Costume Making!

As Tanya is still having trouble completing the dresses in time I have had to take on the challenge of making the mens doublets that we are not hiring. These are;

• Mercutio
• Lord Mountegue
• Tybalt
• Romeo
• Benvolio
• Prince Escalus

With Romeo and Mercutio's doublets mostly made after the Lighthouse, and Lord Mountegue's partly made, there were four left for me to fully make and the others to complete. I have decided to use the remaining fabric from the Lady Mountegue green underfabric for the Benvolio doublet. The Mercutio doublet I had already started and so this was just to check that with the added embelishment it would still hang propperly. To Lord Mountegue, I had added a placket at the front and started on the sleeves.

Yesterday I picked up the fabric for Prince Escalus and Tybalt from Fabric Warehouse in Tower Park, Poole, a fantastic place for good quality fabrics at a price that is not too expensive. Some of the fabrics I have seen in there are better quality then the ones I have seen in London, I have no idea why it is not used more! As with Mostyns factory shop it is a local gem. For the Prince I found a dark blue chenille, wonderful quality, dark thick fabric with a beautiful lustre in the sun. For Tybalt, I will be using the fabric that I scouted from Fabric Warehouse when I began designing for this production months ago, black with a dark wine square pattern raised across it.

I am not a maker to the skill level that the specialised makers on my course are, however I have found a way to get the look that I wanted in a simple way. It is, in effect, a modified tunic. First is the basic tunic shape, a long strip of fabric, folded in half with a neck hole cut out and slit down the front for the opening. It then requires fitting to the actor, by pinning down the sides to fit it to the form. Then it needs to be sewn up the sides to the arm holes, and a placket must be made and added to the front of the doublet. Then the hem and neckline need to be turned and hemmed to prevent fraying, and at the collar another strip of fabric, hemmed at the edges, must be added for a collar.

 

Tybolt In progress, simple tunic form complete with placket added, awaiting fitting

Myself, sewing a placket

Mercutio doublet front, as left after the Lighthouse performance

Mercutio Doublet, with added decoration

Mercutio doublet, interior of decoration

Mercutio Doublet complete

Mercutio Doublet collar

Lord Mountegue, with placket added

Myself, seving the sleeves for Lord Mountegue doublet

Lord Mountegue sleeve sewn on, with joins in the sleeve for the shirt to be pulled through in traditional Tudor style

 

The final rehearsal is tomorrow, which is our last opportunity to do the final fittings for the costumes. All the costumes that are my responsibility are now ready for fitting tomorrow! It is going to be an interesting rehearsal, our first and only evening rehearsal at the  Swanage venue.