Designer clothes add royal glamour to play
The setting may be the late 1500s England but some powerhouse German, Italian and French designers are adding modern luxury to the wardrobe of ATP’s latest play, the second in a trilogy about the Tudors.
The Virgin Trial is a complex, layered story of King Henry VIII’s children Mary, Elizabeth and Edward but it transcends any one time period. It’s historic but it’s also modern and the costumes needed to reflect that.
“Because I designed The Last Wife last year, we jumped off the historical references of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife, as she was very fashion-forward for her time. The director, Glynis Leyshon, and I tried to find a way of translating to the current Royal Family and their fashion sense. That is feeding into this design as well because these, of course, are the Royals,” said Heather Moore, costume designer for The Virgin Trial.
“Even though it’s a contemporary telling of the story, it’s very important their affluence is showing in the garments they are wearing.”
Actors will strut the stage in shoes from Ted Baker in London, while others will sport fashions from Dolce and Gabbana and Karl Lagerfeld. Rich red and gold brocade material bought in New York is being sewn into a dress. Equestrian outfits were purchased from Equus in England, a company that clothes the best riders in theworld.
But, as this is Calgary theatre and not the actual monarchy, the budget was also important. Moore searched locally for clothing and jewelry. A fox fur stole worn by Mary, along with a Chloé blouse and a Dolce and Gabbana skirt, both for the actress playing Elizabeth, were discovered in Calgary vintage shop Curated.
“They give her this very sweet, 13-year-old silhouette. It’s a little bit a bit Alice in Wonderland which helps with the telling of the story as she’s drifting through her past and present.”
In setting out to clothe the characters, Moore assigned each a colour palette that matched their storyline. Elizabeth is all white, sister Mary wears all black and Thomas Seymour, a courtier who had an affair with Henry’s sixth wife, is in both black and white. Some of the supporting characters are dressed in grey.
“We start out with the wealth of the character, the age of the character, the crispness or rumpledness of each. You have to start there from the text and the character, then we go hunting for something we can adapt or dye or age.”
Even though it’s a contemporary telling of the story, it’s very important their affluence is showing in the garments.
“It’s fascinating what happened in that era. We try to give a nod to the period silhouette but we still have real people ... You have to be able to give each character an identifiable look.”
The red brocade fabric from New York helps carry the story forward from The Last Wife to The Virgin Trial. in the first play, Catherine Parr wore traditional garments of the era. For The Virgin Trial, Moore sought out fabric that had the same raspberry tones and floral patterns as seen in artwork done by King Henry Vlll’s personal painter.
“The inspiration comes from the (Hans) Holbein paintings of that time. It is turning out to be a very beautiful piece and I’m excited to see it on stage,” said Moore.
She says the costumes in this play are simpler than those in The Last Wife but are important in helping to explain the arc of the characters.
“The costumes have to at least attempt to get something interesting going on stage.”