The Inside Story of the Costume Department

It’s a scene from the Court of Versailles - aristocrats in lavish pure silk garments with hundreds of glittering crystals on their costumes. Shoes adorned with intricate, hand painted designs.

The wardrobe attendants are The Court Theatre’s small hard-working Costume Department team and the stunning period costumes are all their work. These are elegant, historically accurate costumes, wigs and accessories worn by the cast in Les Liaisons Dangereuses in July.

Audiences were astounded by the stunning beauty of the costumes - one of the highlights of the production.

No wonder. Costume Department Manager Deborah Moor says each of the nine dresses worn in the show were the equivalent in cost and time of making a bespoke wedding dress.

Deborah says each dress took up to 60 hours of work, with hundreds of Swarovski crystals added onto the garments. Countless tiny glittering beads were also sewn into intricate designs on the bodices of some of the dresses.

A close-up on the intricate beading

“To produce an historically accurate effect for the fall of the skirts we had to ‘cartridge pleat’ them. This means hand sewing three rows of tiny stitches one centimetre apart right round the waist with very strong thread, then pulling the threads up to make pleats."

However, what audiences did not see was just as important. Beneath the costumes was handmade underwear which was vital to ensure the dresses had the fullness and fit required.

“We made the underskirts from eiderdowns from Bed Bath & Beyond. The machine quilted fabric gave the look needed to give substance and shape to the dresses.” Each of these was also hand dyed to match each dress. All the ladies wore beautiful corsets to give the right shape and structure required for this Period.

It took some of the actresses over an hour to get their costumes and wigs in place. The maintenance of their costumes and elaborate wigs was a challenge. Many of the dresses were created from fine silk which could not be washed.

“We regularly spray the costumes with a mixture of vodka and water – this deodorises and kills bacteria. We also use dress ‘shields’ to protect the silk fabrics from staining.”

The silk fabric was bought locally. The lace trims on some garments were taken from the huge store donated to the Theatre, then dyed to match the colour of the dresses.

“To keep the wigs fresh we washed them regularly, set the hair in rollers and put them in our warming cupboard to dry before brushing them out and styling them.

“I hand painted the shoes with designs that reflected the patterns on each of the dresses worn, using Resene paint test pots. We use this paint because it stretches, and can easily be touched up during the season."

A pair of Deborah's painted shoes

Deborah says the Costume Department usually puts in its longest hours during summer – especially in the lead up to the Christmas productions with up to 11 people working just in the Costume Department alone.

“We didn’t think we’d make it for Mary Poppins – with a week to go we didn’t know if we could do it.” This was the biggest show The Court Theatre has ever produced. But of course they did. Brilliantly.

There are just two full-timers in the Theatre’s Costume Department – Deborah and Hayley Douglas – but they bring in casuals to help out when necessary. That’s how Deborah started with The Court 19 years ago.

This year she became the Costume Manager, after working as Acting Manager for eleven months. She had an impressive career before that. After training as a Nurse and working in Christchurch Hospital’s Operating Theatres she had her children and began making wedding dresses for family and friends. She was then lured to work in a leading bridal salon.

She grins: “There was probably more drama working with brides and their families than there is here at the theatre!”

As well, she helped create the stunning flower costumes for the Jenny Gillies shows in the Christchurch Festival of Flowers which were also exhibited at the Royal Adelaide Show.

To date she has worked on over 150 shows for The Court and says every day brings something new. “I work with very skilled, highly experienced directors and creatives – and they share their knowledge, so you are learning all the time. That’s what I love.”