CDG - The Costume Designer

Fall 2018

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Fall 2018 The Costume Designer 31 By Anna Wyckoff T hink of Chaplin's hat and shrunken suit, Louise Brooks' bob, or a raised trench coat collar masking an unknown face. In film's infan- cy, there was only black against white. Strong shapes or shades of grey told the story. The advent of color upstaged silhouette as the single most important component of Costume Design and created a COLOR THEORY direct lifeline from actor to audi- ence. As a signifier, color comes with rich associations and elicits an immediate emotion. It is the most powerful tool in a Costume Designer's arsenal. At times, design- ers refer back to a color, like a touchstone throughout their work. In other instances, they use a specif- ic color to underscore a personality or an event in a narrative. We spoke to several of our renowned mem- bers to consider their perspective.

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