Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/989249
Spring 2018 The Costume Designer 5 EDITOR'S NOTE The 21st century's torrent of graphics, social media streams, and corporate agendas makes it difficult, if not impossible, to recall a single arresting image. Legendary photographer Robert Polidori recently suggested that "Analog is made to remember, and digital is made to forget," and I agree that there is some truth to that notion. At first glance, Costume Design seems to be part of the ephemera; the spring issue of this magazine is dedicated to challenging that idea. This year, we mark the 20th anniversary of the Costume Designers Guild Awards. The Awards was created with the intention of members recognizing each other's work. Few realized that two decades later, with Costume Design's star on the ascent, the world would follow suit. It is a monumental achievement that the Awards have lasted and brought about their goal so thoroughly. In this issue, we feature the winners and celebrate the immense accomplishment of the field as a whole. It is an astonishing body of work. Lou Eyrich graces our cover. I spoke with her about her whirlwind schedule, working with co-conspirator Ryan Murphy, and mentoring other designers in her new role as a producer. Lou continues to inspire with her unique combination of bravado and humility, two qualities that hone her extraordinary talent into a fine, razor's edge. Costume Design demands a broad and multi-faceted skill set and that means our members are also multitalented. Sophie de Rakoff has created a book of Mark Bridges' costumes entitled The Women of Woodcock. In it, she turns her expert eye toward appreciating and recording Bridges' characters as only another Costume Designer could. The result is a dazzling sequence of images that would normally flash by audiences at 24 frames a second. For an example of a costume's lasting influence, one need look no further than the film Titanic. As we see from the success of Biltmore Estate's exhibit of the Titanic costumes famously designed by Deborah Lynn Scott, the art of Costume Design can have a life after their time on screen. Twenty years after the premiere, the audience still carries the impression they felt upon first meeting Rose Calvert (Kate Winslet), so much so that they may subconsciously search for her iconic hat when they view her garments. The costumes are as evocative now as they were the day they were built from the illustrations. Scott says, "Because they are clothing, costumes are often the emotional entry for the audience into a film or television series." The exhibit brings that sentiment to life. Clothing, because it is made of impermanent material, sometimes carries the impression of being insubstantial. But Costume Design, because it expresses the person during a specific moment in their life, in a tangible garment, could be considered the opposite of ephemera. Every piece is made with the intention of being remembered, every article of clothing, every collar, every cuff, constructed not just to be memorable, but to be unforgettable… Anna Wyckoff awyckoff@cdgia.com