The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman is a musical biopic which tells the story of PT Barnum and how he rose from poverty to create what we know today as The Circus. Although the film is based on actual events during the mid-19th century, many creative liberties were taken to reflect Barnum’s imaginative world; this in turn extended to the costumes and explains their exaggerated, fantastical nature.

I worked on costume designer Ellen Mirojnick’s team as one of the assistant costume designers dressing the background. The costumes had unusual and modern twists to them despite being rooted in the 19th century. For instance, take the eclectic circus-going crowd: our colors and patterns were much more vibrant than history’s, with shorter hem lines defying social norms of the time; in contrast, the conservative protestors who opposed Barnum’s so-called ‘freak show’ wore rather historically conventional silhouettes in a muted color palette thus reflecting their traditionalist world views. There were hundreds of background actors whom we dressed in this film; the circus audience alone was four hundred people.

 

Film Stills

 

Behind-the-Scenes Fitting Process Photos

 

Watch the Trailer

You can stream The Greatest Showman on Disney+. Starring Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya and more. Directed by Michael Gracey. Produced by Tonia Davis, Donald J. Lee Jr., James Mangold and others. See full Cast + Crew here.