Get Into Costume
Design, Make and Manage for the Stage and Screen

By (author) Vin Burnham

ISBN13: 9781350297623

Imprint: Bloomsbury Visual Arts

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Published: 19/02/2026

Availability: Not yet available

Description
Whether your skills are in design, making, styling, illustration, textile arts or supervision - Get Into Costume helps you bridge the gap from costume education into that vital first job in the industry. You'll learn from the highs and lows of some of the most influential costume professionals working today, including Sandy Powell OBE (Shakespeare in Love, Mary Poppins Returns and The Favourite), Jenny Beavan OBE (Mad Max: Fury Road, Cruella and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Zaldy Goco (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Cirque du Soleil and The Little Mermaid), as well as Dance Costume Maker Amanda Barrow. There's also hands-on advice about collaborating with directors and producers to help bring their vision to life as well as how to break down a script and storyline to establish not just what a character should wear but how and why they wear it. With the collective insight of costume designer Vin Burnham and her fellow international costume professionals, you'll be armed and ready to enter the industry with a full understanding of the different career paths available to you - and what it takes to succeed.
Dedications Foreword About the author My Career Pioneering Costume Techniques Giving Back to Costume Students Passing on the Baton Introduction: A Career in Costume - Where to Start So, How Do You Put It All Together? What to Expect Costume Career Choices Costume Roles Overview Costume Subjects Overview Costume Genres Overview Chapter 1: Costume on Screen Preview Terms and Jargon Film Costume TV Costume TV Costume Drama Examples Dressing Music Promos TV Commercials: Costume Design, Fashion and Wardrobe Styling Drag Indian Cinema Costume Takeaway Chapter 2: Costume on Stage Preview Theatre Costume Opera Costume Ballet and Dance Costume Musical Theatre Costume Music Industry Costume Burlesque Costume Children's Shows Pantomime: Slapstick Costuming Sporting Events: Opening and Closing Ceremonies Takeaway Chapter 3: Costume Categories: Contemporary, Period and Fantasy Preview Costume Circuits Contemporary Costume Period Costume Fantasy Costume Takeaway Chapter 4: Artisan Designer-Makers Preview Millinery Headdresses Jewellery Shoemaking Masks, Wings, Ruffs, and Glove Making Wigs Dyeing Textiles Textile Design and Vintage Prints Niche Fabrics Takeaway Chapter 5: A Career in Costume: What to Do and Where to Find It Preview Starting Out: What is the Industry Looking For? Costume and Fashion: What's the Difference? Talent: Where to Find It? Getting in with Formal Training? Getting in without Formal Training Taking Action: A Foot in the Door Costume Dramas - and How to Navigate Them Inside the Costume Shop, Where the Action is - Then What? Getting Asked Back Work Experience Traineeships, Internships and Apprenticeships Takeaway Chapter 6: Who Does What: The costuem Designer Preview The Costume Designer: What They Do The Script, the Storyline, and the Characters The Director's Brief, Logistics, Budgets, and Schedules Casting Character Team Building The Costume Design Concept Mood Boards Costume Design and Drawings Costume Designer or Costume Director? Production Design: sets and Costumes Working Together Takeaway Chapter 7: Who Does What: The Costume Team Preview The Fashion, Wardrobe and Celebrity Stylist The Costume Supervisor The Wardrobe Manager, Theatre The Costume Maker The Costume Buyer The Costume Illustrator and Concept Artist Costume and Wardrobe Assistants The Textile Artist Decisions, Decisions! Takeaway Chapter 8: The Business of Costume: Budgets, Pay, Schedules and Continuity Preview Budget and Money Management Putting in the Hours Rates of Pay and Negotiating Fees Schedules TV Commercials Schedules Theatre Schedules Continuity Representation: Agents and Diary Services Contracts and Confidentiality The Production Office Set Etiquette Takeaway Chapter 9: Costume Management: Departments and Processes Preview Costume Departments Costume Rental Green and Blue Screen Measurements: Current, Accurate and Complete Costume Fittings Costumes for Stunts and Body Doubles Wrap Returns Takeaway Chapter 10: The Costume Family: Life membership Preview The Need for New Crew Interviews: Your Best Self Presenting Yourself Online Honing Your Communication Skills Handling Pressure Turning Down Work That's a Wrap! Resources Takeaway Acknowledgements
  • Textile artworks
  • Fashion & textiles: design
  • Film production: technical & background skills
  • General (US: Trade)
  • Tertiary Education (US: College)
Height:
Width:
Spine:
Weight:0.00
List Price: £34.99