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How To Choose, Coordinate, and Care For Your Costume
Dance Magazine, Nov, 1999 by Marian Horosko
If you're near Fremont, Ohio, visit Costume Holiday House, Inc., 3038 Hayes Avenue, for period costumes; or call (800) 348-6616 or (419) 334-3236.
Special makeup needs? Bob Kelly Cosmetics, Inc., has been famous with Broadway stars for decades. The catalog is available at (212) 819-0030.
Costume Care
Got a tutu that needs freshening? Don't be afraid to dip it into a tub of cool-water suds. Gently rinse and hang upside down to dry. When the skirt is almost dry, spray starch on each layer as you pull out the creases.
Nylon net and stretch fabrics are washable in mild suds.
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Spots? White Rain or Aqua Net in an aerosol form sprayed from eight inches away, will lift off a spot. Ivory Soap on a white washcloth with plain warm water will do the same. Motsenbocker lift-offs (available in drug stores) will remove food, beverage, grease, ink, and other hard stains.
Pointe shoes, and all footwear, should be kept clean. For pointe shoes, use a cotton pad dipped in alcohol or cleaning fluid to remove dirt and rosin from the satin. Pancake and powder will mask those stains too stubborn to be removed. Clip the "beard" from the tip of the shoe as it wears if you have not learned to dam the tips. A light spray of Zinsser shellac or Lambert's Fabulon clear floor finish, used inside the box of the shoe, will strengthen it for longer wear; let the shoes dry thoroughly. Wash the ribbons after each wearing.
Check for weak spots, such as loose hooks, overly stretched elastics, or missing decorations after each wearing. You must put on your wardrobe the last minute before going onstage and never eat, drink, sit, or smoke in your costume.
First show with a dresser? Let him or her take the costume off the rack, help you step into it and zip, hook, or Velcro the closings. After your performance, let the dresser unhook and help you remove your costume and hang it up. Dressers should receive a tip at the end of a week's work of at least $20 or $5 for a single performance. They spend their entire day mending, ironing, and cleaning costumes and are frequently the last to leave at night with the stagehands. They are the masters who help with those changes executed in pitch-black backstage areas during a performance.
Special Needs
Need a special hat for a period costume? Contact Smithbilt Hats in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, (403) 244-9131.
Need a Celtic or any other special tapestry trim for your costume? Contact The Pillaged Village in Carlisle, Ohio, for their catalog, (937) 855-4555.
Need special garment bags for your expensive costumes and accessories? Travel Auto Bag Company can supply clear plastic bags in any size, as well as cleaning equipment. Call for catalog, (212) 840-0025 or (800) 840-0095.
COPYRIGHT 1999 Dance Magazine, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
