Blog Post 3: Project Reflection
Over the past few weeks in better lives, I have been exploring my chosen subject, Navigating Through Clothing. We have been learning how to analyze characters and design costumes that match the characters. Rather than merely focusing on clothing, this course focuses on exploring how to create suitable clothing for different characters.
When we went to the National Theater in the second week, I was shocked by the development and technology of costumes. It seems that there are such big secrets in ordinary clothes. As a styling student, I think clothing and props are essential. This kind of learning experience allows me to have better understanding of how to express nuances in character traits through costume designs, and clever use of props hidden in the costumes to make the characters more vivid. I have seen many designs for costumes, both the outlines and the fabric of clothing are matched with the personality of the characters. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the tension of the figure on the stage, and it needs a combination of many aspects to complete. This is also my new understanding of costumes. Our project is to design costumes for a classic story – Hansel and Gretel. I chose the stepmother as my design character, which I thought was challenging. The stepmother is not a pleasant character, and the story presents a bitter and selfish image. At the same time, their family is impoverished, so I was a little limited in designing costumes. I want to add sustainable elements to the garment, so the materials I choose are all the things I will use in my life, using these materials to present a daily and comfortable feeling. When researching how to design characters, a series named a singular beauty of Vogue Italia 2008 inspired me.
The modelling of the model in the photo is very in line with my character, allowing me better to imagine the connection between the costume and the stepmother.
Finally, I designed the finished product, the part of the upper body, which was inspired by old clothes that I had worn for a long time. I wanted to use the loose neckline and yellowed cloth to present the atmosphere of poverty. The belt is made of hemp rope, and the inspiration for the dress comes from the plastic bags I have used. I think it is a good choice to use plastic bags as the fabric, which is waterproof and durable and can also show the feature of reuse.
Overall, I am delighted to join in this project. After several weeks of study, have gained a deeper understanding of costumes, how to present effects on stage and how to use costumes to show characters. I regret that I cannot go back to school to learn more details at this moment due to the outbreak of COVID-19. I will definitely participate if there appears to be a costume workshop.
Reference: Paolo, R. (2008) A singular beauty [Photograph]
Chia-hsun, Y. (2020) Stepmother costume [Photograph]