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Women’s Work in British Film and Television

Jane Hamilton
Costume Supervisor/Assistant Costume Designer

Jane Hamilton (Costume Supervisor/Assistant Costume Designer)

Jane Hamilton was born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in 1939 and spent her childhood in Aberdeen. After studying at Maidenhead School of Art between 1958 and 1962 she trained first in couture millinery before working in the BBC’s costume department in London. She then went to work as a costume assistant at the National Theatre in the mid-1960s and set up a costume-making business in Soho, London, supplying theatres and the BBC. From the 1970s onwards she worked as a freelance costume supervisor and designer in British theatre, film and television. Her film credits include The Riddle of the Sands (1979), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), The Princess Bride (1987) and Much Ado About Nothing (1993) amongst others. She still works professionally, principally in theatre.

In her interview Jane reflects on her early training in millinery and how her experience in television trained her to work quickly and accurately. She discusses her tools of the trade, including needles and sequins, working with the Oscar-winning costume designers Julie Harris and Phyllis Dalton, and her enjoyment in visiting the costume house Bermans. Jane also reflects on the challenges which location-shooting brought to the costume department and her appreciation for the wardrobe bus (‘Chopper’) and its twin-tub washing-machine.

Interview

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How to cite this page

Women’s Work Oral Histories/Oral Histories/Melanie Bell, Women’s Work in British Film and Television, https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/bectu/Oral Histories,Saturday 27th April 2024.

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