Costume Design Amy Roberts was the costume designer on The Virgin Queen. She has worked on a wide variety of dramas, including Ever Decreasing Circles, Brassed Off, Cold Comfort Farm, Station Jim, William and Mary and Carrie's War.
Amy started preparation on The Virgin Queen twelve weeks before the shoot began. At this stage the casting had not been finalised and so she had to start work without knowing who she was designing for. Even when the casting is agreed it can be very hard to pin down busy actors for fittings. Some of the cast were working on other productions which were filming in other countries, so it was virtually impossible to get any time with them.
"I was in huge farthingales, huge fan ruffs and all sorts. The designs were amazing. Amy's a genius." - Anne Marie Duff
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The job of creating designs for a TV drama such as this begins with research. Amy and her assistant got to work reading books, visiting museums and immersing themselves in the styles of the Elizabethan era. However, once they had got to grips with the feel of the times, they cast all that research aside. They have to bear in mind that they are re-creating a world for modern eyes and they will let their dramatic instincts guide them more than a slavish search for historical accuracy. They also created mood boards, collecting pictures from modern fashion magazines that had the attitude that they were looking to create.
This approach can be seen particularly in the way the men's costumes have been styled. If the actors had been dressed in the authentic Elizabethan style, they would have had to wear large knickerbockers that would have made them look comical to today's audience. Amy was keen to find a way of making the male characters look sexy, so worked to create a style of costume that emphasised the chest, making the upper body look wider and narrowing towards the waist, pointing towards the groin. She also used darker colours for the lower parts of the costume and brighter colours on top, echoing the modern style of wearing brighter t-shirts and tops over jeans. In addition she tried to cut down on the use of ruffs, using them only for the very formal occasions. Where possible the men were given open necklines.
"I've been pining for a doublet and breeches, so it was such a pleasure to get into them and get a sword." - Tom Hardy
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According to the actors on the production the male costumes were very effective. They very quickly found themselves walking with a real swagger and the sexuality of the characters comes across much more effectively than if they were constricted by the more unusual fashions of the day.
Amy also used colours deliberately to create a sense of the passage of time. At the beginning of the drama Elizabeth is dressed in very dark, drab colours. As her life changes, the clothes also change, and when she becomes queen she is dressed in a range of bright, dramatic, confident shades. These colours become more muted and faded as she ages and starts to lose her grip on the throne. When the Essex's group enter, they wear very bright hues, the impression is almost like wearing gang colours, as they bring new blood into the court.
What happens to the costumes when filming ends? »
View the costume gallery »
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