Suzi Clarke

Film and TV Work

Although I have not worked much for film and TV, I have made a wide range of clothes for them. The first, and most difficult job ever, was to make 18th century costumes for wolves to wear in the film "Company of Wolves". I did not understand what I was doing, and it was fortunate they were not much seen!

There were pleated garments for the Queen of Tutankhamen, and a couple of djellabiahs for Omar Shariff for a film designed by Jackie Crier. I don't think this has ever been shown! (For the same designer I also made clothes from 1873 for a film called "Hearst Castle: Building a Dream" shown in theVisitor Centre at San Simeon, I understand.) These included a ball gown, walking out suit, complete set of underwear, and a child's sailor suit. I have a copy, and if I had not recognised the material, I would never have known I worked on it. Virtually none of the clothes I made were left in the finished film. However, the walking suit is still in use by a hire company in London.

Below is a pile of ruffs, one on the right by Carole Hersee, one at the bottom from Angels, and the rest made by me for a BBC mini-series called "The Virgin Queen", shown on BBC 1 in January 2006..

In the recent BBC Knowledge programme, "Kings in Waiting; George IV", the Prince Regent was in a black broadcloth coat, (above) which I made, and one of my gowns was worn by Princess Caroline in a major scene.

Two dramatised documentaries, for which I was also costume supervisor, and costume adviser, were "Marie Antoinette" frequently shown on the History Channel, and "Victoria and Albert", shown on "First Thursday" on ITV. "Marie Antoinette" has many of Covent Garden Minuet Company dancing in my costumes, and "Victoria and Albert" had some of my clothes worn by Princess Beatrice, and a lady in waiting.