Costume designer

During the late-19th century, company managers in the US usually selected costumes for a show. Many were pulled from a rental houses, only a few were designed. Though designers in other theatrical disciplines were recognized, few who specialized in costumes were. The few that were included Caroline Siedle, C. Wilhelm, Percy Anderson, and Mrs. John Alexander. They sometimes even received credit on the title page of a playbill rather than in the back. In the 20th century, film costume designers like Edith Head and Adrian became well known. Edith Head (born Edith Claire Posener) won eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973. Later, those working in television like Nolan Miller (Dynasty), Janie Bryant (Mad Men), and Patricia Field (Sex and the City) became more prominent, some becoming authors and having their own clothing and jewelry lines. ==Types of costume designers==

Professional costume designers generally fall into three types: freelance, residential, and academic. • Freelance designers are hired for a specific production by a film, theatre, dance or opera company. A freelancer is traditionally paid in three instalments: Upon hire, on delivery of final renderings, and opening night of the production. Freelancers are not obligated to any exclusivity in what projects they work on, and may design for several productions hired by a specific theatre, dance or opera company for an extended series of productions. This can be as short as a summer stock contract, or may be for many years. • A residential designer is consistently "on location" at the theatre—at hand to work with costume studio and other collaborators. A residential designer's contract may limit the amounts of freelance work they are allowed to accept. Residential designers tend to be more established than strict freelancers, but this is not always the case. • An academic designer is one who holds professorship at a school. The designer is primarily an instructor, but may also act as a residential designer to varying degrees. They are often free to freelance, as their schedule allows. In the past, professors of costume design were mostly experienced professionals that may or may not have had formal post-graduate education, but it has now become increasingly common to require a professor to have at least a Master of Fine Arts in order to teach. Both residential and academic designers are generally also required to act as Shop Master or Mistress of an onsite costume shop, in addition to designing productions. In a resident theatre, there is almost always a shop staff of stitchers, drapers, cutters and craft artisans. In an academic environment the shop "staff" is generally students, who are learning about costume design and construction. Most universities require costume design students to work a specified number of hours in the shop as part of their course work. ==Unions in the United States and Canada==

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is one of the major unions in the United States and Canada that represents costume designers. It has three major local unions that costume designers can belong to: Costume Designers Guild (Local 892), the United Scenic Artists, and the Associated Designers of Canada (Local ADC 659). Many costumers belong to the Motion Picture Costumers Union, Local 705 and represent every position within the costume department (except the costume designer). Local 705 represents Costume Supervisors, Key Costumers, Costumers, Tailor/Seamstress, Ager/Dyer, Cutter/Fitters, Costume House Employees and Commercial Costumers. ==See also==