Costume/Wardrobe Specialists

Individuals who oversee the acquisition, maintenance and use of costumes and other clothing for television and motion picture productions, news broadcasts, theater and stage productions and other live and recorded productions. They study scripts to learn about the characters and the images the writers want to portray; conduct research about the fashion and accessories of the era and culture the characters represent; and locate or design costumes that express the appropriate time, place and mood. The duties of costume and wardrobe specialists depend on the size of the budget and the number of staff. In larger productions, they may supervise workers who make the costumes and do the alterations, as well as dressers who set out the costumes and help actors change. In smaller productions, they may be the only person in the costume department.