Costumes chosen for the screen are not only clothes worn by the actors, they are also the threads that weave the fabric of the story. Costuming helps to establish themes, personalities, time periods and storylines. Films use costume design to draw into the viewer's nostalgia in films like Barbie (2023), play on historic garments with a new lens as seen in Marie Antoinette (2006), or showcase coveted designer pieces such as in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). With the help of film costume designer and stylist Holly Caverly, we will embark on a journey behind the scenes of the set to shed light on the meticulous and thoughtful work that goes into dressing adored characters.
“If you’re going to do it…you have to want to see the movies get made, have some passion about not just the clothes, but about the final product.” says Canadian film costume designer, Holly Caverly. Holly is working in Ontario, most recently on the Amazon Prime TV show The Lake.
Prior to filming on set, Holly and the team must source and create the looks plus alternative options for the actors for all of the scenes. In order to get the best possible pieces, the buyers and drivers are essential. They drive back and forth to different stores and cities, picking up and dropping off items for set. During this preparation period, a lot of time is also spent in rental houses, typically in Toronto, looking through and pulling possible garments for the film.
Once on set, the day starts off by setting outfit options for each character, making sure there are no issues with the garments and steaming, steaming, steaming! Holly mentions that she would have never guessed that such a large portion of her day would be spent steaming!
After the clothes have been prepared, the outfits get fitted to the actors and any changes are made before they are sent off to set. At this point, the designer would accompany the actors to the set to establish the outfit in the shot and go over the looks with the director, who may or may not have changes to make.
One of the biggest jobs of the designer is to track continuity in the scenes. I think we have all noticed something like this in a movie or TV show before; in one-shot the actress has her shirt tucked in and thein the next shot suddenly it's untucked! Inconsistencies like this can be incredibly distracting and Holly describes it as one of the most difficult and tedious aspects of the job. She comments on how continuity tracking is extremely stressful and it places a lot of pressure on the styling team. Errors in continuity can be very obvious to the viewers and if a mistake needs to be fixed, it can result in a loss of time and money for the production team.
The lead designer can’t do it alone, and it is essential to have a good teamaking them. Finding a synchronous team can be difficult, but necessary. Holly has worked with some wonderful teams that have succeeded as a unit. Good communication and trust between one another are key. “They need to be like half of your brain” mentions Holly.
Even with great preparation and multiple options, sometimes the director has a change of idea or a shift in the direction for the scene and it is up to the designer to adapt quickly. “At the very last possible second someone will ask you for something that seems impossible, and you just have to make it happen somehow,” states Holly. The importance of attention to detail and stamina as qualities to have on set as well as the ability to be good with things changing on a dime.
Holly tells a story from on set where her team “had 20 corset options for a character and at the last minute at like 10 pm the night before shooting at 7 am, the director and showrunner said the corset had to be white. The only colour we didn’t have… so 3 of us had to stay up and sew a white corset from scratch using stuff that we had around the office, like we cut apart a dress to make it!”
She loves the opportunity to make something out of nothing, or source something last minute. It keeps the job interesting for her and it allows Holly to use her great creativity to solve problems. It is a very demanding part of the job, but her favourite.
Film styling plays an indispensable
role in the art of cinema by creating characters through clothing. It is a tedious
task to breathe such life into a story through costuming. Next time you watch a
movie or TV show, I hope you can take a moment to appreciate
the costume and styling choices. Behind these looks are people like Holly, who work
thoughtfully to immerse you, the viewer into the story being told.
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