Costumes

Joseph Vu

Background Information

• Costumes must be consistent with the time of the play.

• For “Bus Stop,” attire must correlate to a southern 1950’s style.– The play takes place in

a Kansas diner, in 1955, during a snowstorm.

Character Attributes

• Costumes must also effectively represent the character.

• Some things to consider may include:– Gender– Social Position– Occupation– Personality

Additional Elements

• There is more to costume design than just clothing.

• Other aspects to consider include:– Makeup– Hairstyles/wigs– Masks– Personal items/accessories (jewelry, walking

stick, purse, etc…)

The Design Process

• Taking all the elements of costumes into consideration, let’s begin with the design process for each character.

Character Introduction

• There are eight characters in “Bus Stop,” thus, eight costumes to consider.

• Among these characters are:–Cherie–Bo Decker–Will Masters–Elma Duckworth

–Grace Hoylard–Carl–Dr. Gerald Lyman–Virgil Blessing

Cherie• Cherie is described as a

young, blonde girl of about twenty. She is pretty in a fragile, girlish way.

• “Her clothes were absurd, a skimpy jacket of tarnished metal cloth… a dress of sequins and net… glided sandals that exposed brightly enameled toes.” (Inge, 9)

• “Also, her make-up has been applied under the influence of having seen too many movies… lipstick creates a voluptuous pair of lips… eyebrows also form a somewhat arbitrary line… her prettiness still is apparent.” (Inge, 9)

Cherie (cont.)• Cherie is also a nightclub

singer and has roots in the deep South.

• Taking Cherie’s profile into consideration, her costume can be pictured as revealing, mature, and flamboyant.

• Her costume should be a colorful, low-cut silk dress with embroidered sequins.

Bo Decker• Bo Decker is a cowboy in

his early twenties.• He is tall, slim, and good

looking in a rugged way.• “He wears faded jeans that

cling to his legs… his boots worn under his jeans… Stretson on the back of his head is worn and tattered…Over a faded denim shirt he wears a shiny horsehide jacket.” (Inge, 20-21)

• Bo also wears a bandanna around his neck.

• Like the description in the play, Bo’s costume consists of cowboy boots, faded and tattered jeans, a worn denim shirt, a dark brown leather vest, a red bandana and an old cowboy hat.

Bo Decker (cont.)

Will Masters• Will Masters is the town

sheriff.• “He is a huge, saturnine

man, well over six feet, who has a thick black beard, and a scar on his forehead. He wears a battered black hat, clumsy overshoes, and a heavy mackinaw. He looks somewhat forbidding.” (Inge, 8)

• Will’s costume should include a beige sheriff’s uniform, a thick winter jacket, and a black homburg hat.

Grace Hoylard

• Grace is the owner of the restaurant.

• She is in her thirties or early forties.

• She is somewhat attractive.

• Her costume should be a light blue 1950’s style uniform dress with a white apron.

Elma Duckworth• Elma Duckworth works

for Grace Hoylard at the diner.

• She is described as a big-eyed girl in her late teens.

• She is still in high school.• Her demeanor is

intelligent, yet naïve. • Her attire should reflect an

innocent, working class girl.

• Elma’s costume should be similar to Grace’s; a light pink uniform dress, a white apron, and a server’s hat.

Carl

• Carl is a middle-aged bus driver.

• His costume should consist of a white button down shirt, red tie, brown dress pants, a brown jacket, and a driver’s hat.

Dr. Gerald Lyman • Dr. Gerald Lyman is a

man in his fifties, of medium height, and has a boyish face.

• He boasts scholarly glasses and iron-gray hair.

• “He wears an old tweed suit of good quality underneath a worn Burberry. His clothes are mussed…” (Inge, 11)

• Dr. Gerald Lyman is also a college philosophy professor who has a slight drinking problem.

• Lyman should be sloppily dressed in gray pants, a white button down shirt, a gray vest, a corduroy jacket with elbow pads, a bowtie, and circular glasses.

Dr. Gerald Lyman (cont.)

Virgil Blessing• Virgil Blessing is also a

cowboy, who is in his forties.

• Dresses similar to Bo (acts as Bo’s parental figure).

• “A big man, corpulent and slow moving… perhaps a trifle more tidy… carries a guitar in a case and keeps a bag of Bull Durham in his shirt pocket.” (Inge, 21)

• His costume consists of cowboy boots, blue jeans, a brown button down shirt, a brown leather vest, a brown coat, and a cowboy hat.