DeborahNLandis

I often boast that costume designers are the most resourceful people on the planet. It is no joke that I can make anything from a paper placement and a bed sheet (see the togas in Animal House). Regarding "no" time - and let's just add "no" money to that - I hate to admit that those diamonds on screen are Swarovski crystal and that cashmere on that wealthy matron character may be polyester. In movies - it doesn't have to be real - it just has to 'feel real' to the audience.

No doubt, the Ruby Slippers designed by Adrian for the Wizard of Oz are considered the most iconic costume in American film history. There are a long list of second choices, including James Dean's jacket in East of Eden designed by Moss Mabry, Marilyn Monroe's costume in The Seven Year Itch designed by Travilla, Darth Vader designed by John Mollo - and three out of these four can be seen in the Hollywood Costume exhibition.

Actually, director John Landis wrote the screenplay for the short movie called, "Michael's Jackson's Thriller." After Michael saw and loved John's film, "An American Werewolf in London," he knew that he wanted to collaborate with John on 'something.' They got together to create a story and then John wrote the script. Michael was wonderful for me to work with and we had a marvelous time together.

The inspiration for the costume design for Coming to America came from a lifetime love of dress and culture. On my shelf I had a wall of "African Arts Magazine." A friend said, "You must have those from when you designed CTA." Absolutely not...I collected them years before and it took years to assimilate all those East, West, North and South African cultures to create the design for the Kingdom of Zamunda. And here's a tip - the gowns of the wedding guests were inspired by the ladies of Gambia and Senegal.

Truly, no formal college degree is needed to be a costume designer. That doesn't mean education doesn't count. Working in the theater is the best route to a life as a costume designer. Needless to say, I have both an MFA in Costume Design from UCLA (the program where I teach now) and a PhD in the History of Design from the Royal College of Art. Costume designers are life long learners. Regarding pay and value, I suggest that you visit the website of the Costume Designers Guild, Local 892. As a former two term president of that Guild, I know that our contract is posted. We are paid by the week - and there is certainly no overtime. Everyone working in the movies works long hours - BUT WE LOVE IT!