The Who’s Tommy

To further hone my skills, I attended Polimoda, one of the world’s leading design institutions, for a month-long costume design intensive in Florence, Italy, in July 2024. Under the mentorship of Broadway veteran Lorin Latarro, I collaborated with a talented group of students and learned from industry professionals specializing in fashion design and sewing.

For my project, I chose to create a theoretical design for The Who’s Tommy. My production concept was inspired by a blend of dystopian/post-apocalyptic themes, juxtaposed with mid-century retro futurism and atomic art aesthetics. This idea of an alternate version of post-WWII England where technology advanced at an accelerated pace, informed my design process. I began by creating mood boards to capture the essence of the characters and then translated those concepts into detailed costume renderings.

From there, I brought one of my designs to life as a mock-up, selecting Tommy’s finale costume for this hands-on project. The process involved draping and pattern-making on the dress form, allowing me to refine both my technical skills and creative approach to costume construction.