Colleen Atwood (born September 25, 1948) is an American costume designer.
Be really good with budgets because they keep getting smaller.
If I'm doing something contemporary, for sure I'm very aware of what's going on. Personally, I like fashion trends, but when I'm doing a movie, it doesn't affect what I do particularly at all. I don't relate to it in that way.
I've always loved movies, art and clothes.
Every story is different, so what is a detail in one might not be in something else. Diversity is something I embrace and love about my work.
The reward is that you can actually create a world separate from reality with a story, actors, music, and camera design. When it works it can entertain, move people and teach us all.
I have assistants that use the internet a lot more than I do. I use the internet for photo research, but for me personally, probably just because of my age, I'm not that mechanically inclined.
I always carry pictures of my children and grandchildren, which is what makes it all worthwhile. It's great fun that my grandkids get to see the costumes in Alice in Wonderland or a doll with grandma's dress.
Be able to take any job that gives you experience on a film. Don't just think that you have to be in one department or the other, because through working on one and seeing what other people do in the movie makes you realize what your role is if you become a costume designer.
I always have a moment when I know I'm designing the last costume that gets made for a movie and it's always been floating up there but it's kind of the last one. That's always probably the hardest one for me.
In real life, a lot of people at that level will have their kimonos made especially for them.
Costumes are the first impression that you have of the character before they open their mouth-it really does establish who they are.
As a designer, you have to solve a lot of problems. Even though people are wearing clothes that are supposed to look beautiful, they'll have to do all kinds of things.
Sleepy Hollow had a lot of action in it, even though it was a fairy-tale movie.
Planet of the Apes was a gigantic challenge, making the clothes work so people could do stunts and action in the clothes. I really learned a lot about that in that movie.
On Planet of the Apes, I had a very knowledgeable team who knew good materials, but I had one main source person who worked online and on the street continually looking for the proper materials.
Chicago is partly a fairy tale because it's inside one person's head, so that part of it's made up and the rest of it is reality.
I think the silhouette of the kimono costume will become engraved in people's minds. I do think there'll be lots of red accents in the near future. For me personally, I can't see myself flaunting around in a geisha uniform but it'll make me smile when I see what others do with it.
Sometimes you have dreams about the day or something like that. But, for the story, it's just present and what you have left ahead of you to do and how things look that day that you reflect on. It's just there until you're done.
I'd seen the current stage production and the 1975 production of Chicago. I liked them both very much, but I didn't use them necessarily as inspiration.
I like the architecture of lingerie.