When you walk into room PA-3 at Calabasas High School, your eyes will be filled with colorful costumes, fabrics, sewing machines, and the costume teacher, Stephanie Arnow. Initially, a substitute teacher established a popular costume design program at CHS. She came to CHS in December of last year. The costumes program has been around for about 25 years. This program supports the theater department and students with both day and after-school programs by designing costumes for various activities throughout the school year.
The course is offered to all grade levels, including students with no prior sewing experience, and the fundamentals of costuming, from basic stitches to complex projects like embroidered designs.
“It’s all about finding solutions to a problem. The problem is, we have a costume, and we need to fit this character,” said Arnow.
Arnow attributes the program’s popularity to her extensive industry experience and ability to connect with students. During the pandemic, the costumes program at CHS was at its worst, and during the 2022-2023 school year, it didn’t exist. However, Arnow joined just after quarantine, causing the program to be at its peak.
“I had 10 [students] when I started, and now I have 90, which is about 20 students per period, and then 30 after school,” said Arnow
Arnow and the program offer structured learning and creative outlets for an extremely diverse range of students.
Lilly Riggs, a senior who is a key figure in the program, has enjoyed the past two years she has been in it.
“We got nominated for an award that is like the Oscars, but for high school theater programs in Los Angeles,” said Riggs.
Making costumes requires creativity and hard work. Sasha Geller, a freshman who joined Costumes this year, has been loving it.
“My favorite part about costumes is being able to have creativity and fun, I also like dressing people up,” Geller said.
They start by printing out papers with designs on them, then getting fabric and cutting the material based on the design. From there, they cut, sow, and piece together the costume.
The costumes and makeup program has taught the students the fundamentals of terminologies used in costuming for theater or film. They have learned to stitch different patterns, embroider, and create different costumes based on the characters.
