Angela Dean Celebrity Fashion Designer to the Stars & Celebrated Talent.

©ourtesy of Windi Washington

Celebrity Designer Angela Dean is taking the world by storm. With critically-acclaimed designs & a loyal following of Hollywood’s top celebrities. This fashion powerhouse has evolved into one of the hottest names in the music and entertainment industry. Angela Dean is preparing to let the world know that she is indeed building a global empire.
After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Angela, went directly into the industry designing for various fashion companies. One job she truly enjoyed was designing lingerie for a well-known boutique in Hollywood that specialized in high-end lingerie and evening gowns for the television and movie industry. In 1987, Angela created the original famous bullet bra bustier that launched Madonna’s outerwear lingerie look. The bustier look created a major fashion trend. Deanzign began in a small boutique in the eighties on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California where Angela Dean sold her unique but timeless designs to entertainment heavyweights. As the music video craze exploded, requests for her star-worthy creations took off, leading Angela to close the store to provide full custom-design service to celebrities. Deanzign became a full-service studio to the entertainment industry. Angela Dean’s studio in Los Angeles, California is an exclusive environment that services the Who’s Who of Hollywood.

Bahamian Costume Designer, Javotte Bethel

©ourtesy of Bahamas Weekly News, Robbin Whachell

Javotte Bethel

Nassau, Bahamas - This year's national costume worn by Miss Universe Grand Bahama wowed the nation as Tomii Culmer paraded in the 'Sea Goddess' outfit created by Nassau designer, Javotte Bethel. The intricate back piece shaped like a half clam shell was covered in treasures from the sea, along with a sheer fitted bodice with jewels in all the right places looked magical on this year's winner. Now that Tomii won the title Miss Universe Bahamas, this fabulously piece will be seen before a global audience at the next Miss Universe!  "Tomii and I have known each other for a while and certainly she's aware that Javotte House of Couture produces unique designs. She engaged me after her entry in the Miss Universe hoping for a design that might increase her chances of the win," said Bethel. "She said she was open to my creativity and would fully support my concept." "I started this project with the expectation that this costume would be seen worldwide, I wanted it to highlight the Bahamas' most admirable amenities - its water and life thereunder ," said Bethel." The aquatic theme was the obvious move, and this concept had tons of creative potential allowing us to use a wide range of sea-life trinkets. With all the press coverage around the preservation of Bahamas' reef systems recently, we thought that connection would also work in our favour." Javotte Bethel the owner and operator of Javotte's House of Couture, has been gainfully employed in the fashion industry for about 20 years and began designing at the age of 12, later making her own prom dress.  After high school she studied at the International Fine Arts school of Miami where she obtained an associates degree in Fashion and Graphic Design. Javotte Bethel's House of Couture on Facebook

Tomii Culmer, 2014 Miss Universe Bahamas in "Sea Goddess" by Javotte Bethel

Costume: Actresses Jane Fonda & Minka Kelly Transform Into American Icons for ‘The Butler’

©ourtesy of Meriah Doty

From sketch to real life, Jane Fonda evokes former first lady Nancy Reagan (The Weinstein Company)

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” spans eight decades and depicts a spectrum of characters that could make any costume designer’s head spin: from a rural African-American field worker (portrayed by Mariah Carey) to a boozy-yet-stylish ’50s lady (Oprah Winfrey — whose character traverses all of the film’s decades as the wife of longtime White House butler Cecil Gaines) to iconic first ladies including Nancy Reagan (Jane Fonda) and Jacqueline Kennedy (Minka Kelly).

From Fonda to Reagan
In the film, 75-year-old Fonda is in close replicas to the real clothing of ’80s-era Nancy Reagan. “She loved red,” Ruth Carter, costume designer for “The Butler,” told Yahoo! Movies of Reagan. “A very vibrant tomato red — coined as ‘Reagan Red,’” said Carter, who mimicked the designs of Reagan’s favorite designers, including Bill Blass. Carter even replicated a gown Reagan wore to a state dinner.

It’s not only the clothes, but Fonda’s hair — which was coincidentally already in the right cut to play Reagan — and her makeup transformed the Oscar winner into a convincing facsimile of the former first lady.
But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any drama in assuming the role. Fonda managed to avoid a wardrobe catastrophe, Carter recalled, on her first day of filming: one of Fonda’s costumes went missing — and she was only scheduled to shoot for a few short days. “I was walking on pins and needles.” But Fonda made it work, swapping a costume intended for another scene while she waited for the missing outfit to arrive (and it did, as a frantic Carter actually flew it in). Close call.

[Related: Oprah and Cast Serve Up 'Butler' Scoop]

Minka Kelly brings a Jackie Kennedy outfit to life in ‘The Butler’ (The Weinstein Company)

For Minka Kelly to pull it off as the stylish Mrs. Kennedy, Carter knew she had to pay attention to detail. “My main focus was to make sure the pink Chanel suit she wears when the [JFK] assassination happens is perfect,” said the costume designer. “Of course we want Jackie Kennedy’s look to be as iconic as it was in real life.” -- >

 Read more: Costume: Actresses Jane Fonda & Minka Kelly Transform Into American Icons for ‘The Butler’

An Academy Awards Contender

Costume Designer Pierre-Yves Gayraud for Film, 

‘Albert Nobbs‘

 
Albert Nobbs is a film that has been in the making since Glenn Close starred in the 1982 off- Broadway stage production adapted from George Moore’s short story. Directed by Rodrigo Garcia, Close’s sensitive portrayal of a woman disguising herself as a man in order to find employment and survive in 19th century Ireland is both eccentric and poignant. Helping to bring the man’s world of 19th century Ireland to life is costume designer  Pierre-Yves Gayraud. Gayraud has been splashing films with his costume design in France since the ’90s, where he received a nomination in 1993 for the Cesar Award for Indochine (1992). Stateside, he has worked on The Bourne Identity (2002) and the upcoming Cloud Atlas. – - more

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MJ’s Costume Designer Dennis Tompkins Dies

Tribute to longtime Michael Jackson Costume Designer, Dennis Tompkins who died on December 2, 2011. L.A. based costume designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins have quietly designed most of Michael Jackson’s personal and concert tour wardrobes, tens of thousands of pieces. On December 2, Dennis Tompkins passed away. Karen Faye (Michael’s make-up artist) tweeted today (10:45 EST): “Yes, again, we loose another friend and great artist. Dennis Thompkins Dec. 2. It was his wish to be discrete and quiet about his passing.”  Look at  Interview with Dennis and partner Michael Bush HERE – R.I.P. Dennis and kudos for a job well done. - - read more

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Film ‘The Help’ Costume Designer

By Michelle Paradis [BTL]

When costume designer Sharen Davis read The Help years ago, she immediately felt a deep connection with the book. “I loved the book so much, it was really serendipitous,” Davis says about getting on board as the costume designer of the 1960s era film about African-American maid’s experiences working for white families during the civil rights movement. Davis’ work on the film helped breathe life to each character who are all represented so well, as if they were visualized and the facets of their personalities were put to fabric. The splashes of color on each character speak volumes about who they are. Skeeter (Emma Stone), the idealistic heroine of the film who refuses to get married like the rest of the “proper girls” of her time, dons Peter Pan collars, shirt-dresses and plaids. Hilly (Bryce Dallas Howard), the insecure schemer who will do anything to secure her social standing in town and keep things the way they are wears the brightest florals and the loudest bows. Elizabeth (Ahna O’ Reilly), the girl who isn’t capable of mothering her own children and stands by submissively as everything unfolds, wears more muted florals. The camera introduces Celia (Jessica Chastain) the girl living on the outskirts of town looking in, feet first, clad in sky high platforms before panning to her bare legs and revealing her fitted romper. – – Read more about Sharen

Rodarte’s Fra Angelico-Inspired Collection

View Slideshow Courtesy LACMA

Sketch by Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte, promised gift of Rodarte (Kate and Laura Mulleavy) by Ann Binlot

Rodarte’s Los Angeles County Museum of Art-acquired 10-piece spring/summer 2012 couture collection, which debuted last June at Florence fashion fair Pitti W, is finally scheduled to make its North American debut. LACMA will present the pieces in an exhibition titled, “Rodarte: Fra Angelico Collection,” from December 17 to February 5, 2012.
Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the California born and bred sisters behind Rodarte, found inspiration in Italian Renaissance art for the collection, specifically High Roman Baroque sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini’s “The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa,” as well as early Renaissance painter Fra Angelico’s frescoes in the monks’ cells at the Convent of San Marco. In a seemingly appropriate twist, LACMA will display the gowns against works from the same period that inspired them — including the circa 1491-95 painting by the Master of the Fiesole Epiphany, “Christ on the Cross With Saints Vincent Ferrer, John the Baptist, Mark, and Antoninus” — in the museum’s Italian Renaissance gallery. – - follow more about this

Hall of Fame: Patricia Field

Patricia Field has always done things her way. With a career spanning 45 years and counting, the designer, stylist and boutique owner built her reputation by creating her own blueprint. “If you asked me who I looked up to from the beginning of my career, I would say no one,” Field said. “I didn’t see fashion that way. I felt fashion.” On the other hand, Field has clearly inspired others in the industry. “As a designer, everyone loves her because she does what designers dream of doing: putting together eccentric pieces,” said designer Christian Siriano. “Any designer would love to have Patricia pull for one of their projects because that means she thinks it’s interesting, creative, new and special.” George Malkemus, president of Manolo Blahnik USA, said Field’s ability to stay ahead of trends puts her in a unique class. “She always has an extraordinary take on what’s happening on the street before anyone else in fashion,” he said. “She embraces young ideas and young people in a way that very few people in fashion do.” – - Read more

Costumer ‘Mari Shimazaki’ designs Video Costumes

Mari Shimazaki told me via email she originally met SCV’s art director at a party, mentioned she was looking forward to the game, and then when she became a freelancer, found herself called in for a meeting. She has three designs in the game — the primary costume for new character Leixia, and the alternate costumes for Tira and Ivy. Just before this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Namco announced that in addition to their internal Project Soul development team, three external developers were helping create Soul Calibur V — CyberConnect2 on the story, and Creative Intelligence Arts/Forcewick Sound Design on the audio. And now they’re adding one more to that list, with Bayonetta character designer Mari Shimazaki contributing costumes. Namco calls her a “guest costume designer,” keeping the terminology they use for “guest characters” like Ezio in SCV. - – continue viewing more Costumes Here

Costume Designs For ‘Serah’

Yuko Oshima isn’t just a Final Fantasy XIII-2 judge, she’s also a costume designer. Square Enix asked the AKB48 idol to design two costumes for Serah and her moogle. Starting on November 15, fans will be able to vote on which one makes it into the game as downloadable content on the Judge13 page. Oshima calls this first outfit “exposure and defense.” When designing this costume she wondered is it really possible for Final Fantasy female characters to fight with so much showing. Oshima thought adding pointed shoes and a shield would make Serah ready for a fight. – - more about Yuko

Theadora Van Runkle 83, dies; Costume Designer

Theadora Van Runkle’s influence spanned four decades and a range of movie genres. She was catapulted to fame by her work on ‘Bonnie and Clyde.’

Hollywood costume designer Theadora Van Runkle, whose influence spanned four decades and a range of movie genres including period pieces like “Bonnie and Clyde” — which earned her the first of three Academy Award nominations — and over-the-top comedies like 1989′s “Troop Beverly Hills,” has died. She was 83. Van Runkle died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of lung cancer, the Costume Designers Guild announced. Born March 27, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Van Runkle made connections in the entertainment industry not long after that. “She came out here as a baby,” her son Max said, “when her mother came out here to try and make it in Hollywood.” – - story by By Adam Tschorn LA Times READ MORE

Giorgio Armani turns to costuming

Thandie Newton [that Bond Girl] as Paulina Photo: Alastair Muir The thought-provoking Ariel Dorfman play Death And The Maidenis a masterful exploration of moral ambiguity, sexual politics and the personal consequences of totalitarianism. Not only that but all the clothes in the production that stars Thandie Newton and which opens tonight at London’s Comedy Theatre will look absolutely magnificent – thanks to Giorgio Armani. Thandie Newton: She Wears It Well. The Italian fashion emperor has temporarily turned theatrical costume designer to ensure that whatever the critics say about Newton’s West End debut, they absolutely won’t be able to knock her frock. – - Story BY Luke Leitch | more

Designer Edith Head on stage

 ’A Conversation With Edith Head,’ a one-woman show starring Susan Claassen, about the famous Hollywood costume designer. Opens in LA at The Odyssey Theatre starting Oct. 28.

Edith Head had grand designs on Hollywood for six decades, earning 35 Oscar nominations for her influential costume designs and winning eight Academy Awards for such films as 1949′s “The Heiress,” 1951′s “A Place in the Sun,” 1954′s “Sabrina” and 1960′s “The Facts of Life.” She was a favorite of Billy Wilder, designing the costumes for his classic 1944 film noir “Double Indemnity” and his 1950 masterpiece “Sunset Boulevard,” as well as of Alfred Hitchcock, creating iconic looks in such romantic thrillers as 1946′s “Notorious,” 1954′s “Rear Window,” 1958′s “Vertigo” and 1963′s “The Birds.” Besides designing costumes for films, Head also created personal wardrobes for the likes of Olivia de Havilland and Joan Crawford. She designed the uniforms for Pan Am airline stewardesses and she was not afraid to offer frank makeover tips to housewives as a regular on Art Linkletter‘s “House Party” CBS daytime series. – - more about this LAtimes.com

Costume Designer Arianne Phillips discusses ‘Wallis Simpson’

‘W.E.’ costume designer Arianne Phillips reveals how she recreated Mrs Simpson’s famously lavish taste in fashion for Madonna. Wallis Simpson was “That Woman”: a strikingly glamorous and impeccably dressed American adventuress whose attempts to infiltrate English society sparked suspicion, snobbery, ridicule and – ultimately – ostracism. So even a cod psychologist could venture a guess as to what first attracted Madonna to the idea of directing a film about her. For while Madonna might not have prompted a king to abdicate, and the Duchess of Windsor never donned a conical bra and simulated intimate acts on stage with a backing dancer, the two women have a fair bit in common. – - Read more  …here — story by Luke Leitch © Telegraph.co.uk

Costume Designer Ray Aghayan, Partner of Bob Mackie, Dies

Ray Aghayan, a two-time Oscar nominee who won the first Emmy Award for costume design, dressed the glamorous Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross and did the costumes for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 83. Aghayan, the longtime partner of Bob Mackie, who started as his assistant, died of “unknown causes,” the Archive of American Television said Wednesday. Aghayan was instrumental in persuading the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to officially recognize the contribution of costume designers. With Mackie, he won the first ever Emmy for costume design in 1967 for NBC’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. He went on to earn two more Emmys (amid nine total nominations) and received a career achievement award from the Costume Designers Guild in 2008.  – - more on this Story

Costume Designer, Caroline McCall wins Emmy for Downton Abbey

Imagine landing your dream job. Now imagine winning an Emmy Award for it.
For most of us, that’s just wishful thinking. But the fantasy has become a reality for one Portadown woman.
On Saturday Caroline McCall picked up an Emmy at a star-studded bash in LA for her work as a costume designer on the ITV show Downton Abbey.
“It was just fantastic to be invited and you don’t think when you’re working on British drama that it is ever going to be recognised by Hollywood,” she said.
“I had no idea Downton Abbey was so popular in America.”
The period drama, starring Maggie Smith, follows the lives of the wealthy Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V. Along with a stellar cast and sprawling countryside sets, the appeal of the show lies in the authentic attire worn by its main stars. Along with chief designer Susannah Buxton, Caroline is responsible for creating corsets, petticoats and tunics fit for an early 20th-century aristocrat.
- – read more HERE

Costume Designer and Stylist Rosemary Ponzo

Carlos J. Segura | the Author
During 2010′s Fashion Week, Cinespect had the pleasure of sitting down with one of its first interviewees, Rosemary Ponzo, an industry veteran who’s worked with the likes of Coppola, Prince and beyond since her entry into the world of fashion design and styling. This time around, appropriately during Fashion Week once again, we sit down with Ms. Ponzo to talk about her latest ventures, her take on what it takes to be a successful designer/stylist for anyone looking to break into the business and, of course, fashion.
Ok, so tell us what you’ve been up to since our last interview; what you’ve got in the works, etc.?
My most recent projects have been working with pharmaceutical companies, doing commercials for them. Although they’re not glamorous they have teeth because they pay a lot (laughs).  I have also been working with a company that is doing a movie called “Harley Quinn,” and it’s an independent film. It’s a very exciting movie because the character of Harley Quinn transforms herself from a psychologist into someone that is quite the diva, almost like Catwoman. And the make-up I’ve done should be very exciting, almost “Black Swan” like. I worked for Jeff Gordon, grooming him for his charity, which is on television right now, and also for events that he attends with his wife. I also worked on a rap video for Jim Jones; the video is called “Money Bags.” And he is all real Louis Vuitton (laughs). And then I did a Blackberry apps commercial. I love the theater but movies and commercials are fast money. I also did a Sharp Television spot in Japan based on the work of artists like Duras, Degas, Van Gogh, and I had to bring their paintings to life. And it was done in 3D.
…find out more about Rosemary Ponzo

The Job of "Costume Designing" for Cinema

Costume designers often labor over the script, the production concept and they spend hours and hours hunting down fabrics as well as drawing and physically, creating wearable works of art. A character's costume can give clues to the 'Era (History of Fashion)' the movie is set in, the age of the character, their station in life, their mood, their personality and their relationship with the other characters. The reel below is a sample of some of this years Nominated movies. You can follow this article in order to get a List of some Nominees and Winners of the Past.  Historically, past Oscars have recognized many costume designers for their hard work. Many of these artist have done a great deal to create the world of the film through fashion.| Read more.....!

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How to Read Costume on Film

 

 In this abridged version of a feature originally published in Moviescope magazine in December 2010, Clothes on Film take an overview look at how to ‘read’ costume design. Costume design remains one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated filmmaking arts. Far in excess of merely ‘dressing’ an actor for their role, costume design is discourse. A film can be read via costume; sometimes overtly, sometimes subtextually. Not just conspicuous sci-fi or period, but contemporary stories set within a familiar world in familiar attire. On screen even the most rudimentary item of clothing can take on meaning. .....more on this 

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A day’s foray in Fanciful Costuming

 By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi
 After visiting the School of Drama’s “Costume Design: Background and Practice” course this Wednesday, I learned one crucial lesson: "Costume design and fashion design are two very different things". The crucial difference here is the psychological close reading (getting to know the character who will wear the clothes) and historical research that costume design entails. Costume Design is all about capturing the ethos of the characters and setting.
“Costume design is about creating a world and giving visual support to a character,” said Jane Greenwood, the course’s instructor.
She added, “It lets the audience in on who these people are before they even open their mouths.” The class, which meets once a week for two and a half hours, involves a healthy serving of analysis of the particular work, historical study and creative thinking. When I arrived (slightly late) on Wednesday, the group was looking through the students’ pattern drawings for “The Great Gatsby.”

"After taking a glimpse at the process, I found myself completely on board with Greenwood’s statement that, in comparison to fashion designers, “more of everything is required of costume designers.”

Read more on this Article: Courtesy of YaleDailyNews.com

Visit The Professional's Costume Designers Guild

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