| Drawing on interviews, site visits, and personal experience, this two-part qualitative dissertation examines the Industry of and Resources for New York City custom theatrical costuming. The Industry examines the last decade of the twentieth century and first few years of the twenty-first century, with emphasis on the latter. Resources are current for 2001.;The Industry focuses on commercial costume shops that build for Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional productions. Outlining the costume building process, this dissertation looks at the roles of theatrical producers, costume designers, shop owners and workers. In describing specific shop positions mainly via worker skills, this study draws on Howard Gardner's concepts of spatial intelligence and bodily-kinesthetic intelligence as well as Peter Dormer's application of tacit knowledge to crafts work. Twelve costume shop profiles explain each owner's background and training, the shop environment, number of workers, and work organization. Six appendixes include bibliographies on costume practice, history, and vintage clothing shopping; a glossary; patterning/marking methods; basic tools; steaming fabric; and a time-line of costume shops operating mid-1800s to 2001.;Covering the New York City metropolitan area, the Resources contains annotated lists of bookstores; collections; costume makers; educational institutions; exhibition venues; health and safety sources; libraries and archives; organizations; periodicals; pattern sources; and free and inexpensive events/tickets of interest to costumers. Material on visiting New York City and how to use research collections rounds out this information.;Conclusions encompass costumer skill, work organization, and resources. A triad of contrasts: visual and verbal communication, collective and individual work, and artistic and craft skill create the performative matrix of costume work. The costuming industry is an intimate and visual culture. While building costumes is a group effort, individual costumers' skills affect the whole. There is no art-craft split in the costume shop; both skills sets are necessary. Flexibility and spontaneity are essential costumer traits. Fittings offer interpersonal, aesthetic, and technical challenges. Union affiliation is most important in the older, largest shops. Resources listings show the quantity and quality of organizations, agencies, and businesses that support costume research in New York City. |
