Colleen Atwood
Colleen Atwood
Colleen Atwood is an American costume designer...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDesigner
CountryUnited States of America
aware bought career connection costume design grew growing horror loved money remember saved small strange town washington white
I grew up in a small town in Washington State, so I wasn't really aware of costume design as a career growing up, but I loved clothes. I remember I saved all my money, and the first thing that I bought was a white blazer, which was to the horror to my parents. But I have always had a strange connection with clothing.
costumes older people period periods scale technical work
One of the challenges with period costumes is, on a technical level, making the scale of different periods work on contemporary bodies. We're much bigger than what people were in older times.
costume everyday john people stir total
People like to stir up the fashion vs. costume world, and I think what they mean by 'too costumey' is that it's too much, or not real enough for everyday wear. You couldn't say that about John Galliano's shows, right? I mean, they're awesome, and they're total costume.
bummed costumes doll grandkids great movies
It's great fun that my grandkids get to see the costumes in 'Alice in Wonderland' or a doll with grandma's dress, but then they also let me know they're bummed I didn't do any of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies.
costume designer great
The thing that's great about being a costume designer is you never know what's going to be next; you never what world you are going to enter.
clothing costume create design image type whereas
Costume design allows you to do a different type of research and create characters, whereas in fashion, you create an image and clothing for the masses.
becomes change costume design looking people requires since understand worn
I think that sometimes people don't understand that a costume that has to be worn every day and doesn't change the whole movie becomes iconic. It's very important because it requires a different design process, since you have to make something that people aren't going to get tired of looking at.
bad costumes distracted
I get more distracted by hair or a really bad wig than I do costumes any day of the week.
connection costume design final form level movement next shape technical wearing
I design for the movie and the character as well as the person wearing the costume. I show the ideas to the actor, then do fittings for shape and technical things such as movement in the costume. Once the costume in this form is on the actor, you have a sense of their connection with it. I then take it to the next level with the final fit.
amount costumes expensive
I'd say probably the most expensive costumes I've ever made were the costumes in 'The Planet of the Apes,' because of the research and development that went into them and the amount of layers.
avoid clothes costume create design learn somehow time tried works
I can create clothes for so many different time periods. I've always tried to avoid being pigeonholed. Plus, everything I learn about design and costume from one movie somehow works its way into something else.
american-designer kinds lucky work
I've been lucky in the things I've got to work on. I've been able to keep it fresh, always getting to do different kinds of things.
american-designer lambs silence
Sometimes a contemporary film like Silence of the Lambs is difficult. To make it look real but interesting is always a challenge.
audience changed create creation feeling japanese key relate sensual starting took using western
What we wanted to create for the film was a sensual feeling using the traditional Japanese kimono as our key starting point. We took the creation of the kimono and changed it to make it something that the modern, Western audience would relate to.