As the host of Bravo's "Project Runway," Heidi Klum, puts it, "in fashion one day you're in, and one day you're out." Karen Liberty, a theatre production junior with an emphasis in costume design, is definitely in.
Liberty is helping create costumes for some of the theatre department's productions this semester. She is currently designing for the workshop performance of "Creation of the World and Other Business."
With only a $25 budget, Liberty is forced to work primarily with what the costume closet already has to offer, altering the pieces to fit the actors and adding a bit of her own personal flair.
"It's basically about the creation, so it's like God, angels and the devil, so it's a lot of red, black and neutral colors," Liberty said. "We'll take, like, a black cape and embellish it with fur, sequins, anything shiny. We like shiny."
Liberty's work for the semester will not stop there, however. She is also the assistant designer for this spring's "She Loves Me."
"It takes place in the '30s, so it's a lot of dresses, a few men's coats," Liberty said.
The work that Liberty puts into creating costumes deals with a lot more than just some fabric and a sewing machine. In fact, Liberty's work as a designer is much like the work an actor would put into developing her character.
"I'll read the script a couple times and then I'll do research, like, look at magazine pictures, the Internet, then I'll put them all into a folder or binder. Then I'll do rough sketches - like, really rough - on napkins," Liberty said. "My goal is to express the personality of the character and in contrast express other characters."
Liberty fell into a field that adheres to her; she can execute her creativity and maintain her laid-back personality all at once.
"In high school, I was the kid in back, drawing," Liberty said. "I wanted to be a fashion designer but I was like, 'eh, too competitive.'"
After coming to the UA as a theatre production major, the discovery of her sewing talent affirmed her focus on costume design.
"I knew how to sew and (the teachers) were like, 'You know how to sew? You could do this,'" Liberty said.
Liberty seems to be thriving on what she is doing here at the UA but hopes that someday she will get the opportunity to take her talents to the big time as a costume designer on Broadway or in London.
Some of Liberty's designs will be onstage in "Creation of the World and Other Business," which will play March 2 to 4 at 8 p.m. and March 5 at 2 p.m. in the Marroney Theatre, 1025 N. Olive Road, Room 116. Tickets are $4.