The Magic Garment: Principles of Costume Design

About this book

The costume designers art lies in effective interpretation collaboration and execution. Doing so successfully requires a solid foundation in general artistic principles and specific knowledge of how those principles apply to contemporary costume design. In The Magic Garment Rebecca Cunningham presents readers with just such an artistic foundation and develops it to expose beginning costume designers to the myriad skills they need to develop in order to costume successful stage productions. She begins at the most basic conceptual level--reading plays from a costume designers perspective. She then follows through with the practical considerations that must be considered at every stage of the costuming process--research development sketching and costume construction. Cunningham has built on the long-standing success of the outstanding first edition with new figures and updates throughout the text including 16 pages in full color. Examples have been selected from a wide range of stage productions representing a variety of designers styles and approaches. Interviews with practicing designers from stage film and other media show the practical importance of the books concepts. Every chapter incorporates material reflecting the increased impact of technology especially computers on costuming. New chapters on designing costumes for film and television and preparing for a costume design career make the second edition even more versatile and practical for every would-be and new-to-the-job costume designer. Also available from Waveland Press by Rebecca Cunningham: Basic Sewing for Costume Construction: A Handbook Second Edition (ISBN 9781577667551). Titles of related interest from Waveland Press: Brackelsberg-Marshall Unit Method of Clothing Construction Seventh Edition (ISBN 9781577660545); Catron Playwriting: Writing Producing and Selling Your Play (ISBN 9780881335644); and Strand-Evans Costume Construction Second Edition (ISBN 9781478611295).