Colleen Atwood
Colleen Atwood
Colleen Atwood is an American costume designer...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDesigner
CountryUnited States of America
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.
best came clothes conveying dressed lives people period pictures pose sunday time word work written
When I do period work, I really like to read about the period as much as I like to look at pictures because sometimes the written word is much better at conveying what their lives were really like and how much they had and where their clothes came from. Because, a lot of time, people dressed in their Sunday best to pose for a picture.
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.
design prefer
My own style is pretty classic; I much prefer to design for others.
candy home insane mind negative nice number surrounded treat work
My work space is so visually crammed. It's like an insane candy store. The number of textiles I'm surrounded with is mind boggling. It's a treat to come home to a nice negative space.
assistant bought buyer clients department design early private saint side store worked
I worked in fashion, but I worked more in the sales side of fashion than in design. I was an assistant buyer for a department store back in the '70s and the early years of Saint Laurent. And I used to have a lot of private clients that I bought for.
I always loved clothes, just not clothes that were appropriate to the place I grew up in.
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.
across beautiful combined created design enables exposure fountain great historical ideas japan materials pull
The exposure I have had to beautiful materials across the world, from Japan to Italy, enables me to pull design ideas together. This, combined with years of historical research, has created a great fountain of ideas for me.
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.
contribute designers faceless might
It's often said that costume designers are a faceless group of people. But we can contribute to fashion in a way that might be new and different.
designing environment love people
I love designing costumes that I can actually construct, working to create an environment that people want to be in.
finding girls good life looking matters period
I think a lot of young girls go through that period in their life of finding who they are, and at that point, looking good matters the most.
american-designer kimonos months took
Some of the kimonos took as long as four to five months to make, with all the layers that go into it.