Where do production houses find tailors and how much do they cost?
I read that costumes, including suits and dresses, are custom tailored for big studio productions. By that I assume they mean bespoke tailoring where a pattern is created and adjusted to a particular person--a laborious process that takes about 60-70 of work minimum. It requires a high level of skill, especially in the "cutting".
So, are there actually real tailors that studios have access to, and if so, where do they find them and how much do they cost?
Best Answer
Having in-house costume is the go-to solution for mega-buck movies, but it is expensive & also needs warehousing in perpetuity afterwards. Even mega-buck movies don't always do this.
There are companies whose entire business is to supply costumes for movies & theatre.
They source their own tailors & seamsters [seamstresses sounds outmoded, but I don't know what else to call them]. They have off-the-shelf, adust-to-fit & also fully-tailored [from scratch].
Two of the better-known UK ones are Angels (List of credits) & Cosprop (list of services).
It's not unusual to be in the waiting room for a background artist costume fitting & see some big name walk through the door, ready to go through a similar process… or on one occasion to discover you've been sitting next to one for 15 minutes without recognising them.
Angels have an entire corridor of photographs; famous faces over the decades who have been fitted there. I can't find any example of it online.
I've no idea where they find them, or how much they cost, but in another life I used to work just off Savile Row… which is absolutely teeming with them - think the scene in Kingsman; they really do look like that [without the secret headquarters, of course].
I found - https://www.angels.co.uk/careers/ - giving you a guide as to what they expect from new hires.
Posts in Tailoring require a minimum of 2 years formal training in the construction and interpretation of costumes plus at least 2 years relative experience.
Pictures about "Where do production houses find tailors and how much do they cost?"
How much is it to make a suit?
Prices can vary but start at under $1,000 for a full custom suit.How much do Savile Row tailors earn?
Pay and Benefits If you get a job creating bespoke pieces in a Savile Row tailor shop then you may be paid \xa350,000 a year or more, while if you go freelance and manage to secure some top-end clients, you can set your own rates and earn much more.How much does it cost to get a jacket tailored?
Those services cost between $30 and $50. Taking In a Suit Jacket, Blazer, or Vest: For $20 to $90, you can take in a suit jacket, blazer, or vest. Jackets with three seams cost more than those with two. Taking in the sleeves costs an additional $20 to $40, and adjusting the shoulders costs between $75 and $150.How much does it cost to tailor suit pants?
We've found the average alterations cost for a new men's suit is around $75 to $100. Add to this the time wasted going back and forth to have it altered, and you'll realise the off-the-rack suit you just bought isn't feeling as good as when you first tried it on.HOW TO FIND A CUT AND SEW CLOTHING MANUFACTURER FOR YOUR CLOTHING LINE | START YOUR FASHION BRAND
More answers regarding where do production houses find tailors and how much do they cost?
Answer 2
By that I assume they mean made to measure.
And by that you assume wrong.
The only thing that matters for the movie is how it looks on screen. How close do you have to look to distinguish a made-to-measure suit from an off-the-shelf suit tailored to fit? The camera really isn't going to be that close.
And that tailored to fit part. How long does the tailoring have to survive? Answer: one day's filming. The wardrobe department have staff who can quickly measure a person and tack-stitch their costume to fit. Or in some cases literally sew the person into their costume. (Historically that's how women put on elaborate gowns, after all.)
Sure, some costumes need to do better than that. Or the producers choose to let the wardrobe department and actors collaborate to get something which helps them get in character. The wardrobe department on LotR spent significant time making outfits and equipment which worked practically, especially for Viggo Mortensen who went full-method-actor and actually spent time camping out in full costume. This was a long-haul filming process over 3-4 years though which is highly unusual; and even with that, they recognised they were overdoing it, but with fanboy producers and directors they were allowed way more scope than usual. And yes, the wardrobe department did genuinely make everything from scratch, because Ngila Dickson is an artist.
As for your claim that there are no tailors in New England, let me google that for you with a search for "bespoke suit boston". I'm not going to waste more of my time searching other New England locations.
Answer 3
TV and movie production companies often have in-house costume departments.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Svetlana Shemetiuk, Mathias Reding, Ivan Samkov, Kyle Loftus