As a designer, you have to solve a lot of problems. Even though people are wearing clothes that are supposed to look beautiful, they'll have to do all kinds of things.
Colleen Atwood

Costumes are the first impression that you have of the character before they open their mouth-it really does establish who they are.
Colleen Atwood

Each simian had a much different body suit, so besides trying to define class across species, there was a definite attempt to dress each group in different styles.
Colleen Atwood

I had to work out that it was something that could move, without having everybody in spray painted leotards.
Colleen Atwood

I'd seen the current stage production and the 1975 production of Chicago. I liked them both very much, but I didn't use them necessarily as inspiration.
Colleen Atwood

I've always loved movies, art and clothes.
Colleen Atwood

If you want someone to feel warm, you dress them in a warm color and put a warm light on them and you get the picture. Sometimes, all that needs pushing a little bit to help tell the story.
Colleen Atwood

In Chicago, I walked in knowing what the dancers were going to need.
Colleen Atwood

In real life, a lot of people at that level will have their kimonos made especially for them.
Colleen Atwood

Knowing who the actors were as you were designing them helped, with Catherine's beauty and Renee's frailty, they directed me visually just by who they were.
Colleen Atwood


On Planet of the Apes, I had a very knowledgeable team who knew good materials, but I had one main source person who worked online and on the street continually looking for the proper materials.
Colleen Atwood

Planet of the Apes was a gigantic challenge, making the clothes work so people could do stunts and action in the clothes. I really learned a lot about that in that movie.
Colleen Atwood

Sleepy Hollow had a lot of action in it, even though it was a fairy-tale movie.
Colleen Atwood

Some of the kimonos took as long as four to five months to make, with all the layers that go into it.
Colleen Atwood

The costumes had to serve the choreography.
Colleen Atwood

The designs were based on quite a lot of research of what a movie musical is, filtered through the eyes of today. If we'd gone strictly with the '20s, the movement would have been impaired.
Colleen Atwood

The reward is that you can actually create a world separate from reality with a story, actors, music, and camera design. When it works it can entertain, move people and teach us all.
Colleen Atwood