Costume
Costume reflects culture, identity, and changing fashion norms.
Costume is the distinctive style of dress and/or makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used to describe typical appropriate clothing for certain activities, such as riding costume, swimming costume, dance costume, and evening costume. Appropriate and acceptable costume is subject to changes in fashion and local cultural norms. This general usage has gradually been replaced by the terms 'dress', 'attire', 'robes' or 'wear' and usage of 'costume' has become more limited to unusual or out-of-date clothing and to attire intended to evoke a change in identity, such as theatrical, Halloween, and mascot costumes.
- field
- Clothing and cultural expression
- known_for
- Reflecting class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch
- etymology
- Derived from Italian, passed through French; shares origins with 'fashion' or 'custom'; traced to Latin consuetudo meaning 'custom' or 'usage'
Lore & Background
Costume encompasses both everyday dress and specialized attire for activities, theatrical performances, and festivals. Before ready-to-wear apparel, clothing was made by hand, often by costumiers—women who ran businesses meeting demand for complicated or intimate female costume, including millinery and corsetry. National or regional costume expresses local identity and pride, with examples including the Scottish kilt, Turkish Zeybek, Japanese kimono, and Bhutan's prescribed national dress of Gho for men and Kira, Tego, and Wonju for women, with rank-indicating scarves for men (Kabney) and embroidered scarves for women (Rachus).
Reader's Guide
Costume serves as a key marker of cultural identity, historical period, and social role. Its significance extends from everyday attire to specialized uses in theatre, where costumes help actors portray characters and communicate information about historical era, geographic location, and time of day. Religious festivals such as Mardi Gras, Halloween, and Purim incorporate costume-wearing as part of tradition, with Halloween costumes developing from pre-Christian Celtic disguises during Samhain. Parades, sporting events, and mascot costumes further demonstrate costume's role in public celebration and commercial promotion. The term's etymology from Latin consuetudo ('custom' or 'usage') underscores its deep connection to social norms and practices. As fashion evolves, the word 'costume' has become more associated with unusual or identity-changing attire, yet its fundamental role in expressing culture remains constant.
Did You Know?
- The term 'costume' derives from Italian, passed through French, and traces back to Latin consuetudo meaning 'custom' or 'usage'.
- In Bhutan, men wear a robe called Gho fastened at the waist by a band called Kera, and women wear a three-piece dress consisting of Kira, Tego, and Wonju.
- Halloween costumes developed from pre-Christian Celtic traditions of wearing disguises during the harvest festival Samhain to avoid evil spirits.
- Costume technicians are responsible for taking a two-dimensional sketch and translating it to create a garment that resembles the designer's rendering.
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