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spend less and the pieces don’t look too stiff or
too pristine in the way that, say, a newly-bought t-shirt would.” As with any costume archive of this calibre, there are a handful of horror stories involving “mishandled” garment and accessory hires. Any requests for fancy dress or food and drink events have to be turned down: “we go through quite a big checklist with customers to ensure it’s for a performance,” says Kelly-Miller. “Unfortunately, a couple of things have gotten badly damaged. Some of our period dresses were designed by the likes of Peter O’Brien or Joan Bergin, and they’re really important archive pieces. If they get damaged, it just breaks your heart because you can tell how much time was put into them.” Kelly-Miller gestures to one hat that was mauled by a dog, its teeth-marks still puncturing the delicate textile. “When something like that happens, there’s nothing much we can do. The customer would have to pay for the damages, and we’ll repair whatever we can. In this case, I’d say we put the money towards buying a new hat but held on this one as well. We’d never throw anything out, it could be used for something.” Perhaps the most bizarre tale is that of one dress being attacked – not by a canine, but by a cactus. “Everything was ticked off our checklist, but then the actor just got caught [on one] and the whole thing was shredded.” The worlds of fashion and costume may be intrinsically tied, but the costume industry goes through more trend cycles than might typically be expected. According to Kelly-Miller, one of the hottest items to hire right now is a pregnancy bump. The craze started “just after Anna Karenina, because we needed to buy four pregnancy bumps for that show to represent different stages of pregnancy. As soon as we had them after that, I don’t know what happened but all of a sudden, people went wild.” These cyclical ebbs-and-flows prove just how strongly costume designers keep their fingers on the pulse, responding to cultural changes and historical events with equal veracity. Much like fashion, the sector doesn’t follow its own orbit – one look at Alessandro Michele’s Gucci collections will prove that theatricality is never far removed from the fashion realm. From neon-coloured life jackets to lace gloves in impossibly-perfect nick, this costumier’s paradise covers an entire spectrum of conceivable needs. Rather than letting a mountain of desirable garments gather dust – or worse still, end up at landfill – the wider arts community keeps these gems in perpetual circulation. The department’s celebration of slightly-worn, slightly-aged style is something that sartorial consumers could glean a great deal of inspiration from, helping to unravel any unhealthy mindsets. For prospective costume designers looking to pay a visit, one word of caution holds true – any cactus-themed shows will be turned away at the door. The Abbey Theatre Costume Hire department is located in Unit 42/43, Finglas Business Centre, Jamestown Road, Dublin 11, and is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am - 4:30pm by appointment only. Book by calling (01) 87 97 310 or emailing costume.hire@abbeytheatre.ie 21 The Plough and the Stars, 1976 Perhaps the most bizarre tale is that of one dress being attacked – not by a canine, but by a cactus.