At six in the morning forty background actors arrive for a wedding scene, and twelve of them have not been fitted yet. The wardrobe supervisor has racks ready, sizes on labels and a team that dresses each guest in under five minutes. By the time the camera rolls, the bride's veil matches the one from yesterday's scene down to the pin. The wardrobe supervisor is the person who turns the costume designer's plans into a department that works every day of the shoot.
What a wardrobe supervisor does
The wardrobe supervisor works for the costume designer. Where the designer decides what characters wear, the supervisor makes sure it actually happens. They usually start in pre-production, organising fittings, keeping the costume breakdown up to date and setting up the wardrobe trucks and rooms.
During the shoot they run the costume team on set and at base. That means dressing actors, laundry and repairs, ageing or distressing costumes so they look worn, and keeping continuity. Continuity means the costume looks the same in every shot of a scene, even when the scene is filmed over several days. The supervisor keeps photos and notes for each look and works with the script supervisor when something has to match. They also take the daily call sheet from the second assistant director to plan who needs to be dressed when.
Responsibilities
- Organise fittings and keep the costume breakdown per scene current
- Hire and schedule wardrobe assistants and dressers
- Set up and run the wardrobe trucks, fitting rooms and costume store
- Dress principal and background actors for each day of shooting
- Keep continuity records with photos and notes
- Arrange cleaning, repairs, ageing and multiples of costumes
- Track hired costumes and return them at the end of the production
How the role touches the budget
The supervisor often keeps the day-to-day paperwork of the costume budget. That covers purchase receipts, hire agreements, laundry and dry-cleaning bills and the hours of the wardrobe team. Overtime is a common pressure, because the costume team is often first in and last out. Lost or damaged hired items are charged back to the production, so a careful supervisor saves real money at the end of the shoot.
How people become wardrobe supervisors
Most start as wardrobe trainees or dressers and work their way up through costume assistant. Sewing and alteration skills help, as does experience in theatre wardrobe departments. Some supervisors later move on to costume design.
Titles across the industry
In the UK the job is often called costume supervisor, and on large productions there may be both a costume supervisor at base and a set supervisor who stays with the camera. In the US the wardrobe supervisor is usually the senior person under the designer. On TV studio shows the wardrobe team may be part of the studio itself rather than hired per production.