Little Red Riding Hood — costume process by Sarah Harlett

One Saturday morning while I was standing in a great boutique in Ballard, Olivine, SJ Chiro came up next to me and said she was starting a film project and wanted to know if I would be interested in created costumes for it. Later we met with Suzannah Anderson and we all talked about design and filmmakers she loved, especially Guy Maddin. 

My recollections of the Little Red Riding Hood were from the Tasha Tudor book of Fairy Tales from my childhood. A much-loved book, coming apart at the seams that I still had in my apartment. I pulled it out and looked at the illustrations, to start me on a path as it were. The images that I remembered loving were Red’s dress and pinafore and boots. I made a sage green dress with a small floral print and a white pinafore w/ pin tucks and a big tie in the back. The hooded cape in the book was too fancy—velvety and soft without a lot of shape. {See image}. I wanted the hood to be pointed, that the shape of the cape on Red would be almost like a little gnome. So, the cape I made was red felt (to hold it’s shape a little more) with red cotton lining and long red ribbons to tie it. There was some concern that actual red wouldn’t read as red on black and white film, but I think in the end it worked really well.

The wolf was an interesting problem. Eric Ray Anderson has such a wonderful and expressive face. We didn’t want to cover that with a wolf mask or even a prosthetic snout. He was going to be on two feet and walking around, which brought to mind Arnold Loebel’s Frog and Toad images or Beatrix Potter’s dressing of animals. 

So, with those in mind and an old pattern for a Thomas Jefferson waistcoat and vest, I took some heavy double felt and made the waistcoat. Then I found some very long hairy faux fur and created some oversized cuffs and a huge shawl collar. I wanted the cuffs and collar to be large than normal, to morph into more of an animal than just a suit. The pants and books I borrowed from the very obliging Empty Space Theater. 

Grandmother and mother, I again looked at my classic fairy tale books and made a skirt, shirts, bodice and hat for Christina Mastin. I wanted the style to be something that Hansel and Gretel’s mother might look like deep in the woods.

Our Grandmother was a worker; she gets her hands dirty, is perfectly healthy and can kick some serious ass. Her costume needed to be within the same style as everyone else, but have enough movement for karate. There are some images of Tasha Tudor herself who dressed in the time period she drew in even though she was alive in modern day.  I liked the idea of that, but a little younger and not so layered. I added an apron for silhouette, the idea that she’s been working, but also to give more contrast on black and white film.