As Halloween approaches, the appreciation for costumes and costume design increases exponentially. Because we couldn’t truly celebrate this past year, it makes dressing up and going all out this year even more special.
So whether you’re making your own memorable costume, purchasing one from Amazon, or simply wearing a tracksuit and calling it “Squidgame,” your awareness level for costume design is at its all-time high.
While most of us are only costume-aware once (maybe twice) a year, some talented designers have made it their life’s work. Below, we’ve shared the top five best costume designers that you need to follow on Instagram.
Jeriana San Juan | @jeriana
From concert tours and broadway musicals to television and film, Jeriana San Juan’s career is impressive. Early in her vocation, she worked on Saturday Night Live, specifically seasons 32-38, with Tina Fey, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig. She also worked on the Tony Award-Winning Legally Blonde: the Musical. San Juan attributes her love of dressmaking and inspiration to her grandmother and her Cuban roots on her website. Talented doesn’t even begin to describe her work, and others agree as she’s been published in the New York Times, Vogue, Marie Claire, and Vanity Fair, to name a few. Follow her account for behind-the-scenes peeks and endless inspirational content.
Jenn Rogien | @jennrogien
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen Jenn Rogien’s costume design work. In fact, she recently celebrated a 2019 EMMY nomination for her costume design work in Natasha Lyonne’s mind-bending Netflix show Russian Doll. Jenn is also the mastermind behind the costumes in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black and HBO’s GIRLS. Peeping through her Instagram feed, you’ll find vision boards, closet scenes, and production set after production set.
Erin Hirsh | @erinhirsh
Before she made her way into the world of Costume Design, Erin Hirsh was a professional dancer in New York City. She credits her dance background in helping her discover her talent for costume design, as she truly understood and understands the requirements of adorning artists for the stage. Erin is currently the head costume designer for NBC’s The Voice and has earned two Emmy nominations for her work. She also has quite an impressive resume, ranging from working with celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres and Rihana and directors such as Spike Jonze. Her Instagram is remarkable in that she often features videos where she showcases closet organization or scenes from productions where she’s the costume director.
Anna Mary Scott | @annamaryscott
Talented doesn’t even begin to describe Anna Mary Scott’s costume design work. As the costume designer for PBS’s Downton Abbey, she has an eye for design. Throughout her feed, you’ll find inspiring costumes, impressive beadwork, gorgeous fabrics, and much much more. Anna Mary Scott’s feed is unique in that she often describes the costume designs in great detail. On a post that’s a scene from The Last Letter from Your Lover, she wrote, “This costume is the color of new leaves representing the newness of Jennifer and Anthony’s feelings for each other, the unfurling color relationship….”
It’s these kinds of chestnuts that display how costume design can inform the characters just through the fabrics they wear.
ane crabtree | @anecrabtree
As a massive fan of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, my love for Ane Crabtree’s work is sky-high. Plus, she earned an Emmy nomination and a Costume Designers Guild award for outstanding contemporary television series for the show. Crabtree also has a knack for the eccentric; she cares more about what’s real than the materialistic; she’s filled with passion, grit, and character, all of which come alive through her Instagram feed. If you’re interested in costume design, follow Crabtree’s account and research her dazzling work further; both her life and her career are genuinely fascinating.
