38 The Costume Designer Fall 2019
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Ariyela Wald-Cohain
Arianne Phillips
Suttirat Larlarb
Sarah Trost
In the world of film and television, the archetype is an essential tool.
When a story is told in a medium counted in minutes, it is critical
for a character to immediately be recognizable so the audience
can move quickly and deeply into the narrative. Through cloth-
ing, Costume Designers can express a character in a way that is
shorthand for personality. The person might epitomize a particular
archetype, or they may represent a mix of two or more. We take a
look at four characters, and the heroic and not-so-heroic ideals that
they represent.
THE PEACOCK,
THE MAVERICK,
THE SUIT,
THE SCOUNDREL
"Clothes make the man. Naked people have
little or no influence in society."
–Mark Twain
By Gary V. Foss
