The Costumes: Period Pieces

“Nine” sounds like the ultimate costume designer fantasy, yes?

What I like about what I do is that I get to do all different kinds of things. I enjoy the variety and the learning curve on every job. With a movie like “Nine,” there was a lot that went into the dance costumes that was unseen. They really had to function for the dancers. The shoes in “Nine” are a movie in themselves. Since people had to dance, the shoes were all custom made in Italy by a dance shoe specialist. But it’s very technical. You have to make sure they fit properly. The actresses did an amazing amount of rehearsal and hard work to be able to do those musical numbers.

And the clothes?

There’s a lot of work that goes into them that’s unseen. I did “Chicago” right after I did “Planet of the Apes,” and they really weren’t that different in a weird way. The costumes really had to work in a certain way for movement. It was nice to revisit that in “Nine.”

Pictured: Designer Colleen Atwood  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)