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ran 116 episodes, Farmar put Michelle Cole to work shop- ping. Farmar's ability to remain poised when dealing with the pressures of costuming a sitcom made a big impression on Cole. "She's a very calm spirit. She always at ease. I never saw her ever get mad." Her demeanor and commitment served as an example and inspiration to others in the industry as well. Betsey Potter recalls running into Farmar and her passion for the job. "There was a storage room at Metromedia," Potter recalls. "We'd meet there pulling things at one o'clock in the morning for something that had to happen the next day. It was always a boost to see her because you felt her need to get it done right. She always really cared." Her work helped define seventies and eighties fashion, particularly for women. Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis) in Good Times became a role model for many in a time when positive examples for Black audiences were in short sup- ply. Stanis recalls coming onto the show and "I got together with Adella and she and I created that Thelma look. That fashion. Pinning the clothes down right on my body so they fit me like a glove." Reactions were broad and powerful. Fans would gush, "You don't know what that meant to me. I dressed like you. I wore my hair like you. You showed us how to be a lady." Cole is similarly effusive when asked what it is about Farmar that stands out as her most inspirational trait. "Her endurance. I love that she keeps up with things. She pushes forward. I think that generation of not getting your feathers ruffled. At the end of the day, what gets the job done is your talent. It's your demeanor. It's your self-confidence. And I think she has all of it. She's the whole package." Summer 2020 The Costume Designer 31 Adella Farmar was born in 1928, the same year as the poet Maya Angelou and civil rights activist Emma Sanders. The next year the stock market crashed, which instilled a sense of determination and hard work into a generation that echoes through American culture to this day. Farmar began sewing with her mother when she was five. Her enthusiasm was practical, but it was also aspirational. She was interested in dance and created her own costumes. "I always wanted to design and make my own clothes. The kids were always after me to make them clothes at school." Working in costume was always her goal. At first she took any job that came along, like so many others trying to break into the business. "I would do theater, I would do plays. I did a lot of things for the actresses who were from New York and came out to L.A." Taking advantage of every opportunity was about the work, but it was also about learning and staying curious. "When opportu- nity knocks, you have to be ready to step through the door," she explains, "everything is a new experience and you never know when you'll have to use that experience." Farmar tried to join the Motion Picture Costumers Local 705, but at the time the segregated nature of the business was a serious roadblock. It wouldn't be until Norman Lear cre- ated Good Times that Farmar would have enough backing to become a union member. The stars of the show, Esther Rolle, John Amos, and Ja'Net DuBois, insisted that the production hire Black staff behind the scenes. This gave her the cred- ibility to get into the union and was another milestone in her career. After working with Rita Riggs on Good Times, Farmar became the Costume Designer on a season of The Baxters and then returned to Good Times as the Costume Designer. She would go on to design shows that redefined sitcoms, Sandford, Gimme a Break!, and The Jeffersons. In those days of situation comedy, costume crews were small, the space was tiny, and schedules were tight, but Farmar rose to the challenge. She became an example of grace under pressure to her crew. On the show 227, which The Original: Adella Farmar by Gary Victor Foss Good Times cast: Ralph Carter, Bern Nadette Stanis, Ja'Net DuBois, Esther Rolle, and Jimmie Walker (L to R), John Amos (seated). Sony; The Jeffersons cast: Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford; Gimme a Break cast: Lara Jill Miller, Kari Michaelsen, Lauri Handler, Dolph Sweet, Joey Lawrence, and Nell Carter (clockwise)