Course
Costume Design is the art of creating clothes for performers and characters in theater productions and films.
The short course in Costume Design enables students to understand costumes from a cultural point of view, prioritizing design methodology and practical experience with a specific focus on Broadway musical productions, for the summer edition of the course, and film production, for the winter edition of the course.
The ultimate goal of Costume Design is to provide fashion design students with an in-depth understanding of the costume design sector. This offers them valuable insights into the world of musical production (summer edition) or film production (winter edition), and gives them the chance to design costumes for famous characters under the guidance of Broadway director and choreographer Lorin Latarro (summer edition) or film costume designer Ellen Mirojnick (winter edition).
Students will acquire knowledge of the cultural aspects of costume design and become familiar with the inner workings of Broadway (summer edition) or the film industry (winter edition). They will learn how to develop a costume design for a specific character, from the initial visual concept through to the final design and prototypes, receiving individual feedback from professors with extensive industry experience.
In addition to Lorin Latarro (summer edition) and Ellen Mirojnick (winter edition), the main lecturers on the course are select costume designers and a team of professors with extensive experience in the fashion industry.
Mentorship
Mentors share tools, guidance, motivation and resources with students throughout their program. They play an important role in the professional lives of young students.
Ellen Mirojnick
Costume Designer
Mentor of the Winter edition
Ellen Mirojnick, a renowned costume designer based in New York City, has a diverse background in fine art, photography, and fashion. With her education from prestigious institutions like the High School of Music and Art, The School of Visual Arts, and Parsons School of Design, she paved her successful path in the fashion industry and eventually found herself in Hollywood. Mirojnick’s contemporary design approach has influenced iconic characters and earned her numerous accolades.
She has been nominated twice for both BAFTA and Emmy® Awards, winning the latter for her work in Behind the Candelabra. Her costume design in Starship Troopers earned her a Saturn Award in 1998, while her creativity in Wall Street was recognized with the Cutty Sark Menswear Award. Mirojnick has been repeatedly nominated for the CDG Award, winning for Behind the Candelabra,The Knick, and Maleficent Mistress of Evil. In addition, she received the esteemed Career Achievement Award in 2016.
Mirojnick’s collaborations range from renowned filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Tony and Ridley Scott, Angelina Jolie, to artist Richard Phillips for the 2011 Venice Biennale. Her work has been featured in international fashion publications and exhibitions, and she has also shared her expertise through lectures at prestigious institutions.
Her recent projects include films like The Greatest Showman, Maleficent Mistress of Evil, Oppenheimer, and the highly successful series Bridgerton. Mirojnick’s talent continues to shape the fusion of fashion, art, and film, solidifying her as a notable figure in these industries.
Lorin Latarro
Director and Choreographer
Mentor of the Summer edition
Lorin Latarro choreographed Broadway’s recent Into The Woods, Waitress, Mrs. Doubtfire, Les Liasons Dangereuse with Janet McTeer and Live Schreiber, Waiting For Godot with Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stuart, Merrily We Roll Along at Roundabout, Assassins at Encores, La Traviata at The Metropolitan Opera, Chess at The Kennedy Center, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 Chump Street for “This American Life” (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Public Theater’s The Visitor, Twelfth Night And The Odyssey (Public Works, Delacort Theater), Fanny And God Bless You, Mr Rosewater (City Center Encores!), and A Christmas Carol McCarter Theatre.
She is currently developing Lauren Sandler’s novel This Is All I Got and recently directed Candace Bushnell’s one woman show, Is There Still Sex In The City at the Daryl Roth Theatre, which became a NYTimes Critic’s Pick. Additional Directing credits Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy – The Immersive Experience, Queen Of The Night which garnered a Drama Desk Award, The David Foster and Kat McPhee Show, #DateMe at The Westside Theatre, A Taste Of Things To Come at Chicago’s Nederlander Broadway, Swelling And Irritation by Jodi Picoult and Tim McDonald, Trails by Jeff Thompson, Christy Hall. Rodgers After Hammerstein – 92Y Lyrics and Lyricists, Beth Malone’s Three Part Harmony – Theatre Aspen.
Lorin Latarro holds a BFA from The Juilliard School where she is an adjunct professor. She holds a secondary degree from NYU Tisch Film and Television Directing Fundamentals. She is a Drama Desk, Lortel, and Chita Rivera nominee. Lorin has traveled to India and Africa multiple times to work with The Gates Foundation in family health and planning and is the founder of ArtAmmmo.org Artists Against Gun Violence as seen in the NY Times, PBS, Rachel Maddow, BBC.
Who it's for
This course is aimed at fashion students that want to expand their knowledge of the costume design field.
Outcomes
At the end of this course students will produce a portfolio of work that includes visual research on selected musicals, costume designs for selected musical characters and prototype ideas (summer edition), or selected film scripts, costume designs for selected film characters and prototype ideas (winter edition).
Curriculum
The curriculum of the short course in Costume Design includes a range of subjects that will help students develop their skills and knowledge in the field. Some of the key topics covered include:
- History of Costume: cultural analysis of costume design, with a focus on theater (summer edition) or film (winter edition) production
- Costume Design: fashion design focusing on the specific sector of costume design
- Patternmaking: developing patterns for the creation of costume designs
- Prototyping: creation of costume design mock-ups
- Graphics and portfolio: guidance for the visual realization of a final portfolio for the student
Requirements
Application requirements are:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) with motivation letter
- English language proficiency
- Secondary school (high school) diploma or equivalent
- Previous knowledge of fashion design
Certificates
Once you complete the short course in Costume Design, you will receive Polimoda’s Official Certificate of Attendance.
This certificate will strengthen your CV and expand your career opportunities.