From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
(Redirected from
Costumes)
The term costumee can refer to
wardrobe and
dress in general, or to the
distinctive style of dress of a
particular people, class, or period.
Costume may also refer to the artistic
arrangement of accessories in a
picture,
statue,
poem, or
play, appropriate to the time,
place, or other circumstances
represented or described, or to a
particular style of
clothing worn to portray the wearer
as a
character or type of character other
than their regular persona at a social
event such as a
masquerade, a
fancy dress party or in an artistic
theatrical
performance.
Types of
costumes
Theatrical
costumes
One of the more prominent places
people see costumes is in theatre, film
and TV. In combination with other
aspects,
theatrical costumes can serve to
portray characters' age,
gender role,
profession,
social class,
personality, and even information
about the historical period/era,
geographic location and time of day, as
well as the season or weather of the
theatrical performance. Often stylized
theatrical costumes can exaggerate some
aspect of a character; for example
Harlequin and
Pantaloon in the
Commedia dell Arte. Without
theatrical costumers, the audience would
be left wondering who is related to
whom, and which person is which.
National
costume
National costume or regional costume
expresses local (or
exiled)
identity and emphasises a culture's
unique attributes. It is often a source
of national pride. Examples of such are
a
Scotsman in a
kilt or a Japanese person in a
kimono.
Holidays
and festivals
The wearing of costumes has become an
important part of such
holidays and
festivals as
Mardi Gras and
Halloween, and (to a lesser extent)
people may also wear costumes in
conjunction with other
holidays, such as
Christmas and
Easter. Mardi Gras costumes usually
take the form of
jesters and other fantasy
characters, while Halloween costumes
traditionally take the form of
supernatural creatures such as
ghosts,
vampires, and
angels. Christmas and Easter
costumes typically portray mythical
characters such as
Santa Claus (by donning a
santa suit and
beard) or the
Easter Bunny by putting on an animal
costume. Costumes may serve to portray
various other characters during secular
holidays, such as an
Uncle Sam costume worn on the
Independence day for example.
Children
Costumes also serve as an avenue for
children to explore and roleplay.
Children can dress up in various forms;
for example characters from history or
fiction like pirates, princesses or
cowboys, common jobs like nurses or
police officers, or animals such as
those seen in zoos or farms.
Mascots
Another very popular situation where
costumes are employed are for sporting
events, where people dressed as their
team's representative
mascot help the club or team rally
round their team's cause. Animal
costumes which are visually very similar
to mascot costumes are also popular
among the members of the
furry fandom where they are referred
to as
fursuits.
