About All Dolled Up & Nowhere To Go
The Inspiration - The Process - The Result
Oh, God, it's so lovely to think of, Kristine! Carefree! To be carefree, completely carefree! To run around and play with the children; to make everything in the house warm and beautiful, just the way Torvald likes it!
Nora Helmer - A Doll's House
The Inspiration
-The play that started it all-
Why this show?
A Doll's House is a three-act play by Henrik Ibsen. Set in 1879 Norway during Christmas Weekend, a similar time and setting of when this play first premiered, Ibsen presents the of story of the disintegrating marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer in the wake of a major revelation. This play emphasizes the patriarchal society that is embedded in social status and monetary class, that is an exact copy of the world we live in today. There is a wide variety of characters in this naturalistic play, emphasizing the personal stakes of each story and person. These characters also allow me to branch out of my comfort zone, as I will have to design for both men and women, of different ages, social classes, and states of mind.
A wonderful thing is about to happen.
Nora Helmer - A Doll's House
The Process
-The art of design-
From an Idea to Reality
I designed two separate costumes for each character; one that would clearly fit into the world of the play and one that introspectively defines the character. This process included reading the play, researching the characters and settings, and designing costumes for these characters that reflect not only the physical attributes of the character, but their emotional wellbeing.
I first began by reading A Doll's House twice over. The first time was to re-introduce myself into the story and characters of the play. The second time was where I allowed my mind to wander and start thinking about the motivations of the characters and the effect of the setting of the play.
Following these close readings, I began conducting research on the play and its history, the plot, the characters, the setting, and the fashion of the Victorian Era. Overall, this process took the most amount of time, but it is the most important step when designing, as this is the base of every design. Below is a "behind-the-scenes" look at me conducting and putting together this research.
In addition to the lists, character breakdown, and timelines, which are all logical approaches to design, I wanted to gain a sense of the emotional and visuals research of the play. I created many mood boards of gathered pictures to help me pinpoint ideas of mood, feeling, and even fashion inspirations. these were very helpful when I began designing the actual costumes. You can find some of these boards at the bottom of the page.
With all this in research as a foundation, I began working on the designs themselves. You can find the final renderings on the page "Gallery".
I don't believe that any more. I believe that, first and foremost, I'm a human being