Costume Breakdown

During my time at university I have developed many costume breakdown skills, as shown below. I started with creating breakdown samples during workshops. Later, I worked as a breakdown assistant on This Changes Everything, until getting the role of lead breakdown artist for Thérèse Raquin and Day of Dance.

My projects have allowed me to acquire a wide range of breakdown skills, as well as experience in working for and with designers to help bring their designs to life.

The projects below are listed in reverse chronological order, including a section for samples at the end.

Day of Dance 2024

Day of Dance is a yearly event held at Arts University Bournemouth by BA Dance. In collaboration with BA Performance Design and Film Costume, students create themed performances that can be seen all over campus.

In 2024, one of the themes was a rave set in a dystopian future where artificial intelligence has taken over the world. The images below show the costume breakdown I created in collaboration with costume designer Zarina Davies.

The breakdown is inspired by colourful oil spills and metallic silver to create an association with a future heavily influenced by AI, technology and robots. The cuts in the sleeves and tights of the dancers take inspiration from Scene and alternative fashion. The breakdown is applied very heavily as the lighting during the dance show is very dark and doesn't allow for much detail to be seen by the audience.

Designer: Zarina Davies (AUB BA Performance Design and Film Costume)

Producer: Grace King-Turner (AUB BA Dance)

Dancers: Grace, Em, Vera, Sophie, Ella, Lana, Beth, Lauren (AUB BA Dance)

Hair and Make-up: Emily Thundow, Martyna Szymacha, Lily Rose Baker, Connie Blanchard (AUB BA Makeup for Media and Performance)

Production photos: Andy Beeson-Brackstone (redManhattan Photography & Videography)

Group photo of eight dancers wearing rave costumes that are heavily broken down

Photo of dancers on a raised platform. The lighting is red.

Close up of a dancer wearing a broken down blouse

Photo of a dancer in broken down clothing sitting on the railing of a raised platform

Photo of a dancer in broken down clothing leaning against the railing of a raised platform

Photo of a dancer in broken down clothing dancing on a raised platform

Red shirt that has been painted and dyed to look like it has silvery and brown oil and grime stains.

Yellow vest that has been painted and dyed to look like it has silvery and brown oil and grime stains.

Back view of a yellow vest that has been painted and dyed to look like it has silvery and brown oil and grime stains.

Yellow-green leotard that has been painted and dyed to look like it has silvery and brown oil and grime stains.

Black shirt that has been painted and dyed to look like it has silvery and brown oil and grime stains.

Purple shirt that has been painted and dyed to look like it has silvery and brown oil and grime stains.

Black shorts that have been painted and dyed to look like they have silvery oil stains.

Black trousers that have been painted and dyed to look like they have silvery oil stains.

Thérèse Raquin

Thérèse was a theatre play based on the novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, directed by Fiona Ross and performed at Arts University Bournemouth in November 2023. The play follows Thérèse and her lover Laurent as they plot to murder Thérèse's husband and get married to each other instead. It takes place in a small shop in Paris and has strong thematic ties to water and the river Seine.

In collaboration with costume designer Millie Chalcraft, I created costume breakdown representing the damage caused by the general damp environment, as well as a garment worn by a drowned character. Finally, we created the wedding garments showing very subtle, metaphorical water damage to represent the guilt the characters feel after drowning Thérèse's first husband.

Photos by Bill Bradshaw

Three actors in the middle of a stage. The woman sitting on the ground is wearing a slip dress that was dyed a light turquoise. The woman sitting in the middle is wearing a green dress. The man sitting on the right is wearing a white dress shirt over a dark blue-green dyed undershirt and black trousers.

Actors on a stage. The focus is on the man in the middle who is wearing a dark blue-green dyed undershirt and black trousers.

A woman wearing a light turquoise dyed slip dress.

Actors on a stage. The focus is on a woman wearing a vest over a dark blue blouse. She is wearing trousers that have muddy damage at the hem.

Actors on a stage. In the middle is a woman wearing a vest over a dark blue blouse. The blouse looks like it has been damaged by muddy water.

An Actress on a stage is wearing a dark green blouse. The blouse looks like it has been damaged by muddy water.

Actor on a stage holding a picture frame. His dress shirt looks like it has water damage.

Two actors sitting on the stage. The focus is on the male actor. His dress shirt looks like it has water damage.

Two actors wearing wedding clothes. Their costumes have been subtly died blue at the hem, sleeves and collar.

Actors on a stage. The focus is on a man wearing a yellow dress shirt that has water damage at the hem and sleeves.

This Changes Everything

This Changes Everything was a theatre play by Joel Horwood, directed by Evangeline Cullingworth and performed at Arts University Bournemouth in November 2022. The plot follows a group of young girls wishing to create change for society and starting an experiment on a remote oil rig. However, things go wrong and they end up staying there longer than planned.

I worked as a costume breakdown assistant on this play, creating the effects shown below. The focus here was on general aging from wearing the same clothes over a long period of time.

A yellow crop top with a design print on the front. There has been breakdown done on the hem, sleeves, neck and design.

Neckline of a crop top that has been torn to look like it has been worn a lot.

A hole in the sleeve seams of a yellow t-shirt.

Red women's blouse with orange-yellow pattern that was broken down in a very subtle, barely noticeable way.

Brown zip up jumper that was made to look torn

Pocket of a brown zip up jumper that was made to look torn

Sleeve of a brown zip up jumper that was made to look torn

Short pink checked skirt showing subtle signs of tearing around the waist and hemline.

The image shows a pink skirt that was broken down around the button.

The image shows a pink skirt that was broken down around the hemline.

A pair of leather boots showing subtle signs of aging.

A leather boot showing subtle signs of aging.

Samples and Experiments

A fabric sample showing decorative costume breakdown. The breakdown includes frayed edges and a dip dye, as well as streaks of silver foil.

A fabric sample that was dip dyed and screen printed in dark brown and silver foil, leaving the impression of large rocks at a sea shore.

A fabric sample showing an example of costume breakdown in the style of water damage.

Image showing mould-like costume breakdown on dark fabric.

Image showing mould-like costume breakdown on lighter coloured fabric.

Image showing a blood stain (costume breakdown) on lace fabric.

Image shows four samples. The samples are a progression from fresh to old looking blood (costume breakdown).

Image showing fake blood splatters on fabric (costume breakdown)

Four fabric samples showing different styles of depicting blood on costumes.

Two small fabric samples showing fake mud applied to fabric.

A fabric sample showing costume breakdown in the style of general aging.