Costume Types and Uses
– Etymology: Costume comes from the Italian word for fashion or custom.
– National costume: Expresses local identity and emphasizes unique cultural attributes.
– Theatrical costume: Worn to portray characters on stage or in film, reflecting historical periods and locations.
– Sporting events and parties: Provide opportunities for wearing costumes, such as team mascots and animal costumes.
– Children: Costumes allow children to explore and role-play, dressing up as historical or fictional characters.
Costume Construction and Jobs
– Costume construction: Involves translating designers’ sketches into garments through draping and cutting techniques.
– Costume technicians: Responsible for constructing and altering costumes.
– Costume designers: Create concepts for play or performance costumes.
– Wardrobe supervisors: Oversee the show’s costumes.
– Milliners: Make hats and headwear.
Mascots and Fursuits
– Mascots: Used at sporting events, festivals, and parades to raise awareness for organizations.
– Fursuits: Popular among the furry fandom, matching one’s animal persona or fursona.
Cosplay
– Cosplay: Performance art where participants wear costumes to represent specific characters or ideas.
– Role play: Involved in cosplay, popular at gatherings and conventions.
– Homemade and unique costumes: Often created for cosplay.
– Judging criteria: Costumes are judged based on how well they represent the character or object.
Costume Design and Organizations
– Costume design: Envisioning clothing and appearance for characters, denoting status or providing visual interest.
– Costume Designers Guild: Has over 750 members and notable costume designers who have received awards.
– Costume Society of America: Founded in 1973, promotes the study of costumes and offers educational programs and resources.
– The Costume Society, UK: Established in 1965, dedicated to the study of costumes and textiles, publishes the journal ‘Costume’.
– National Costumers Association: Represents the costume industry in the United States, provides networking opportunities and educational programs. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costume_construction
Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people.
The term also was traditionally used to describe typical appropriate clothing for certain activities, such as riding costume, swimming costume, dance costume, and evening costume. Appropriate and acceptable costume is subject to changes in fashion and local cultural norms.
"But sable is worn more in carriages, lined with real lace over ivory satin, and worn over some smart costume suitable for an afternoon reception." A Woman's Letter from London (23 November 1899).
This general usage has gradually been replaced by the terms "dress", "attire", "robes" or "wear" and usage of "costume" has become more limited to unusual or out-of-date clothing and to attire intended to evoke a change in identity, such as theatrical, Halloween, and mascot costumes.
Before the advent of ready-to-wear apparel, clothing was made by hand. When made for commercial sale it was made, as late as the beginning of the 20th century, by "costumiers", often women who ran businesses that met the demand for complicated or intimate female costume, including millinery and corsetry.
