Understand costume design through its history and its processes. Find out about concept-driven design and historical accuracy. Learn about what costume designers do.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Costume Design Definition, History & Types
Table of Contents
- What is Costume?
- History of Costume
- Types of Costume Design
- The Process of Designing Costumes
- Cosplay
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What defines the term costume?
A costume is an outfit that a person wears to dress as a character or concept for a performance, festival, party, or any other reason. Costume design is an important part of film and theatre in the modern day.
What is an example of a costume for performance?
If a person were in a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and they were playing the character of Bottom, part of their costume would have to include a fake donkey's head. This costume would tell the audience that Bottom had been enchanted to have the head of a donkey for part of the play.
Table of Contents
- What is Costume?
- History of Costume
- Types of Costume Design
- The Process of Designing Costumes
- Cosplay
- Lesson Summary
What is costume? Costumes are specific outfits worn by performers during theatrical, film, or television productions. This costume definition is of course heavily simplified: many people also wear costumes outside of performances for their own enjoyment, as part of various festivals like Halloween, or for parties. In theatre, in particular, there is a long history of costume, meaning that what costumes consist of and how they function has not always been the same throughout the years. Costume designers are professionals who work hard to create costumes for actors to wear so that they can better portray their characters. Costume design is a complex process that can be approached in a variety of different ways.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
You must cCreate an account to continue watching
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Create Your Account To Continue Watching
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed.
Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons.
Try it now
It only takes a few minutes to setup and you can cancel any time.
Already registered? Log in here for access
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Your next lesson will play in
10 seconds
The history of costume in the sense of dressing up for various reasons is likely as old as human history. In the context of theatre, it dates back at least as far as the ancient Greeks, if not further. Aeschylus, one of the most famous ancient Greek playwrights, staged plays where actors would wear elaborately carved masks while performing. The masks identified which character an actor was playing, as actors frequently played more than one role. They usually had exaggerated facial expressions to help make the character's emotions clearer to the audience. Today, some performances of ancient Greek plays (particularly tragedies) still have actors wearing masks in homage to the plays' origins.
 |
In the Middle Ages, other types of costume became prevalent in theatre. The Italian theatrical style Commedia Dell'Arte involved a number of stock characters who were recognizable because of their masks and their distinctive costumes. Commedia actors, who were usually part of traveling troupes, would improvise their plays, relying on physical comedy and stock dialogue during performances. One character from Commedia Dell'Arte, a foolish man named Pulcinella, actually developed into Punch, a folk character in Britain. While Punch and Pulcinella vary in personality and history, they are linked by their extremely similar costumes. They both wear white clothes and a cap, and they both typically have a humped back and a long nose.
During the Renaissance, and particularly during the time of William Shakespeare, costumes changed again. Masks were no longer standard in Elizabethan theatre, but actors did wear clothes and some makeup that made them resemble their characters. Women could not be actors in Shakespeare's day, so teenage boys or young men would typically wear women's clothes and wigs to play female parts on stage. Historical records suggest that theatres that were performing Shakespeare's plays spent large sums of money on costumes, though they did reuse them when possible and actors playing minor roles often wore their own clothes. While Shakespeare's plays are frequently performed by women today, some productions still cast men in women's roles as a nod to Shakespearean practices.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
When designing the costumes for any production, either for stage or screen, there are a variety of approaches that costume designers can choose to take. Designers are not only responsible for choosing clothes that make an actor look like their character. They are also responsible for considering things like color symbolism, how the character changes throughout a piece, the overall aesthetic of the other characters, the set design, the cinematography or staging choices, and much more. Costume design can dramatically change the feeling of virtually any performance: a science fiction movie where all of the characters wore elaborate Victorian gowns would probably seem very silly, even if the script and the acting choices were serious.
Generally speaking, though there is a great deal of room for nuance, costume design can go one of two ways: historically accurate or concept-driven. Some costume designers opt for historical accuracy, deliberately creating costumes that suit the time period when a performance is set. Examples of historically accurate costumes might include war uniforms for a piece set during the American Civil War; evening gowns for an epic set during the Russian Revolution; or clothing for characters attending university in the 1960s. Sometimes, designers will sacrifice some elements of historical accuracy to make their costumes more comfortable, more affordable, or to make them fit in better with the style of the play or film.
Concept-driven costuming does not focus on historical accuracy but prioritizes other elements of a story. A television series set in the far future on another planet, for instance, might have costumes representing alien cultures or futuristic fashion trends. A film or play where the time period is deliberately ambiguous or not particularly important might utilize a range of styles. The Lord of the Rings film series is a great example of concept-driven costuming. While it takes inspiration from some real periods of human history, the story is set in the fictional world of Middle-Earth and therefore has costumes that reflect fictional cultures and styles. On the other hand, the television series The Terror is set during the last days of the lost Franklin Expedition and its costumes are historically accurate to the naval uniforms of the time.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Costume designers go through an extensive series of steps when creating the costumes for a film, television series, or play. While individual designers' processes will vary depending on their own preferences and the needs of a production, costume designers generally start by reading the script of the piece they are going to be working on. They will also most likely have extensive discussions with the director of the piece to get a good understanding of the aesthetic goals and needs of the show. Costume designers often do a great deal of research into historical clothing or potential forms of inspiration in the early steps of the process. In many cases, designers will make sketches of the characters and their potential costumes to refine their ideas.
Once the designer, director, and other important members of the production team are on board with a particular aesthetic and set of designs, costume designers will often either source or create the costumes themselves, or else work with tailors and garment-makers to create the actors' costumes. It is fairly common for multiple actors to need to wear multiple costumes over the course of a film or play, which can be challenging to keep track of. Designers sometimes make a costume plot to help prevent confusion. A costume plot is a detailed chart or list that explains what each character is wearing in each scene or act, as well as which characters are on stage or on camera and when. Costume plots can help actors, directors, props managers, and costume designers plan a production and understand the characters' journeys in more detail.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
 |
Another popular use for costuming in the modern day is cosplay. The term ''cosplay'' is a portmanteau of ''costume play.'' The term likely originated in the 1980s, though the practice may be older. It refers to the practice of dressing up as a favorite character from a book, television series, movie, or comic book. In cosplay communities, high levels of accuracy are considered a hallmark of successful costumes. Individuals may go to great lengths and expense to create their costumes, which may be worn to conventions, parties, or other events centered on fans of a particular kind of media. Cosplay is essentially a form of engagement with, and appreciation for, pieces of media and the costumes that they feature.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Costume is any practice that involves dressing as a character or concept for a performance or for personal enjoyment. The use of costumes in theatre dates back at least to the time of Aeschylus in ancient Greece, if not earlier. In the Middle Ages, the Italian theatre style Commedia Dell'Arte had standard costumes for stock characters. Traveling troupes would portray the characters using physical comedy and improvisation. Over time, costume design became a more clearly codified profession that is integral to virtually all performances today. When preparing to work on a new piece, costume designers usually start by reading the script to understand the characters and the story.
Costume designers sometimes aim for historical accuracy in their work, meaning designing costumes that are accurate to the time period when a work is set. Military uniforms, old-fashioned evening gowns, or even outfits from the 1960s usually benefit from a historically accurate approach. A designer aiming to be historically accurate might have to adapt the costumes to suit the medium, for instance altering historically accurate dresses for a ballet set during the Russian Revolution. Concept-driven costuming favors the aesthetic and themes of a work and works well for science fiction or fantasy stories, like designing a futuristic alien headdress or outfit, or costumes for characters in a fairy tale. A costume plot, which shows where all characters are and what they are wearing throughout a performance, is a helpful tool for many costume designers. In recent years, cosplay, a portmanteau of ''costume play,'' has arisen as a subculture. People will go to great lengths to dress as fictional characters, often for conventions and other events.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Video Transcript
What Is Costume Design?
Costume design is the process of creating a cohesive style and appearance for characters in productions like television shows, movies, operas, Broadway musicals, ballets, and other kinds of theatrical performances.
Costume designers work with people like directors and scene designers to dream up and bring to life the worlds we see on stage and screen. These worlds might be set in time periods from the past, or they might be completely new and imaginary universes. Yes, costume designers played a huge role in Star Wars, because someone had to dream up how to make Chewbacca look the way he does!
History
Costume design has a very long history. The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, who lived in the 5th century B.C., created specific costumes for actors to wear when performing his tragedies. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, scenery and costumes became increasingly important elements of stage plays. They helped capture a mood, create an exciting colorful event, and entertain audiences. But there wasn't one cohesive idea of what costume had to be. In Shakespeare's time, people performed in contemporary dress. In his own company, Shakespeare's performers provided their own costumes.
In the 16th century, some traveling theatrical troupes performed a style of theater called commedia dell'arte. It had costumes that represented stock characters, such as the serving girl, the doctor, and the harlequin. Everyone in the audience understood what these characters stood for by looking at their costumes.
From the 1770s through the 1870s, a desire for greater accuracy in costume design began to take hold due to an increase in stage performances and traveling theatrical troupes, and because more people had become familiar with the costumes of cultures around the world. Into the 19th century, costume design became an increasingly specialized art, and two main ideas filtered into it. One was historical accuracy, or capturing the sense of a time period. The other was concept-driven, in which costumes captured a vision that might not have connections to a known historical time and place. Think about movies and television today and you can probably name several productions that fall into either category.
However, even when capturing a time period, costume designers don't have to do detailed reproductions. The idea is to create costumes that reflect the spirit of an age, and they often make subtle changes to historical styles.
Process
Costume designers go through many steps before a production has finished costumes. First, the designer reads the script to understand what the show or performance is about. Then, they meet with the director to get his or her vision for the production. At this point, the designer might also meet with scenery or lighting people to get their input. Using all this information, and sometimes doing more research, the designer creates rough preliminary sketches for the characters. The sketches are then reviewed by the director and other decision makers. Ideas are discussed, changes are made and designs revised. Then, when the designs have been approved, the designer creates detailed finished drawings. These go to a costume shop, where the costumes and accessories are made.
The costume designer might also create a costume plot, a chart or list that tracks each scene, each character who appears, and what they wear. Such a chart allows for a total view of the costume needs at any point in a production and, especially for live shows, gives suggestions for where there might be challenges (as in very quick, multiple costume changes).
Lots of creativity and planning go into the costumes you see on characters in movies and television shows. The next time you're watching your favorite show, give some thought to the work and creativity that went into the costumes and the people who designed them.
Lesson Summary
Costume design is the process of creating ideas and then designs for how characters look in movies, television, stage plays, and other theatrical productions. Costume designers might create costumes to convey a certain time period, or they may come up with clothing for unique worlds.
Costume design has a long history. Early performances include the commedia dell'arte, which had costumes for specific characters. Beginning in the 1770s, costume design as a field began to develop, along with two ideas about how to approach it. One was historical accuracy, or the way in which costumes reflected specific time periods. The other was concept-driven, in which the clothing captured a specific vision for a production.
To create costumes, a costume designer goes through a collaborative process that results in sketches and then finished drawings. He or she might also create a costume plot, a chart that traces where each character in costume is during each part of the performance.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a MemberAlready a member? Log In
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Costume Design Definition, History & Types
Related Study Materials
Explore our library of over 88,000 lessons
Browse by subject