hey evryone
don't hav any pics 4 my costume design, but here's my rationale
The directorial vision developed for Shakespeare’s As You Like It seeks to engage a modern audience by illuminating a theme which has significant relevance to contemporary society- that of city life versus country life.
The costumes manifest the contrast between city and country, reflecting the surroundings of the characters and how this affects them as individuals.
In the initial scenes of the play which take place in an urban environment, the costumes evince the restrictive nature of city life, whereby the characters are held back by social conventions. The audience recognises this through the use of black bands, netting, padlocks, tight and almost inflexible fabrics, cage-like structures, closed in shoes, and the wire looping pattern worn by all city dwellers in some form.
This visual commentary on the nature of city life encourages the audience to reflect upon their own position in this modern world of stressful, rushed urban living.
Whilst in the country, the costumes portray the transformational properties of Arden, and the effect this has upon each character. They reflect the personal liberation which ensues after an abandonment of the urgent, restrained life in the metropolis. The audience are prompted to observe the advantages of temporarily abandoning this way of life; the freedom of new and unconventional ideas, and the opportunity for the characters to improve themselves on a deeper level. To portray the effect of this new environment upon each character, undone buttons, open- necked shirts, and loose or flexible fabrics are employed. Additionally, to highlight the contrast between city and country, no shoes are worn, and the colour worn by the character in urbanity is inverted. There is a certain clarity and freshness in the forest experienced by the characters which enables them to undergo personal change; the costumes manifest this through various fabrics which catch the light.
By the end of the play the ‘magical’ influence of country life becomes evident- the forest has been a tool for education, for repairing fraternal bonds, and maturing love. The audience is thus encouraged to reflect upon the busy urban lifestyle which has become the norm today.
my class was the 1st eva 2 do costume design at my skool, so it was a bit scary. dunno if we did it right. had fun tho, and put in a lot of work.