A Theoretical Framework for the Creative Process of Theatrical Costume Design for Historically Set Productions

Abstract

Millions of Americans see theatrical productions every year, each with performers clothed via costume design. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the creative process of costume design for historically set theatrical productions. Sixteen Broadway costume designers were interviewed. Data analysis revealed that though each designer and every production is different, these costume designers approached historically set productions similarly. They believed that the presentation of history is essential, but they have their own inclination toward historical accuracy. Guided by their inclinations, they designed costumes by considering three independent production factors (applicability, attainability, and performability) and implementing four iterative strategies (incubation, research, role-playing, and historical manipulation). Through these findings, the authors developed a theoretical framework for the creative process of costume design for historically set productions. Semiotics and symbolic interactionism were applied. Analysis showed that both were unconsciously embraced by the contemporary Broadway costume designers who participated in this study.

Fashion Exhibitions as Scholarship: Evaluation Criteria for Peer Review

“…Therefore, the curation and communications created are important to consider. As costume designer William Ivey Long stated in Jablon-Roberts and Sanders (2019): “Never underestimate the viewing audience” (p. 46).…”

“…Bye (2010) presented problem-based design research as similar to a mixed-method approach of quantitative and qualitative work, with the addition of practice via iterative design (p. 214). Fashion professors and scholars Sara Jablon-Roberts and Eulanda Sanders (2019) have also recently emphasized designers’ process including the formative phases of incubation and research , wherein ideas are given time to develop and exploration is conducted (p. 43). In the creation of a fashion exhibition, mixed methods are used in the research phase, and iterative design occurs through garment selection, display arrangement, and the development of designed outcomes.…”

Word on the street: apparel-related critical incidents leading to eWOM and channel behaviour among millennial and Gen Z consumers

“…A majority student sample was deemed appropriate as Churchill (1979) notes that a qualitative sample need not be a probability sample, but a sample that has insight into the studied phenomenon. Both Jablon-Roberts and Sanders (2019) and Glaser and Strauss (1967) recommend usage of a Grounded Theory analysis approach that focuses on samples of participants due to “their theoretical relevance” (Glaser and Strauss, 1967, p. 64), such as younger consumers in this study who have been shown to exhibit more eWOM tendencies than older generations (Loranger and Dorie, 2018).…”