I dont know whether to be flattered or frustrated by the way the costumes for Pride and Prejudice have been received by the press. The look of the production has been largely praised and some reviewers have commented in great detail on the particular look of characters without ever acknowledging who designed their clothes.While Max Jones the set designer has received justified praise and name checks. The creative discussions and decisions that have gone into the choice of a particular bonnet or the way a certain shoe can make an actor’s gangly legs even more comic are all part of what a designer does, as well as helping to tell the narrative of changing locations and social situations through clothes. I guess the best design goes unnoticed, but it has been a revelation for me in the first show where i have only designed the clothes , as to how the way that the role of costume designer is subtly relegated in the development and perception of the piece. When i am designing both set and costume it is natural to assume that the clothes are telling the story of where people come from and helping to create a strong sense of location, and much of my work especially with Michael Boyd at the RSC has been to create a simple sculptural space in which the actors , their words and clothes tell us where we are. Max’s strong simple set and my clothes work together in a very similar way which has been why it has been an enjoyable show to collaborate on, yet sadly the critics dont understand how the process works, perhaps i should invite them all to the Guardian Masterclass ?
Regents park 13 Directed by Deborah Bruce, Costume design by Tom Piper, Set design Max Jones
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