their job silently and perfectly.
Carefully chosen costumes help place actors and actresses in a specific time or place. They can also help reinforce a certain vibe or mood. Many costumes help emphasize a certain character’s personality. As any supermodel or designer will tell you, clothes are an art of expression.
What makes costume design matter?
Taylor Swift, who is known for her constant costume changes, incorporates an average of 8 different outfits into each of her concerts. Each one is carefully crafted to fit a specific song.
If you watched Beyonce’s Homecoming movie on Netflix, you’ll know that her outfits were curated to reflect HBCU culture. This costuming choice mirrored her pride in becoming the first African-American headlining artist at Coachella. Without that piece of the puzzle, Beyonce would’ve had a much harder time unifying the all the songs on her set list. The costumes tie the performance together with an overarching theme and give it a sense of purpose.
Costume design also establishes time and place. Creating a space via props and set design is irrelevant if the people using the space don’t fit within it.
For instance, imagine Deb from “Napoleon Dynamite” without her side ponytail and handmade keychains that were all the rage in the early 2000’s. Imagine Superman showing up to battle without his suit. Better yet, imagine Cher from “Clueless” without her chic wardrobe full of 2-piece sets. As if!!
Finding the perfect fit
A costume designer has a lot to consider when finding or creating the perfect piece. First, they must work closely with the director to ensure that each costume fits the overall vision for the production.
They conduct research to guarantee that costumes match the video’s time period. For instance, the music video for the band Bowling for Soup’s song “1985” features the band playing in a garage that functions as a time machine. Each time it opens, we get new costumes, and, in turn, a new era. In short, the costumes transport us from 2004 (when the song first aired) to the long-ago time of 1985.
Getting it done
At ECG, costumes are just one of many areas we handle. Our team of in-house costume designers are there to give you exactly what you’re looking for.
First, it’s important to consider what you want for your production. Something fresh and brand new? We’ll make it from scratch.
Check out these cool jersey’s we made for a commercial! Game day vibes and brand promotion all around.
Or maybe something pre-worn with just enough life left for your killer project? We’ll find it.
Regardless, we’ll get you into the perfect fit! Reach out to info@ecgprod.com today to get measured, fitted, and costumed up.