Dear Constant Reader,
It Friday again! I don’t know about where you are, but here in Boston it is gloriously spring out. I’m writing this in haste so I can go play outside. Here’s your tip!
When costuming a group act in identical or nearly so costumes, make sure to label them so you can tell whose is whose.
It’s a useful practice for both short-term and long. It will cut down on the amount of time sifting through a pile of identical bras, trying to find the one that fits you. It’s also useful later for determining which pieces fit other performers if you have a different cast for that act or use the same pieces in a different number.
In the theatre, costumes generally have big tags on the inside with the character name or the name of the actor. In burlesque we have to be more discrete, so the audience can’t see the labels. We have put the markings on the insides of waistbands, under facings, inside pasties, and other mostly hidden places. Sometimes we use embroidery, sometime a fabric marker. You can also add one unique decoration to each garment so if you know, you can tell them apart.
You could label with the performers’ initials, or the size of the garment, or just a number (and then keep a master list of what those numbers mean). The important thing is to be consistent. Unfortunately, over our 15 years, we haven’t been and sometimes end up wondering if the “M” is for “Mina” or “medium” (bad example, because it doesn’t matter in that case).
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