Costume and wardrobe specialists design outfits for actors. These costumes express a certain time, place, or mood.

Costume and wardrobe specialists work closely with production teams. These teams may be made up of directors, actors, makeup artists, and set designers. They work together to create outfits for:

• Plays
• Television shows
• Movies
• Dance performances

Costume and wardrobe specialists study scripts to learn about the characters and what image the writer wants to portray. Costumes may range from contemporary fashions to medieval armor, depending on the production.

Costume and wardrobe specialists research the time period of the story. They learn about the fashion and accessories of people who lived during that time. Some film studios have large collections of costumes that specialists can use. If they cannot find the outfits they need, specialists design costumes and have costume technicians make them. At smaller film studios, costume specialists may rent, purchase, or make costumes to fit the script's theme. For filmmaking, costume and wardrobe specialists may need to provide clothes for the main actors and the extras.

Costume and wardrobe specialists work closely with the actors to determine how their outfits fit and if alterations are needed. They make notes or sketches about changes that must be made. Some specialists make the changes themselves.

The duties of costume and wardrobe specialists depend on the size of the budget and size of the production. In larger productions, specialists may supervise workers who do the alterations. They also may supervise dressers who set out the costumes and help actors change. In smaller productions, the costume and wardrobe specialist may be the only person in the costume department.