Stage costumes
Stage costumes are a combination of clothing and accessories that the actor needs to embody his character on stage, to get right into the part, "into the skin of the character". The costumes go back to the very beginnings of theatre.
Through the centuries, stage costumes have also reflected the evolution of fashion. Period costumes such as those of the court theatre under Louis XIV, designed by Jean I Berain (and whose designs are conserved in the Rothschild collection at the Louvre Museum) illustrate the point.
They allow us to enter into a real or imaginary period and take part in the theatrical illusion.
