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Show Monday, October 17, 2005 Business Editor: Lisa Mann Page 5 The Signpost Business Phone: 626-7624 Costume designers' work more than Halloween costumes By Lori Kuczmanski correspondent | The Signpost STOCK TICKER Harky Dnvkfaoo (HIM) Cloning Price: 49 J 5 15-° Swirls of satin, bolts of fabric and 47° miles of thread: these are the tools of the 4G.0 150 costumer. 44-0 Although the work may seem 1O-U glamorous, the career of a costumer or dosing Prioc: 03.0(1 3- 15 costume designer is not easy. The job is often filled with long days creating numerous costumes under stringent w deadlines for dancers or other performers J.OO or creating just the right costume for a i-95 special event. One of the most important aspects of Merit Medical Sys [MMSI) Closing Price: 15JS a performance is the costume. The actor, 16.0 the dancer or the singer may take the tG-5 stage, but the costume helps create the •5-O mood. L iA-5 Creativity and dedication are the 14.0 main factors for being a successful 10-13 10-14 costumer. Wosatrh [fltcnwlioiiJi] Growth Funds (WA1GXJ GMtngFifce: 17.91 At Weber State University, costume designers work under the supervision of Amber Smith, who has been the WSU costume studio manager forfiveyears. An average day depends on what phase a production is in. If no big show ia" SecAw' is waiting in the wings, the costume shop l*m Bancorp tZION) dosing Pnce 69.06 may not be busy at all. 70.0 WN~j n . WSU's costume shop receives orders 69.0 from local theaters and other groups 68.0 for custom-made costumes. If an order P H O T O BY TRICIA G E R R A R D | Jill •./( ,.\7'f )S comes in, the shop becomes busier. Costume Castle & Craft owner Sherri Tatton (right) helps a customer pick out a costume for a play that her school is doing. 67.0 If a show is big or if a production is Sherri and her husband, Barf, started the business about 22 or 23 years ago in a small shop on Riverdale Road in Ogden. 10-10 to-ll )i»'.f 10-M kicking off, a typical day might end at 10 p.m. when she couldn't find any cute costumes. Eventually. Stylish Designs the Jr. Jazz Dance Studio in Layton as Prices at the close of Friday's trading. Smith said the hardest part of the job is and stylish dance costumes for her was crowding the bridal store. With a new well. keeping everyone busy. Students on a full daughter. location, her business has been growing "I am very fortunate to enjoy my work tuition waiver must complete 90 hours of and have a creative outlet while able to Harley-Davidson consistent Rudd had basic sewing skills, ever since. work in the shop. and once she designed and created Rudd said she lives by "deadlines, make a living," Rudd said. performer on S&P 500 Smith said the best part of the job is the her daughter's costume, she put up deadlines, deadlines." Each day is met Costume designers need many creativity. a display in the dance studio. The with two or three deadlines. skills to be successful. Costumers say Second in a series of profiles of the companies "I like taking a drawing from a designer following spring, the dance teacher Rudd creates unique costume looks being articulate and creative are at the listed in the stock ticker. and making it into a costume," Smith asked Rudd to design and create for 20 or 30 dance groups. She serves forefront. Knowledge in fashion design, Harley-Davidson, whose ticker symbol said. costumes for 20 students. mainly Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, but textiles and color and pattern making, is HDI, manufactures and sells primarThe average salary in costume shops Rudd depended on word of mouth she has accepted orders from all across as well as drawing and sketching skills, ily heavyweignt motorcycles, along with ranges from $20,000 to $30,000 per year. for advertising, and her reputtion for the country. are tantamount to success. A good ->* In a bigger city with more theaters, the creativity and artistry soon spread. Rudd has done1 costumes for Utah understanding of the financial aspects motorcycle accessories, riding apparel and collectibles. salary can vary. Smith said it aiso varies Working from her home, Rudd's State University Aggiettes. Her designs can help assure success. Harley-Davidson's 2004 revenues toin educational versus regional theaters, business soon outgrew the space. She also appear with 20 to 25 high school Working under pressure seems to be talled over $5.5 billion from motorcycle such as Pioneer Theater. shared space with a bridal store, which drill teams, including Layton High a prerequisite for this career. sales, parts and accessories, general merGloria Rudd, owner of Stylish worked until she received more orders School, Northridge High School and Roy While being busy every day is often chandise and licensing. Designs, 1 N. Main, Garland, began from new clients. High School. She designed costumes for tiresome, the salary can range up to According to industry data from the sewing professionally 11 years ago Rudd had to hire help to produce the Weber High School dance classes and $150,000 or more per year. Motorcycle Industry Council as listed on Costume Castle and Crafts, 96 W. the financial reports at www.comcast.net, Gentile St., Layton, is also busy making Harley-Davidson "accounted for 49% of and renting costumes. With Halloween new U.S. heavyweight motorcycle retail weeks away, owner Sherri Tatton said, "It registrions in 2004." is fun to watch people try stuff on and get The 2005 model year included models happy about it." priced from $6,495 to $20,405, with special Tatton started sewing in high school edition models running from $25,495 to as a single mother. With basic sewing $29,995. skills, Tatton was able to sew costumes Harley-Davidson continues to be a By Lisa Mann strong market performer, closing Friday business editor | The Signpost at $49.15 a share. See Day page 8 \J K t Halloween costumes don't need to break the bank Halloween traditionally means parties, fun and frolic - all disguised as someone else. For Weber State University students, that disguise does not necessarily need to eat up the entire trick-or-treat budget. "Halloween costumes should be anything, as long it makes you feel like the character you're trying to portray," said Meg Kallas, WSU social work and gerontology senior. Kallas is a professional seamstress. She once owned a small, appointmentonly costume shop called The Pumpkin Patch, and suggested a few shortcuts for students who need to make their own costumes. From the traditional to the unique, Kallas' ideas are easy and simple. She suggested using a white king- or queensize flat bed sheet draped around the chest and fastened at the shoulder with a broach to create a Greek god or goddess. "Take a painter's white jumpsuit, maybe from the [Deseret Industries], and paint numbers on the front for a cell phone," Kallas said. For a mummy, Kallas suggested soaking a queen-size white sheet in the washer with eight or nine regular tea bags for 30 minutes. Wring the sheets out and let them dry, then tear them in strips to wrap your mummy in bandages. Another easy costume idea is to hang a shower curtain from an umbrella and go as a shower, Kallas said. Mac Uhl, manager of Spirit Halloween Superstore, 4101 S. Riverdale Road, Riverdale, said pirate costumes are popular this year. "They seem to be a theme for buyers and the public," Uhl said. An eye patch, plastic sword and blousy shirt can complete the ensemble for under $35. Spirit, which also has a store in Taylorsville, was recently featured on RIOTOBYTRJCIA CERRARD | Tt It SICNPOST Weber State News, it bills itself as a one- Weber State University senior Aimee Coleman adjusts the "King Henry" costume on her husband, Matt Coleman, at Costume Castle & Craft, 96 W. Gentile, Layton. See Costumes page 8 This costume can be made from an old fur coat and a velvet robe. Decorating for Halloween on a shoestring budget a bag. Some brands even include black plastic spiders. Besides spiders, pumpkins are a Decorating for Halloween doesn't mainstay of Halloween decorating. mean Weber State University students Because Halloween and pumpkin season need to crack open the pumpkin bank. occur at the same time, students can find "You can do such a good job when inexpensive pumpkins and create jack-o'you use your imagination," said Nanci lanterns. Christensen, an employee at Lewis Craft, Artistic people like, GinnyTilby, a WSU 3545 Washington Blvd., in Ogden. "We art major, may carve a pumpkin easily. have haunted trees that you can make for "When I was a student at Utah State, about $3, plus the decorations you put on I carved a pumpkin to look like an Aggie it. They're so cute." bull," she said. Haunted trees are made using wire For someone who isn't so artistic, she twist, an item found at many arts and recommends using a stencil to create a crafts stores. Wires are design on the pumpkin. Students can twisted into shapes _ ffct then cut the pattern to resemble out. branches Ifanyone or other runs short spooky on time, shapes, he or she t h e n might placed paint a in small ' design clay pots on the or bent to pumpkin. stand on The design their own. lasts longer if "Every year, acrylic sealer is we sell lots of pomplaced over it. The pom spiders," she said. pumpkin then has a shiny, Spiders are a popular polished appearance. theme for Halloween decorating and they This pumpkin theme carries over into can be cheap and easy to make, she said. craft projects. Alicia Bingham, WSU interior design "We have a pumpkin 3-D cake pan," major, uses bags of spider web to create a Christensen said. "You can make a spooky entrance at her Ogden home. pumpkin wreath. We sell miniature "I went to Macey's and got cobwebs," pumpkins, berry picks and autumn she said. leaves. You can put it on a grapevine Lewis Craft also sells bags of cobweb wreath with hot glue." that can be spread over surfaces. These can range in price from 69cents to $1.49 See Decorations page 8 By Anna Rabe sr. business writer The Signpost |