In 1985, Eden was referred to a producer of The Facts of Life. Then in its
seventh season, the show's producers were looking for a new designer,
and Eden landed the job. "After I interviewed, I learned later that they
presented my name to director John Bowab. He had just seen the play
Tamara, which I had done the costumes for. They used clothing from John
Franco Ferre, but I put it all together. John said he noticed that the
Commandant was wearing argyle socks, and that he thought it was a
brilliant detail." Eden stayed with the show for three seasons.
When The Facts of Life ended, she went on to work on other sitcoms
and movies of the week, then on to the series Santa Barbara.
"One of my favorite jobs, although it was short lived, was the televi-
sion series A League of Their Own. Penny Marshall was producing and
directing, and we also had Tom Hanks directing an episode. I loved
doing the period clothes. You don't get to do a lot of period clothes in
television." Eden's design work on the series earned her an Emmy nomi-
nation in 1993.
More pilots, series, and television movies followed. Then she landed
the series Family Law. "I love to dress people beautifully. I had wonderful,
wonderful actors: Kathleen Quinlan, Dixie Carter, and Tony Danza.
They're just so professional, so real, and so much fun."
Between jobs, Eden has managed to co-author RetroChic!, a guide to
vintage clothing stores, and is working on a book titled How to Break into
a Career in Costume Design for Film and Television.
Job Overview
Set costumers set up the actors' trailers with appropriate costumes,
sometimes serving as a dresser, and take photographs and notes on set
during filming to maintain continuity. For example, whether a coat is
worn or carried, the placement of a collar, or how a necktie is tied are all
part of continuity.
"The set costumers are also in charge of the actors' comfort," says
costumer Katrina Migliore. "If you're shooting a scene outside and it's
30 degrees, but it's supposed to be summer, you have to run in between
every take and give the actor a coat to wear to keep them warm. The set
costumer is in charge of keeping track of handbags and other items that
the actor might not want to wear or carry all the time."
JOB TITLE: SET COSTUMER OR COSTUMER
User Comments Add a comment…