SPRING GOSSIP - What we have been up to!!!

Admittedly, we have been so absorbed in publishing the “Hose Me Down” series that we have neglected to let you know about some of our projects in the past few months!

Here are some of the highlights,..and MORE to follow!

FILM:

. Contemporary film “Henry’s Crime” came in to rent Victorian clothes for a “Cherry Orchard” play-within-a-film in which we dressed Keanu Reeves and Vera Farmiga.

(at right, costume designer Melissa Toth looks through our Victorian capelets for the above movie)

. Spanning the 1940’s through the 1980’s, “Mr. Tambourine Man”, is a film we worked on about an autistic young man who is saved through the healing power of music.  Based on a true story, it stars Lou Taylor Pucci.

. “Bill Wilson and the History of Alcoholics Anonymous” spent two days at our place doing actor fittings, renting men’s and women’s clothes from periods as diverse as Edwardian, 1920’s, 1930’s and 1950’s.

(At left, costume designer Terese Wadden chooses her picks for the above film)

. We continue to hold principal items for “Bolden!”, hoping that it will be an amazing smash when it finally gets released!

TV:

. We are excited that among the many period 1930’s items we rented and sold to HBO mini-series “Mildred Pierce” (yep, THAT one with Joan Crawford!) its star, Kate Winslet will AGAIN be wearing our clothes.  (We have her in our costumes in “Revolutionary Road” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” too!)

. Masha and Kristen have continued to use their styling expertise to help costume the PBS series “God In America”, pulling Victorian for characters such as Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Wise, Charles Briggs, A.A. Hodge, female ice-skaters, students and 1920’s for Clarence Darrow and Williams Jennings Bryan.

. We seem to have an affinity for “Mad Men”: we did two “Saturday Night Live” segments, one hosted by January Jones (“Jekyll and Hyde“ and “A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette” sketches) and another by John Hamm.

(At left, our wonderful Winter intern Hannah helped Saturday Night Live's brilliant designer Tom Broecker look for men's suits)

. “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”, we rented  a lot of menswear for an episode about a serial killer, and an elderly Holocaust survivor is interviewed wearing our vintage men’s 1930’s suit complete with suspenders, tie, pocketwatch and chain.

(At right, our terrific new intern Caroline (sitting down) helps the Law & Order CI design crew find just the right period collars!)

THEATER:

. A woman’s 1940’s robe for "All my Sons" at the Huntington Theater In Boston.

. For “Oh, Those Beautiful Weimar Girls” at the New Stage Theatre Company in NYC we dressed the MC, complete in a 1920’s man’s suit, suspenders, hat, bowtie and boots.

. 1960’s men’s suits for “Barefoot in the Park” at the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, NJ.

. 1940’s period menswear for the University of Delaware’s “Death of a Salesman”.

. Lots of 1930’s men’s and women’s clothes for the Encore Series production of “Fanny” at City Center in NYC.

 . 1930’s and 1940’s women’s dresses for “Black Pearl Sings” at the Merrimack Repertory Theater in Lowell, MA.

 

. Currently on Broadway, “The Glass Menagerie” starring Judith Ivey, rented women’s and men’s 1920’s and 1930’s clothes and hats (through May 30th). ( at right, its hunky talented designer, Marty Pakledinaz!)

. Victorian clothes for the lead character in “Footsteps from Before”, a play produced by Our Firefighter’s Children Foundation performed especially for children at Queens College in NYC, about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.  Alas, one performance was cancelled due to one of New York’s huge snowstorms, so the production hopes to reschedule another performance in the future.

. A 1930’s evening gown for “Yank”, the musical about young men in love in WWII, at the York Theater in NYC (orirginally through March 23rd, it has just been extended for 2 weeks!). (at left, Yank assistant designer Becky Laskey shows off her inner diva!)

. A 1940’s man’s suit for “The Pride”, at NYC’s MCC Theater, about the relationship between two gay men in the 1940’s (through March 20th).

. Along THAT note, we are happy that the new production of “The Boys in the Band” playing at the Transport Group Theatre Group in NYC has gotten such rave reviews that the run has been extended!  We rented them 1970’s suits and an Edwardian dressing-gown (through March 28th). (At right, costume designer Kathryn Rohe tries on a dressing gown they might rent)

. We rented 1940’s men’s clothes for “Remembering Mr. Maugham”, a play about Somerset Maugham at the Clurman Theatre in NYC (through March 14th).

. 1940’s menswear (again!) for a more modern production of “Measure for Measure” at Theatre for a New Audience in NYC (through March 14th).

(at left, asst. designer Jacob Climer drops by to go through our men's suits) 

ADVERTISING:

. Most of you stare at the beautiful models in the Vanity Fair lingerie ads, but check out the model in antique 1940’s bra, tap pants and shoes to replicate a pin-up of the past!

. The latest New York Lottery commercial will have little children dressed up as adults…the miniature “bag lady” is ours!

. An Australian commercial for Tooheys Beer: a scene with “underground rockers” wearing everything of ours from men’s Victorian coats, capes, army jackets, shirts, undershirts, to top hats, bowlers and fedoras, AND 1960’s glitzy clothes that we sold, rather than rented, to the commercial.  (We DO have sales racks!)

(Above, the beer commercial's design team Susana Gilboe (l) and head designer Kasia Maimone (r) choose items for the Aussie TV )

. We did a “spec commercial” for Arm and Hammer Toothpaste in which we rented a period dental smock.

. A little girl’s 1950’s dress for a Timex commercial.

MAGAZINES:

. We are ALL over “L’Uomo Vogue”!  The issues haven’t been published yet, but the end of December we did a fun shoot with Alec Baldwin in which he dressed in a cross between a Victorian chimney sweep and a Charles Dickens ragamuffin character and in January, we dressed Tyra Banks in a fantasy photo shoot of clothes and accessories from all periods.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

. An entire “Old West” cowboy accessories and Victorian undergarment display for the trend forecasting “Fashion Snoops” trade show display for  “The Magic Show” in Las Vegas, sponsored by Women’s Wear Daily.

CATALOGS:

. A 1950’s bathing cap for a 2010 “Anthropologie Catalog”, featuring their new bathing suit line.

. 1940’s and 1950’s playwear and parasols for a “Bace Incorporated” catalogue.

(To the right,  producer Nahoko Hayashi and her assistant model our accessories they will use for the catalog.)

...in closing, we especially want to give a big shout-out of "CONGRATULATIONS!" to our Fall intern Jennifer ( who visited us recently, below) on her recent engagement!!!!

..and a big welcome to our Spring intern  Caroline, who is realizing, along with senior staffers Kristen and Masha, what is important in our life....DESSERT!