Membership
Become a member and enjoy free access to exhibitions, previews, priority booking, freshly curated content and much more.
Join today
Dressing the Part: Costume Design for Film and Television
Online course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Celebrating 100 years of filmmaking, this course explores the evolving role of the costume designer from silent films to superheroes, via the Golden Age of Hollywood. We will discuss the importance of television costume design for the variety shows of the 1970s and the significance of costume in creating the V&A's Diva exhibition. Hear interviews with leading costume designers and expert speakers.
Learn from our world-class experts wherever you are, whenever suits you: watch lectures live or view the recording later in your own time. You can experience the full breadth and depth of the V&A's collections with 12 hours of study over 6 weeks. Learn at your own pace: lecture recordings and study materials, lecture notes, copies of the presentations, and additional study materials are available in our secure Microsoft Teams environment for 6 weeks after the course ends, so you'll never miss a thing. And finally, join the conversation: share your perspective with your fellow students, and support each other in your further enquiries outside of class time.
Read more
Course director
Keith Lodwick
Keith is a writer, curator, film historian and former V&A Curator of Theatre and Screen Arts. He curated 'Vivien Leigh: Public Faces, Private Lives', has written extensively about Vivien Leigh and contributed to several V&A exhibition publications, including as assistant curator to the popular blockbuster exhibition Hollywood Costume.
Fantastic course. The level of expertise and enthusiasm of the speakers was really impressive. Previous Online Course Participant
Course overview
Celebrating 100 years of filmmaking, this course explores the evolving role of the costume designer from silent films to superheroes, via the Golden Age of Hollywood. From silent films to superheroes, costume design plays a pivotal role in creating unforgettable characters and iconic images. This course will examine how that role has changed over 100 years, including modules on The Golden Age of Hollywood costume and the British ‘Costume Drama’. It considers the importance of creative collaborations between actor and designer (Marlene Dietrich and Travis Banton) and director and designer (Alfred Hitchcock and Edith Head).
The course discusses the importance of television costume design for the variety shows of the 1970s (Cher and Bob Mackie) and the significance of costume in creating the ‘Diva’. It reveals the challenges of designing character arcs on long-running and much-loved franchises such as Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey and The Crown.
Featuring interviews with leading costume designers and expert speakers, it will also look at the changing nature of costume design for the digital era, including designing for motion capture, animation and superheroes.
V&A Academy Online. A learning environment you can trust.
V&A Academy Online courses are built using the latest Microsoft software. Tune in to expert lectures live, or catch up later on demand. Download handouts and presentations. Join the discussion in a secure, closed class environment, wherever you are.
Enrol now
Online course: Dressing the Part: Costume Design for Film and Television
22 September 2023 - 27 October 2023
£120.00
Need help enrolling? Talk to the admissions team:
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Open 9.30 - 17.30, Monday to Sunday (closed 24-26 December)
