I had the esteemed pleasure to meet with Alison Taylor, supervisor of costume design in the Metropolitan Opera, and learn about her life. She was born and raised in Michigan. When she turned 18, Alison left Michigan to go to college at Boston University. She gradated with a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) and then came to New York to work at the New York Shakespeare Festival. After 10 years at the NY Shakespeare Festival, she moved to work at Julliard. Since 2001, she has been happily working at the Metropolitan Opera. Alison dabbled in the art of freelance, but somewhere along those lines, she realized that she truly just enjoys the technical aspect of design and costume.
How did you decide to get started on your career?
When I was in high school, I actually did acting, but I always liked sewing and more so then I think I thought I decided that I would like to do costumes
How did you learn how to sew?
In school, in a home economics class because my mom didn’t know how to sew! So it wasn’t a family passed on tradition!
What’s your day-to-day routine like?
Well, we start at 8:30 in the morning and work until 4:15, on a normal day. If we need overtime for when it’s close to show time, then we extend the day or start earlier. Usually, we work on 3 or 4 shows at a time because we do 26 operas per season and about 5 or 6 are brand new and the rest are just recurring shows. So we do fittings on performers, to make sure everything is appropriately placed the way the director envisions it, and what I do is take those fittings and oversee my colleagues doing alterations or if we have nothing for somebody then we usually make something.
What’s your favorite show that you’ve ever made/altered costumes for?
Lets see, this is pretty interesting considering I’ve never actually thought of that! Here at the opera, my favorite is the “satyagraha”, by Phillip Glass, with sort of an Indian element in the costumes. I also enjoy the turn of the century, just as a time period. This time period is considered the 1890’s and the women had very elaborate dresses that I really love to look at.
Do you generally like the idea of Indian flare in costumes?
I do but particularly for the “satyagraha” opera. It was something I hadn’t done before so I really liked the experience as well as experimenting with the new cultural costumes.
What’s a difficult aspect of your job that you generally don’t expect people to think is difficult?
Usually the hardest part about it is the time constraints- like, we have so many fittings in such a short amount of time. Doing costumes for 3 to 4 shows at once is evidently very chaotic in the fitting rooms, especially on show day! Of course now, economically speaking, all of the arts are really hard-hit, so we have to make do with what we have available to us. The last few years, they’ve been trying to cut budgets and take away funding from costume, so what we’ve been trying to do is work even more efficiently (if possible!) in making the most of what we already have here at the MET. It’s always a big operation to put on such extravagant shows, and with limited time, it makes it even harder to do so.
How does the dressing operation work?
The way our space is laid out is that there are multiple floors for costume. Here, we have approximately 100 people working on alterations. The even BIGGER shop is on the second floor. So there’s us, and then there are people who do wardrobe at night, who actually dress the performers. Were more day workers on a technical level.
Do you even pick little things, like lingerie and underwear?
Yes, everything! Anything that the performers would have to wear, we chose, particularly, if it’s seen. Obviously, they wear their own underwear, but, in some cases where the performers would be wearing special pants or trousers, then the performers would need to wear a certain type of underwear. Also, if the performer is going to have to quickly change out of their costume into another one, or if they have to take their pants off on stage, then it’s important that the underwear is specifically chosen.
One time, in “The Magic Flute”, we had the kids wear these little diaper costumes and under them, they had to have special undergarments that allowed them to take the diapers off on stage appropriately.
Where do you draw most of your inspiration?
Wow, I never really thought of this! I can’t pinpoint an exact time where I got inspiration to do something. I can only go back to the time when I was designing and doing my freelance. I really felt like when I finished the sewing and designing, and finally got to the technical aspect, that’s when I really felt inspired. When it comes to picking the fabrics, I understand the form. It just all makes sense and everything clicks in my head
So, because of your passion and extensive knowledge on designing, that’s how you really enjoy what you do?
Yes, but even when I didn’t know it all so well, I still loved it. When I look at clothes and have to think of a pattern shape, my mind just figures it out. Its just all a matter of how I think.
