Hamilton (2020)

 Costume Designer: Paul Tazewell

Although Hamilton has been on Broadway since January of 2015, the show became available to most of the world through a subscription to Disney+ and was released on that platform in the summer of 2020 (hence that being the date in the title.) Hamilton: An American musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda showcases the life story of the American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Miranda was reportedly inspired to write the musical after reading the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron
Chernow. Miranda describes the musical as “America then, as told by America now.”

Due to the musical being set in a certain time and place, 18^th century America to be exact, it is obvious that I would choose to critique these costumes based on historical accuracy. But I also think it is important to remember that entirely historically accurate costumes would not be suited to a stage performance, as historically accurate gowns for the Schuyler Sisters and choral members would be impractical as they would restrict movement leaving the actors unable to dance to the rap, R&B and other music prevalent in the production.

The Schuyler Sisters

(The Schuyler Sisters: Eliza (Left), Angelica (Middle), Peggy (Right) In "The Schuyler Sisters)

By far my most favourite characters in the musical, the Schuyler Sisters represent the attitudes and lives of women for an upper-class family, and their costumes throughout the musical are something truly to behold. We are first introduced to the trio in the Act One sing “The Schuyler Sisters”, in which the girls head into town to hear and share thoughts on the revolution. Here, many things are established through the sisters’ costumes. To begin, each is given a colour palette that not only distinguishes them from each other but tells the audience something about their personality. Angelica Schuyler is dressed in a burnt orange/brown pastel, a colour plucked from a red colour palette but subdued. This links to Angelica’s personality perfectly, as her passion and love for Hamilton further on in the play is put to the side because she sees how much her sister, Eliza, cares for him. She is fiery and fierce, but historically these were not qualities that women were supposed to express. The colour could further link to her true personality being suppressed due to the patriarchal standards set by men. Furthermore, she is the oldest, and the pressure placed on her to marry a man of high standing means that she cannot truly love and be with who she wants, the lowly orphaned solider, Hamilton. The middle sister, Eliza, is dressed in a pastel green. This communicates a sense of naivety about her, she is green to the world and does not fully know what is going on. The use of green on her makes the character appear a little younger than she is, and on top of that her colour goes with Hamilton’s blues and greens perfectly, allowing the audience to see them as a couple before they properly become one later on. Peggy, the youngest sister is dressed in a pastel yellow. Yellow is a colour often associated with warning or illness, and perhaps this foreshadows the fact that Peggy will fall ill later in the story and will be the first to die of the sisters due to the illness. The dresses are just above floor length with full skirts, underskirts, and structured bodices. They are made from a silk taffeta, communicating their expense due to the girls coming from a wealthy family. It is fair to say that these dresses are, for the most part, historically accurate to the time. They are not decorated as much as dresses of the time were, but the silhouette and overall feel of the costume is one that is extremely successful.

(The Ball Scene: Angelica (left), Eliza (right)

(Eliza's Blue Empire Dress)

In the ball scene later in Act One, the sisters sport lager gown of the same colours and fabrics/ The gowns worn by all of them feel elevated and expensive, the large bustle-style skirts communicating a sense of period richness and beauty. The dresses here truly feel that historically accurate to a degree that a stage production can achieve, allowing for full movement and highly choreographed dancing. And, as the musical moves through the years (and acts), the costumes reflect the time periods they move through. In the Second Act, the time shifts into the 1790s, and the beginning of the empire waist that swept the first decades of the 19^th century. The costumes for the sisters here reflect this change, with the ballgowns being switched out for empire waists and full skirts as was common for the time. The level of historical accuracy throughout the musical astonishes and blows me away, such as the attention to fashion trends that could easily have been overlooked for the convenience of time or keeping a character looking similar. One change that does happen over the play is Eliza’s colour. From green at the beginning, after her marriage to Hamilton her colour becomes a silver-blue to acknowledge the wedding colour but also to show she is at peace and is serene. She carried their child whilst wearing this colour and although she worries for Hamilton, there is a sense that she is happy in her life and her love. When problems start to arise however, her colour changes to blue and is most evident in her empire dress. The blue connotes her sadness, she is not happy anymore in the relationship with Hamilton due to all the things listed in the musical, not to mention the affair. Finally, at the end when Hamilton dies, she wears a black overcoat with a white empire dress underneath. The black obviously signifies her mourning, and the pain she feels in losing the love of her life, The white underneath however may signify that she goes on to live a peaceful life outside of the end of the musical. Angelica’s colour never changes and communicates that throughout her entire life she had been this person who has had to suppress how she feels in order to survive. She has had little change and has to stay the same as people move around her. She has to be constant, a solid foundation for her sisters as the eldest as they navigate the hardships of life.

(Angelica's Empire Dress)

(Eliza's Funeral Dress)

Maria Reynolds

(Maria Reynolds Red Dress)

Characterised as the woman that Hamilton has an affair with Maria’s costume symbolises her both as an object of lust and a warning as to her husband’s subsequent blackmail. Her dress is a red ballgown of matte taffeta with a laced front and low neckline. The scarlet colour of her dress is where some of the symbolism lies, as it works both with the connotations of red being sexual and a colour of lust. But it also is the colour of warnings as it is often said to “watch out for red flags”. Here, Maria is dressed fully as the “red flag”, and yet Hamilton cannot help himself in going for something that he should not and falling victim to the blackmail of Maria’s husband. I think it as well is important to note that Maria’s dress does not have a full skirt like that of the Schuyler Sisters. Her dress is pleated at the waist and falls normally to the ground without underskirts for support. Perhaps this links to her economic status, as she does come from a low-class family and is married to a low status man. However, it could also link to her promiscuity again, as less layers means that there are less clothes to take off or move to commit a sexual act.

 Conclusion

I don’t think I really need to say this, but I honestly believe that the costumes in Hamilton are some of the best stage costumes I have seen. The ability to create silhouettes that are so in keeping with the time period, but still allow for the chorus to dance, sing and move amazingly is a feat of design that should be praised highly. I know that awards have been won for the costumes of this musical, and truthfully I can say that I fully agree, as these costumes are truly amazing pieces.