Recently nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design, go behind the scenes of Gladiator II with costume designers Janty Yates and Dave Crossman and get an inside look into the creation of the wide variety of historical costumes that were created for Ridley Scott's latest epic.
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "This fragile silk costume was once worn on the West End stage by Julie Andrews in her role as Eliza Doolittle – star of the classic musical My Fair Lady. Designed by iconic designer and photographer Cecil Beaton, the exquisite ballgown was influenced by Beaton’s glamorous mid-century fashion photography. Follow the gown’s transformation in our Conservation studio, as we prepare it for display in our Theatre and Performance galleries."
From the Met: "The magnificent sixteenth-century Emperor's Carpet from Safavid Iran was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1941, but its condition was so fragile that it was only displayed for public twice over the next sixty years. This video documents the ambitious three-year conservation program that was launched in 2006 to stabilize the condition of the carpet so its lustrous wools and dazzling colors can be displayed the Museum on a regular basis."
From Historic Royal Palaces: "This rare historic dress known as the Silver Tissue Dress is 360 years old. Explore behind the scenes at the Textile Conservation Studio, and discover how this remarkable dress from the reign of Charles II is carefully prepared for display, celebrating the craftsmanship and beauty of a dress that has survived since The Stuarts were on the throne."
While Christmas may be over, the holiday season is still here. And what better way is there to enjoy the holidays then to take in a performance of The Nutcracker. "Every holiday season the New York City Ballet puts on 50 performances of The Nutcracker for over 100,000 spectators." Each season, it's up to Marc Happel, Director of Costumes at New York City Ballet, and his team to make sure the costumes for those performances are in tip-top shape. Find out how they do it in this fascinating video from InStyle.
From The New-York Historical Society: "Curators Anna Danziger Halperin and Keren Ben-Horin discuss the exhibition "Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore, the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection" on view September 27, 2024 - June 22, 2025. The groundbreaking exhibition examines the everyday clothing of ordinary women, from hard-worn house dresses to psychedelic micro minis and modern suits to fast-food workers’ uniforms."
Designing clothing of any kind can be difficult, but try designing something that needs to be worn day after day and appear beautiful all the time. These are just some of the challenges that face noted Theatre and Costume Designer Bob Crowley, whose experience designing costumes for both opera and broadway have created outstanding looks that have stood the test of time. Enjoy this video of Bob talking about just a small portion of his extensive career that was created for the Victoria and Albert Museum's 2017-2018 exhibition Opera: Passion, Power and Politics.
One of the movie events of the season was released this past Friday as Wicked, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, made its debut. This retelling of the story of the witches of Oz needed someone to bring its fantastic and larger-than-life design to life, and who better than Tony Award-Winning Costume Designer of Hamilton, and the most recent version of West Side Story, Paul Tazewell. Join Paul as he speaks with InStyle and breaks down his vision for the outfits for all of the main characters in this enthralling peek behind the curtain (but pay no attention to the man behind it).
From Oscar de la Renta: "Crafted like a mosaic, discover the making-of the Oscar de la Renta Fall 2024 stained glass gown — ushering in a a new House-signature embroidery technique."
The movie musical event of the year is almost here, as the film based on the hit broadway musical Wicked makes its debut next month. Sure to be filled with amazing costumes of its own, we're going to step back in time and show you how some of the costumes were made for the musical itself. See what happens when a new actor takes over a part and a brand new costume needs to be created.
It looks like the pattern companies have learned that Netflix's Bridgerton is a phenomenon and have begun to create costumes and designs inspired by the show's vision of regal fashion mixed with a modern aesthetic. To get an idea how a company like Simplicity would create a look like this, go straight to the source and see how the costumes for Bridgerton were created with an inside look from Costume Designer Ellen Mirojnick. Watch the video and be inspired when making your own dress, whether it be for this coming Halloween or a special occasion.
From Oscar de la Renta: "Oscar de la Renta presents ‘A Sense of Beauty,' a documentary film exploring the development of Pre-Fall 2024. Honored House codes echo as generations of collaboration unfold. We invite you inside the House to witness the art of craft."
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "Follow Senior Textile Conservator Susana Fajardo as she works on the dress worn by Sandie Shaw for her performance of ‘Puppet on a String’ at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967."
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "Join dressmaking expert Sue Clark as she examines a luxurious, sparkly CHANEL trouser suit, made in 1937 – 38 for American Fashion Magazine Editor, Diana Vreeland.
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "Join dressmaking expert Sue Clark as she takes a close-up look at an elegant CHANEL suit, made in 1959 for actress Lauren Bacall. Comprised of a rose-pink tweed skirt and jacket paired with a delicate silk blouse, the pieces were made exactly to fit Bacall's measurements and have been finished to the very highest standard."
From TODAY: "Christian Dior founded the iconic label Dior nearly 80 years ago, turning the fashion world on its head. TODAY Style correspondent Zanna Roberts Rassi gets an exclusive never-before-seen tour inside the House of Dior."
From Christian Dior: "Join mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel for the momentous fittings of her Dior Couture ensemble by Maria Grazia Chiuri, designed for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony—masterfully orchestrated by Thomas Jolly and Daphné Bürki. Each step in the process unfolds a story of meticulous tailoring that crescendos into a creation finely tuned to echo her operatic cadence, befitting the beauty of the capital's luminous jewel."
The 2024 Olympics are in full swing in Paris, France and we love watching the world's top athletes performing at their peak for a chance at the gold. But while the events are a sight to behold, we can't take our eyes off of the astounding uniforms we've seen the participants wearing. The prime example being Team USA's gymnastics leotards. Fortune magazine got an inside look at how these amazing uniforms were made and they are "adorned with thousands upon thousands of Swarovski crystals." Take a look and see all the work that was put into making Team USA sparkle!
Comic Con 2024 begins tomorrow, and with it a cavalcade of pop culture centric fans, collectors, designers, costumers, and more will descend upon San Diego. One of the central hubs where those designers will meet will be at the Her Universe Fashion Show, a geek couture, as in not a costume, fashion show inspired by pop culture. This year's show will take place Thursday, July 25, 2024, but in the meantime you can watch last year's show in its entirety, where the theme was fandom and fashion through 100 years of Disney.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has a brand new exhibition on display now through September 2, 2024 entitled Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. Watch and discover this amazing and sensory-awakening installation in this video by joining "Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, on a tour of the exhibition."