When The End Of The World Comes At Least I'll Know What To Wear

Sorry I haven't had a new post for awhile folks but lately I've been running around as though it were the end of the world – literally. I've been designing some post-apocalyptic costumes for a theatrical production and generally just having a grand ol'time. I'm becoming oddly fond of post-apocalyptic costumes.

Reason 1) You get to immerse yourself in a different world.
I suppose technically you get to do that anytime you design costumes or make-up for a project that isn't set in either a contemporary or historical setting but it's especially true for after-the-world-ends type costumes. You have to pay attention to the environment the characters inhabit because a) that's going to dictate the type of clothing they need (ie do they need to stay warm, cool, covered up, etc) and b) what type of materials are available to meet those needs.

For instance say what you want about the film as a whole, but Waterworld is a great example of building clothing with whatever you've got available. The costume designers looked at the traditional clothing of people like the Inuit whose main source of raw materials is the ocean, and from there derived outfits stitched from fish skins, netting, and the intestines of various marine animals (both real and synthetic). They even designed hats and skirts to look like they'd been made with dried jellyfish bodies (although they were in fact made from silk and nylon)

In the production I'm currently working on, the end of the world hits in the near-future at a point where the ozone layer is very weak and the sun very harsh – so we're using a lot of recycled cardboard, fabric scraps, old newspaper, and strips of plastic bags to create our costumes whose primary purpose is to protect the wearers' from the sun. Which brings me to fun reason #2

Reason 2) – Sometimes having a limited budget is a GOOD thing.
In Hellboy II the bedtime story scene depicting the origin of the Golden Army was originally supposed to be shot entirely live-action (a la the prologue in Lord Of The Rings). However when there wasn't enough in the budget to stage such an elaborate scene Guillermo made the decision to use puppets instead of live actors – resulting in a far more visually appealing, unique, and memorable sequence.

It seems a bit counter intuitive – after all if money is no object then you'd think the sky would be the limit as far as dreaming up whatever you wanted. But in fact, that initial limitation forces you to not necessarily go with your first instinct (which may in fact be cliched) and often opens the door to something a little more quirky and original.

Working with no budget on these post-apocalyptic costumes has really opened my eyes to seeing raw materials in just about anything and looking beyond an object's original purpose ( *while rummaging through recycling bins* “The covers of these water-damaged old books still feel really sturdy – let's turn them into flip flops!”). Which I'm sure causes my poor mother nothing but great consternation, since I was already a horrible pack rat to begin with. ;)

Reason 3 – It's OK if it isn't pretty – but you may find it's prettier than you think
The main thing to keep in mind when designing post-apocalyptic clothing is, of course, survival. It doesn't have to look good as long as it protects the wearer and doesn't get in the way. This definitely has it's advantages. I may be a bad costumer but hemming is not my favorite thing to do in the world. If I can get away without doing it, because it adds to the desired “look” that's great.
And for beginners it's nice because it also makes it really hard to make a mistake. Make a boo-boo? Just cheat and say you meant to do it.
At the same time though there is actually far more you can do to add style to such survival gear then may be obvious at first glance. Patchwork, macrame, and other folk craft techniques can all add a little more planned-if-rustic style to things if done with a bit of care.

So long story short – I'm discovering post-apocalyptic costumes hold a lot more fun and possibilities than I used to think. I may never look at a pizza box the same way again. ;)