An unexpected - but not unappreciated - benefit of the growth of the Irish film industry this decade has been the corresponding increase in opportunities for Ireland's costume designers. Here is a job with as many (if not more) challenges as mainstream fashion, without the clear definition of twice-yearly seasonal collections and with the possibility of designing clothes for almost any period past, present and even future. Here, too, is an opportunity for less solitary and more collaborative work than would otherwise be the case. Here, according to costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh is the chance "for you to bring your own look, your own slant to the film on which you're working".
Recently finished work on writer/director Gerry Stembridge's new comedy All about Adam, Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh is among the new generation of designers involved with film whose careers have steadily gathered pace. Like many in the profession, she studied fashion at college and after graduating from Limerick in 1987, spent a few years with a Spanish menswear company. But, she says, "I think I was a bit bored with fashion. I wanted to come home, but didn't really want to start my own label."
While living in Spain, she came to know a group of film-makers and helped them with some styling which whetted her appetite for more. After returning to Ireland, she took a course on film-making at Film Base in Dublin and stayed for a further year as training officer. Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh gained experience by working on films with established Irish costume designers such as Consolata Boyle (Widow's Peak) and Joan Bergin (An Awfully Big Adventure and the television series Family) as well as with Sandy Powell on Michael Collins and The Butcher Boy. She was in sole charge of costumes on the first series of BBC's The Ambassador and the film Mad about Mambo, due for release this summer.
What distinguishes All about Adam, she says, is its contemporary Dublin setting and the fact that its protagonists are middle class. "When I met Gerry Stembridge, the first thing he told me was that he wanted the film to mark the city at the turn of the century as a really vibrant, confident and strong place." Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh's costumes for the film are a mixture of her own designs, pieces bought from a number of outlets including Jenny Vander and work by Irish designers including Lainey Keogh, Marc O'Neill and Cyane Kingston. Her starting point was the script, followed by meetings with Gerry Stembridge.
"It's important to meet and talk to the director. Very often he'll have definite ideas about what he wants, although many say they don't. But it's also necessary that you put your own slant on the project; that's why you've been hired. "You have to have a good relationship with the director, to show him what you're doing. You can't really talk conceptually with directors because they're usually very visual. You can't tell them you're going to put a character in a pencil skirt and a darted jacket; you have to show them something, at least sketches."
The relatively brief period allotted to pre-production, usually six weeks although only four for All about Adam) will be used by the costume designer not just to gather all that is necessary but also to undertake whatever research might be required, especially if the film is a period piece. In addition, the clothes must be checked with the production designer to ensure they are at one with the environment in which they are eventually filmed.
"But the really important thing is the fittings. You get the actors quite late - only a week before filming. I try to have the director present for these as well, so he knows what's coming and is happy with the costumes." What if an actor is unhappy with the costumes proposed? "Trust is terribly important. That's why at the first meeting you have to establish a good rapport. Once an actor is cast, I'll always ring him or her and talk about costumes.
You can't have an unhappy actor, and there's no point in trying to fight. If the actor trusts you, then you can get away with anything. And if the actor's not happy, it's your fault. Actors want to look good, so they're always interested in their costumes. "One of the most critical things to avoid in this job is stereotypes. For example, it's very easy if the script says someone is poor to presume that means the clothes must be dirty. In fact, there's no reason why someone with no money would not take care of his appearance." This seems hardly to be the case with All about Adam where the costumes reflect an affluent society. The characters can afford attractive clothes by well-known designers - all of whom made pieces specially for the film.
And what has since happened to all these wonderful items? "They're in storage for the moment, probably until August when the first cut of the film has been done, in case any scenes have to be reshot."
All about Adam is due for release in Ireland early next year.
