Orpheus costume mood boards: 1950's male fashion.

With the students coming to visit us at Farnham I also had the opportunity to sit down with the pupil who'll be performing as Orpheus and chat with him about the potential costume. As lead designer for the male characters, (Hades and Orpheus) I still hadn't been given any information on what the Performing Arts students wanted for the main characters so this was a prime opportunity to straighten this out. In general, I got the idea they wanted a man kitted out in generic 50's male fashion. However, I was also able to discuss characterisation for the figure of Orpheus:

He's not wealthy at all, and working at 'The Underworld' club as a struggling musician and club presenter with his love, Eurydice. Down beat, desperate, love stricken, afraid and frustrated, Orpheus is also horribly in debt to Hades; a debt he's struggling to pay off. Having this conversation gave me a lot more to go on, and now I have more of Orpheus' characterisation understood. Hades on the other hand  is the puppet master, the over lord, a dominant and twisted man who manipulates anyone for his own gain.

Through research I learnt that during the 50's the long trench coat and trilby styled hat was very common within the working 'businessman' class. Even though this was every-day wear, it also has a very formal appearance to it that I don't think would suit the down-trodden vibe of Orpheus. This style seems too mature and official. Instead I began concentrating on the style of younger men, or envisaging the fashions without the coat or hat. During this era, wearing a hat was 'the done thing' in polite society and all men would usually don the before mentioned trilby style before leaving the family home. However, if Orpheus is very poor then I can't visualise him in thick new coat and smart hat. Why wear clothes that hold a social status symbol when he's hit rock bottom? Because of this, I think a simple shirt, tie and waistcoat would be more accurate for the character, possibly distressed or aged up too? This would also be more cost effective and suit the minimal/ symbolic uses of the other costume.

I was also potentially considering braces, but don't want the fashion to come through too American in style, as the production is set in 1950's England. However, upon research, it turns out that braces would be worn very commonly in late 1940's/ early 50's England by gentlemen, e.g. A tailor would assume that trousers would always be worn with braces, as "any gentleman would insist upon". Because of this, I think that braces would suit the character as they were a commonly worn undergarment and no where near as fancy as a hat and coat, but I do think that aging them up or making them look patched up and old would be appropriate.

References:

http://histclo.com/style/pants/sus/sus/chron/20/1950/suspc-1950.html

http://fiftiesweb.com/fashion/1950s-mens-fashion/

Later on I discovered this photo on Pinterest, which I think sums up the visualisation I have of Orpheus in my head at the moment! Slicked back hair, distressed and aged clothing, dirtied face and skin (makeup), fake cigarette prop. The braces should be a little worse for wear, as should the trousers and shirt but that can be achieved with simple distressing methods.