Costume Attendants

Career Description: Select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers.

Industry: Personal Care and Service

Other Job Titles for Costume Attendants:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Distribute costumes and related equipment, and keep records of item status.
• Arrange costumes in order of use to facilitate quick-change procedures for performances.
• Return borrowed or rented items when productions are complete and return other items to storage.
• Clean and press costumes before and after performances, and perform any minor repairs.
• Assign lockers to employees, and maintain locker rooms, dressing rooms, wig rooms, and costume storage and laundry areas.
• Provide assistance to cast members in wearing costumes, or assign cast dressers to assist specific cast members with costume changes.
• Design and construct costumes or send them to tailors for construction, major repairs, or alterations.
• Purchase, rent, or requisition costumes and other wardrobe necessities.
• Check the appearance of costumes on-stage and under lights in order to determine whether desired effects are being achieved.
• Inventory stock in order to determine types and conditions of available costuming.
• Collaborate with production designers, costume designers, and other production staff in order to discuss and execute costume design details.
• Monitor, maintain, and secure inventories of costumes, wigs, and makeup, providing keys or access to assigned directors, costume designers, and wardrobe mistresses/masters.
• Create worksheets for dressing lists, show notes, and costume checks.
• Direct the work of wardrobe crews during dress rehearsals and performances.
• Examine costume fit on cast members, and sketch or write notes for alterations.
• Review scripts or other production information in order to determine a story's locale and period, as well as the number of characters and required costumes.
• Recommend vendors and monitor their work.
• Study books, pictures, and examples of period clothing in order to determine styles worn during specific periods in history.
• Provide managers with budget recommendations, and take responsibility for budgetary line items related to costumes, storage, and makeup needs.
• Participate in the hiring, training, scheduling, and supervision of alteration workers.
• Care for non-clothing items such as flags, table skirts, and draperies.

Emerging Tasks

• Arrange childcare services for guests.
• Clean and tidy hotel lounge.
• Make reservations (e.g., for dinner, spa treatments, golf tee times) and travel arrangements (e.g., rental cars and airport shuttles) for patrons, and obtain tickets to special events.
• Provide business services for guests, such as sending and receiving faxes and shipping packages.
• Provide directions to guests.
• Provide food and beverage services to guests.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• alter and fit garments
• assess script quality
• assign work to staff or employees
• cut or trim fabric or leather
• design tailored garments
• determine locale or period of story
• determine styles worn during historical period
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• estimate materials or labor requirements
• examine garment fit on customer or cast member
• fabricate tailored garments
• inventory stock to ensure adequate supplies
• measure customer for size
• measure, weigh, or count products or materials
• operate laundering or dry cleaning equipment
• operate sewing machine
• order or purchase supplies, materials, or equipment
• press garment or fabric
• purchase or rent costumes or accessories
• recognize characteristics of cloth or fabric
• repair tears or defects in fabrics, garments, or leather products
• retrieve or place goods from/into storage
• review script to determine costumes required
• sew by hand
• study examples of period clothing
• use garment construction techniques
• use hand or power tools
• use portable electric fabric cutter
• serve food or beverages
• service vehicle with water, fuel, or oil
• stock or organize goods
• use cash registers
• use knowledge of food handling rules
• use oral or written communication techniques
• verify ticket or pass

Overall Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$12.64
• Average annual wage (2007) - $26,290.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 14.14%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 612
• Employment (2006): 4,328

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