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The Art of Ruth E. Carter / Ruth E. Carter San Francisco: Chronicle Books, c2023. 152 p. |
This book was a fascinating journey through 30 years of Ruth E. Carter's costume designs for so many movies! I enjoyed this one, so much that I read it all in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down.
It's full of images, which makes the story so much more compelling; the only small flaw was that sometimes she talks about a costume and there is no picture, and sometimes there are photos with no explanatory text. I just wanted more! Nevertheless this is a great read, outlining the many films and many directors she's worked with, and how film designing differs from the theatre designing (and acting) where she began as a young woman.
She was asked to do the costuming for Spike Lee's School Daze, starting off her career. I had no idea of the range of films she had worked on, from contemporary work like Spike Lee's films to historicals (like Amistad or Malcolm X), comedies (Coming to America) or drama. And of course, the superhero hit Black Panther, which brought her the first Oscar for costume design to go to a Black designer. I loved how she describes the experience of working with different directors, actors, budgets, and themes, and how much work and research she puts into each one.
As a librarian, I loved hearing about her research process. And as a sewist, I loved the design process, shared with some of her mood boards and choices, and how she chose outfits to further define a character. All the photos in the book are great, but I appreciated that some of them were focused on mood boards and details, as well as the large images of the costumes as worn.
She talks about using African history and geographically specific design to create looks for the many countries that show up in Black Panther, and the depth of research and the amount of time involved was mind-boggling. Each of the movies highlights her knowledge of the history of costume and how it flavours her work. So inspiring and so interesting!
I enjoyed this book, even though I haven't seen many of the films mentioned - some of which I didn't know she was part of. This really makes me want to go back and watch them now. This would be a great read for anyone interested in film, costuming, or inspiration from a successful Black designer. Recommended!