PureDWTS Exclusive! An Interview with Randall Christensen, Part I
A few months back, we asked you guys to submit questions for Randall Christensen, the costume designer for DWTS from seasons 2-12. Well now that the holidays are over and we’re starting to get back into the swing of things, we’re sharing Randall’s responses 🙂
We’ve been lucky to get a chance to chat with Randall, since he has kept very busy since moving on from DWTS! He’s currently working a couture swimwear line with MiracleSuit (check out Vogue’s post on the Macy’s MiracleSuit fashion show last summer!), is working on a sportswear/ready to wear collection, and is still designing dancesport costumes for Randall Designs, Inc., his costume design company for the past 30 years. Let’s see what this dancewear icon has to say in response to some of your burning questions 🙂
At what age did you start designing?
Randall Christensen: I started designing for my professional partner and students back in the early ‘80’s, learning the craft with “hands on” experience. I am self-taught.
Who were your mentors?
RC: My first mentor (and still most influential) was Bob Mackie. He was designing for Carol Burnett as well as Cher for their (respective) shows. I was a pre-teen and tried to NEVER miss a single one of their shows, as I was mesmerized by their costumes!
Seems like things at DWTS run on a pretty hectic timetable. Can you descibe what a typical week was like for you at DWTS?
RC: A typical week at DWTS starts new on Monday/Tuesday with new designs for each couple. If we are lucky enough to get the music by Monday (instead of typically Tuesday) I try to get the couples up to the wardrobe department to discuss concepts for the next week’s costumes. I only get 15-20 (30 mins. tops) to listen to the music, research ideas, discuss, design and finalize. Then the entire show is shopped Wednesday by 5pm and delivered back to the studio, where I go over every women’s design with our cutter/fitter (the mens’ costumes are done off site, by our dance tailor in downtown Los Angeles). The costumes are cut/sewn/preliminarily fitted on Thursday, then I have celebrity fittings all day Friday. My assistant helps on Saturday with the professional women’s fittings, they’re altered and ready for the final fitting on Sunday, after the couples do their blocking for the camera. Adjustments are made and then are trimmed, beaded, crystallized and trimmed out to completion. Monday morning is time to review each costume before setting them in the individual dressing rooms. We have dress rehearsal only a few hours before we go LIVE on the east coast. During that time any last minute adjustments are made and redelivered to the couples’ dressing rooms, sometimes just minutes before they’re to go to the top of the stairs for their walk down – live! We have to design/shop/fit/finish each and every costume in 3.5 to 4 days!! Whew!
What types of fabrics are the best for ballroom costumes?
RC: Thank goodness for stretch fabrics, jerseys, lycras, etc.! These help the costume to be quite comfortable as well as flexible. We can then get a terrific fit with little to no wrinkles in the fabric. Chiffon (both silk and polyester) are great for the ballgown skirts, due to the wonderful movement. Charmeuse satin is a terrific vintage type fabric, reminiscent of some of Ginger Rogers’ gowns.
Are there limitations, or can you work with pretty much anything?
RC: I push the limits every chance I get! How else can you continue to come up with fresh ideas? That being said, some fabrics are VERY challenging! I try not to use brocades, as they are just to stiff and unforgiving for costumes. Not to mention the fact that they do not flow at all! I love using natural trims, for an organic vibe, still mixing in crystal rhinestones of course. We have to have a sparkle on almost everything.
What is the most extravagant costume you’ve ever designed for the show, and who wore it?
RC: I would say the most extravagant costume would have to be Toni Braxton’s Marie Antoinette-inspired Viennese Waltz gown (complete with powdered blonde wig and all). To be as authentic as possible, we went to a costume house and purchased a “cage” to make the silhouette as close to the look of the era as possible. It was almost all completely sewn by hand, on the dress form as there is no way to get that wide cage (for the hips) on the sewing machine to work on. Quite labor intense, but what a gorgeous look! And still, we did it in just under 4 days……I still break out in a sweat thinking about that one!
*photo courtesy ABC/Kelsey McNeal
If you could only pick one DWTS costume as your “all-time favorite”, which would it be and why?
RC: Besides Toni Braxton’s Marie Antoinette gown, I would have to say Joanna Krupa’s “Futuristic Paso Doble.” We pushed the limits (again) of what we could do in just 4 days. The silver silk lame with electric lights (all wired into the dress) was sensational, but a nightmare to get done in such a short time. We had a lighting specialist up from San Diego for 3 days just wiring the darn thing.
*photo courtesy of ABC
Everyone has regrets. Have you ever looked back at a costume you’ve designed for the show and thought “What was I thinking???” If so, which one & why?
RC: Oh, I’m sure we ALL have regrets, but I have to say, we have a really good track record if you consider that from concept to completion is 4 days maximum. The discipline the couple has to have to stick with the original design, in spite of choreographing after the design is done, a procedure which is completely backwards! That being said, each and every week I look at the costumes, making mental notes as to what we could have done better, or what I would have done differently. The beauty is I get another chance 4 days later.
Who have been your favorite celebs and/or pros to design for, and why?
RC: I count myself quite lucky to have such a great rapport with the pro dancers, and we have such fun with (and trust in) each other. Our design sessions are quite intense and rewarding. I have enjoyed the trust that almost all of the celebrities have shown to me. I honestly think that they put their trust in me (and their pro partner) due mainly to the fact that they are in such a foreign and vulnerable area. They have not danced like this before, and really have to rely on our experience and expertise. The trust that Susan Lucci, Jennifer Gray, Florence Henderson, Chelsea Kane and Kirstie Alley (to name a few) showed me was quite humbling and really rewarding! This definitely impacts how wonderful their costumes showed on them.
Do you have an all-time favorite?
RC: I would have to say that as far as professional dancers, Edyta Sliwinska made ME look good! I wish I could take credit for her beauty, but she came that way!! That being said, I have to admit that Edyta was remarkably prepared each week, knew what looked good on her, and above all else, she left me to interpret her ideas and trusted me completely. What a dream lady to work with! Toni Braxton and Brandy both were appreciative, trusting and so lovely to design for.
What happens to the costumes after they’ve been worn?
RC: The celebrities have the option of purchasing any of their costumes, once the season is over. Kristi Yamaguchi and Shawn Johnson purchased all of their costumes, along with several celebs. buying their favorite one(s). We keep a great majority of the costumes from past seasons in a storage facility quite close to the studio. We also keep a few on hand right in the workroom, in case we need a last minute “fix.” We have NEVER had to use one of those yet!
We’ve noticed some get reused and others don’t. How do you decide which ones get reused?
RC: We reuse costumes based on the producers’ requirements/suggestions, as well as our guest choreographers’ ideas. Many times (most of the time) we re-work them so that their silhouettes more readily coordinate with each of the other dancers’ looks, for a more cohesive themed look. There is just not enough hours in the week to make ALL the costumes seen on Monday’s and Tuesday’s shows. That said, we ALWAYS make something new for our couples for Monday’s show. The pro numbers and (pro) group numbers may get previously worn costumes, but NEVER on celebs nor their partners for Monday’s competition!
*photo courtesy ABC/Adam Larkey
Do certain pros want specific kinds of alterations (i.e. shorter hems, lower necklines, mesh inserts, etc) on costumes that have been worn before by someone else?
RC: Again, it’s all about the overall theme/silhouette desired. Our pro dancers do have their specific preferences, and if we could accommodate them, we most certainly would. Some of those preferences are just going to be kept secret – no use spoiling the illusion……
Tune in later this week when we reveal part II of our exclusive interview…and Randall talks theme nights, panic attacks, and his love of princess seams (?) 😉 You won’t want to miss it!!!
