THE COSTUME SUPERVISOR
JANE MARCANTONIO HAS BEEN THE COSTUME SUPERVISOR ON Strictly SINCE 2010. SHE IS MARRIED WITH TWO SONS.
WHEN I FIRST JOINED Strictly, WE WERE WORKING OUT OF WHAT WAS ESSENTIALLY A BROOM CUPBOARD. WE WERE BASED AT THE BBC OFFICE IN SHEPHERD’S BUSH AND AS A COSTUME TEAM, WE HAD TO DO FITTINGS IN A TINY ROOM, WHICH WAS RIDICULOUS CONSIDERING WHAT A MASSIVE SHOW WE WERE WORKING ON. PRODUCTION HAS SINCE MOVED OUT TO ELSTREE STUDIOS IN HERTFORDSHIRE, AND AS THE SHOW HAS INCREASED IN SCALE, SO HAS OUR WORKLOAD! WE USED TO HAVE JUST TWO GROUP DANCES A SERIES, BUT NOW WE HAVE ONE ALMOST EVERY EPISODE, SO WE’RE MAKING QUADRUPLE THE COSTUMES WE WERE BEFORE, SO
WE’RE BUSIER THAN EVER.
I COME FROM A FILM BACKGROUND, WHERE DECISIONS ARE MADE MONTHS IN ADVANCE. WHEN I JOINED Strictly, I COULDN’T BELIEVE THE LAST-MINUTE MAYHEM THAT GOES ON! WE WORK ON THE OUTFITS WEEK BY WEEK, SO THE ATMOSPHERE ON A FRIDAY CAN BE QUITE FRAUGHT. THERE ARE LAST-MINUTE ALTERATIONS AND CELEBRITIES CHANGING THEIR MIND ABOUT WHAT THEY LIKE – WE ONCE HAD TO REMAKE A WHOLE DRESS
IN A DAY. BUT COME SATURDAY AT 7PM, EVERYONE IS BUZZING WITH EXCITEMENT. BUT IT’S ALL SO LAST MINUTE, MY BLOOD PRESSURE IS USUALLY THROUGH THE ROOF!
ON THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE LIVE SHOW, WE’LL BE WORKING FROM 6AM WELL INTO
THE WEE HOURS OF SATURDAY MORNING. WE’LL BE DOING FITTINGS FOR THE DANCERS AND CELEBRITIES ALL DAY. THOSE FINISH AT 6PM, AND THAT’S WHEN OUR DAY REALLY STARTS, MAKING ALL THE ALTERATIONS READY FOR THE LIVE SHOW. I USUALLY CALL THE COSTUME ROOM THE THERAPY ROOM, AS IT’S WHERE OUR CELEBRITIES COME TO HAVE A BIT OF A CHAT AND A MOAN. WE’RE A CORE TEAM OF SEVEN, BUT COME THE WEEKEND, THERE MIGHT BE 20 OF US – IT’S INTENSE!
WHEN THE SHOW GOES LIVE, I’M CONSTANTLY WATCHING THE DANCERS AND THEIR OUTFITS OUT ON THE FLOOR, MAKING SURE NOTHING GOES WRONG. WE WANT THEM ALL TO BE PRISTINE AND BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE FEELS COMFORTABLE IN WHAT THEY’RE WEARING. WE HAVE A DRESSER, BILLIE, WHO IS ON HAND BY THE STAGE AT
ALL TIMES WITH A SEWING KIT, SHOEBRUSH AND A MIRROR IN CASE OF WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS! WE HAVE HAD A FEW TROUSER-SPLITTING MOMENTS, BUT THAT CAN’T BE AVOIDED – IT’S THE FUN OF A LIVE SHOW.
THE CELEBRITIES ARE ALL VERY WELLBEHAVED AT THE BEGINNING – BUT THAT SLOWLY CHANGES! INITIALLY THEY’LL AGREE TO WHATEVER YOU WANT THEM TO WEAR, AND WILL TRY LOTS OF THINGS ON. BUT THEY HAVE THEIR FAVOURITE TYPE OF OUTFITS AFTER A FEW WEEKS. MANY OF THEM DON’T WANT MUCH SPARKLE AND GLITTER TO BEGIN WITH, BUT WITHIN A WEEK, MOST OF THEM ARE SAYING, “YEP, PILE IT ON!” – THEY QUICKLY SEE THAT HAVING MORE GLITTER MAKES THEM REALLY STAND OUT ON THE SCREEN.
DARCEY, CLAUDIA AND TESS HAVE THEIR OWN STYLISTS, BUT WE LOOK AFTER THE BOYS, LEN, BRUNO AND CRAIG. WE USED TO DRESS BRUCE [FORSYTH] TOO WHEN HE WAS ON THE SHOW. ONE OF MY MOST SURREAL MOMENTS WAS WHEN I WAS INVITED ROUND TO HIS HOUSE FOR LUNCH. I USED TO HAVE A BUSINESS MAKING HEADDRESSES, AND WAS MAKING A PIECE FOR HIS WIFE FOR A MISS WORLD COMPETITION. THEY WERE LOVELY – THE JOB HAS CERTAINLY BROUGHT WITH IT LOTS OF EXPERIENCES I NEVER THOUGHT I’D HAVE.
MY MOST COMICAL COSTUME ON THE SHOW? DEFINITELY SCOTT MILLS’ CRAB IN 2014. WE HAD ALL SORTS OF IDEAS FOR WHAT HE COULD WEAR THAT WEEK, BUT IN THE END WE DECIDED ON THAT, WHICH CERTAINLY WASN’T YOUR TYPICAL BALLROOM DRESS! THAT WAS A TRICKY COSTUME TO MAKE, BUT IT BECAME A REAL TALKING POINT AS IT WAS
FUN AND SILLY, SO IT SOLIDIFIED THE SHOW AS A FAMILY PROGRAMME. JERRY HALL WAS A FAVOURITE OF MINE TO DRESS – SHE’S BEEN A STAR FOR SO MANY DECADES, SO WORKING WITH HER WAS QUITE SOMETHING FOR ME.
‘Celebrities change their minds about what they like and we once had to remake a whole dress in a day’