Special Skills
Basic sewing abilities are an asset, combined with knowledge of
period clothing and styles; also needed are organizational and people
skills. "Physical stamina and costuming experience" are necessary skills,
advises Kathie L. Pierson. "I personally know how to sew well and have
twenty years experience in theater costuming."
Advice for Someone Seeking This Job
Call your local film commission to discover productions coming to
your area. Let the film office know you are interested in working as a day
player or on low budget productions to gain some experience. A job as a
production assistant is another way to make initial contacts. Let those
people know you want to work in wardrobe. "When they come across a
situation that they're not interested in, they'll pass your name along,"
says Migliore. "That is how you get your first breaks.
"Go to Fashion Institute of Technology or a similar school for educa-
tion. Work as a PA in a wardrobe department--get your opportunities
from the people you work for. Meet the designers and wardrobe supervi-
sors. They'll help you lots!"
Professional Profile: Katrina Migliore, Costumer
"I've always loved movies," says Katrina Migliore. An art major in
graphic design at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia,
she considered architecture and advertising as future careers. "I had
freedom in my major to dabble
in a bunch of different fields of
art. I took photography, I took
painting, and I took ceramics."
But it was a weaving class that
started her on the path to
being a costumer.
When Migliore wanted to
learn to sew so that she could
make something from the
fabric she was weaving, a
friend suggested she work in
the University's costume shop
for five or ten hours a week
and they would teach her how
to sew. "The woman who ran
the costume shop became my
What do you like
least about your job?
"Everything that I like
the least, I consider a
challenge. I could say
that what I like least is
picking up other people's
dirty socks, but that is part of the job."
--Katrina Migliore
What do you love most
about your job?
"I love the variety--that it is always differ-
ent on every show."--Katrina Migliore
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
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