The Triangle

Issue date: 1/16/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Ian McDonald

"What do you know about costume design," Dr. Deborah Nadoolman-Landis asked as she presented to a full house in Nesbitt's Ruth Auditorium Jan. 15. Various responses claimed costume design was associated with films or more grandiose styles of clothing, yet the expert assured the crowd, "it's always contextual."

In conjunction with the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design Rankin Scholar-in-Residence program, Nadoolman-Landis will be teaching workshops to Fashion and Design & Merchandising students in relation to her forte-costume design for film-Jan 15-18.

What began for a love of theater and movement led to a career in design, specifically costume. Over the past 30 years, Academy Award-nominated Nadoolman-Landis has created some of the most memorable costumes of our time, from the togas in "Animal House" to Indiana Jones' fedora in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." She also designed the red jacket worn by Michael Jackson in the classic "Thriller" music video as well as costumes for films directed by her husband John Landis, such as "The Blues Brothers" and "Three Amigos." A selection of Nadoolman-Landis' designs are on display at the Smithsonian and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"It's more anthropology than fashion design," Nadoolman-Landis said. Costumes create character identity and allow viewers to connect or associate with certain titles-meaning clothing choices can make or break a film. Realistic garments need to be designed in order to keep attention where as the over-the-top designs may be a little much. According to Nadoolman-Landis, "the $2,500 handbag can sabotage a movie faster than anything else."

Keeping up with the contextual theme, Nadoolman-Landis shared stories of how it came into play throughout her career. While on a trip to England, Nadoolman-Landis spotted traditional African cloth at the Brixton Market in South London. Several years later, she was approached to design the costumes for the cast of "Coming to America," starring Eddie Murphy. Needing to create the most luxurious and authentic costumes as possible for the big-screen, the cloth required for the designs could not be found in New York City-but rather in Brixton. Flying back to retrieve the genuine African materials and later designing spectacular attire, Nadoolman-Landis earned herself an Academy Award nomination.

A portion of the crowd, aside from Drexel students in attendance, appeared to be fans of Indiana Jones, carrying around "Raiders of the Lost Ark" DVDs to be signed by Nadoolman-Landis following the presentation. "I hadn't realized how iconic Indiana Jones was until I was at Comic Con" Nadoolman-Landis laughed, reminiscing of when she first saw grown men walking around outside of a film set wearing replications of her designs.

When asked if the King of Pop had any say in the design of the iconic "Thriller" jacket, Nadoolman-Landis responded, "that was all me." As a process of elimination, colors such as black, white, and blue wouldn't have worked, the presenter explained, as Jackson danced in front of an army of ghouls-yet red was the perfect match.

Nadoolman-Landis gave hope to aspiring designers stating that costume design is well and alive today and will continue to be as long as films are being produced and projected for our eyes.

"The worst kind of design is generic. The best if specific," Nadoolman-Landis said with all her heart. Create that character identity and make the viewer "true believers every single time."

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