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Phoebe de Gaye

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Phoebe de Gaye
BornJuly 1949
Hendon, London, United Kingdom
Other names
  • Phoebe De Gaye
  • Phoebe DeGaye
  • Phoebe Degaye
Education
OccupationCostume designer
Years active1976–present
Awards
Websitehttps://www.phoebedegaye.com/

Phoebe de Gaye is a British costume designer for film and television, known for period accurate details and research-based design methods.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Phoebe de Gaye was born in July 1949, in Hendon (present-day, Barnet), London.[3]

In the early 1970s de Gaye studied costume for theatre and screen at the Wimbledon School of Art.[4][5] In 1972, de Gaye attended the postgraduate Motley Theatre Design Course.[6][7] de Gaye graduated in 1973 as part of "Group 7".[7]

Career

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In the late 1970s de Gaye worked on a number of Arts Council of Great Britain and British Film Institute productions as a costume designer, art director and design consultant.[8][9][10] de Gaye's early work also included theatre.

Once established as a costume designer at the BBC, de Gaye was assigned as costume designer on the first series of Only Fools and Horses, which established the template for the run of the show. de Gaye went to car boot sales and markets to research Del Boy characters, and bought clothes in Oxford Street shops, sourcing Gabicci shirts and cheap sheepskin coats.[11] It was common for the BBC to try out inexperienced designers on sitcoms, and de Gaye recalled being an "acting designer, and the job was given to me as a way of trying me out before deciding whether to appoint me as a full-blown designer".[12]

In the early 1990s, de Gaye worked as costume designer for the historical drama Tom & Viv. Analysis of the film's costumes against real photos of the film's subjects has highlighted de Gaye's simplification of the wardrobes and her use of colour contrasts to show relationships between characters.[13]

de Gaye worked on four episodes of Season 1 of Agatha Christie's Marple, starring Geraldine McEwan. The series was set in the 1950s with "spot on" period costuming.[14] Actor Cherie Lunghi has spoken about collaborating with de Gaye to develop character, and credited the period-accurate "body bandage" suspenders and stockings as key to posture and deportment.[15]

de Gaye did further period drama work on the 2014 BBC action series The Musketeers, leading a large team that included "seamstresses, cutters and breakdown artists, who distress and age costumes to make them look authentic."[16] The show required many duplicate costumes for stunts and padding inside costumes. de Gaye has spoken about her research and design process, using historical visual sources, as well as an extensive library that she often refers to for inspiration.[17] For her work on The Musketeers, de Gaye received a BAFTA Craft Award.[18]

In 2017, de Gaye worked on The White Princess, a period drama series starring Jodie Comer. de Gaye had approximately ten weeks to prepare before filming started, and has spoken about drawing influences for this period from paintings and engravings, then adapting these influences for a modern audience to create a world that drew the viewers in.[19][20]

As costume designer for Season 1 of Killing Eve, de Gaye created an iconic wardrobe for the character Villanelle that launched the show into the fashion pages and is the subject of a growing body of academic work.[21][22][23] de Gaye's process involved creating a shared mood board for Villanelle and Eve Polastri to develop the contrasts between the characters.[24] The most influential costume was the pink Molly Goddard dress and Balenciaga boots, worn in the episode, I'll Deal With Him Later. de Gaye has described how the designer items were slightly altered and exaggerated by her team, creating a distinctive and dramatic look for the character.[25]

de Gaye was nominated for another BAFTA Craft Award for her work on The English, a revisionist Western BBC TV series starring Emily Blunt.[26][27] Rafe Spall has spoken about de Gaye's influence on his acting choices in the show, acknowledging that "a large part of what I've thrown at this character is down to her."[28]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1976 Justine Costume Designer British Film Institute Production Board [29][9]
1976 Hogarth Production Assistant Arts Council of Great Britain [30][31]
1978 The Life Story of Baal Art Director British Film Institute Production Board [32]
1979 Four Questions About Art Art Director [33][34]
1979 Phoelix Design consultant British Film Institute Production Board [10]
1979 Correction, Please or How We Got into Pictures Art Director Arts Council of Great Britain [8]
1980 At the Fountainhead (Of German Strength) Costume Designer British Film Institute Production Board [35][36]
1988 On the Black Hill Costume Designer [37]
1992 Carry on Columbus Costume Designer [38]
1994 Tom & Viv Costume Designer [39]
1994 A Man of No Importance Costume Designer [40]
2000 Snatch Costume Designer With Verity Hawkes [41]
2001 Birthday Girl Costume Designer [42]
2002 Killing Me Softly Costume Designer [43]
2004 Creep Costume Designer [44]
2006 Land of the Blind Costume Designer [45]
2008 The Other Man Costume Designer [46]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1981 Only Fools and Horses Costume Design 6 episodes [11]
1982 L for Lester 6 episodes
1982 Top of the Pops Costumes 1 episode [47]
1984 The Young Ones 2 episodes
1984–1985 The Tripods 18 episodes
1990 Lorna Doone Television film
1997 Original Sin TV miniseries
2003 The Forsyte Saga Costume Design 8 episodes, second series [48]
2004–2005 Marple 4 episodes
2008 Lark Rise to Candleford 10 episodes
2009 Skellig Television film
2012 Sinbad 1 episode
2013 A Touch of Cloth 2 episodes
2014–2015 The Musketeers 20 episodes
2016 The Living and the Dead 6 episodes
2017 The White Princess 8 episodes
2018 Killing Eve 8 episodes
2019 The Spanish Princess 8 episodes
2019 Treadstone 10 episodes
2022 The English Costume Design 6 episodes [49]
2024 Belgravia: The Next Chapter 8 episodes

References

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  1. ^ "De Gaye, Phoebe". DNB: Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek. Deutsche National Bibliothek. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  2. ^ Jenkins, Milly (2003). Creative careers : Film. Richmond, Surrey: Trotman. ISBN 9780856609039.
  3. ^ "Phoebe de Gaye". England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007. 5e (Births Registered in July, August and September, 1949, Hendon, Greater London). London: General Register Office: 664. 1949.
  4. ^ "Undergraduate: BA (Hons) Costume for Theatre and Screen". UAL: Wimbledon College of Arts. London: University of the Arts London. 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  5. ^ "WCA/1/2/2/12/66: Summer & Smoke". Collections | Wimbledon College of Arts Archive. London: Wimbledon College of Art Library, University Arts London. 1971. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  6. ^ Mullin, Michael (1996). Design by Motley. London: Associated University Press. ISBN 9780874135695.
  7. ^ a b "Group Lists". Motley Alumni: The home of alumni and friends of Motley Theatre Design Course. Motley Alumni. 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Correction, Please or How We Got into Pictures". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Justine". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Phoelix". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  11. ^ a b Clark, Steve (2011). Only Fools And Horses: The Official Inside Story. Splendid Books Limited. ISBN 978-0956950536.
  12. ^ McCann, Graham (2011). Only Fools and Horses: The Story of Britain's Favourite Comedy. La Vergne: Canongate Books. ISBN 978-0-85786-129-0.
  13. ^ Silver, Brenda R. (1996). "Tom & Viv & Vita & Virginia & Ottoline & Edith..." Woolf Studies Annual. 2: 160–174. ISSN 1080-9317. JSTOR 24906397.
  14. ^ Kendra (15 January 2021). "Costume Designer Phoebe de Gaye: The Frock Flicks Guide". Frock Flicks. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  15. ^ Christie, Agatha (2005). A murder is announced. The crime club. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-720846-3.
  16. ^ "'You really can see every single stitch'". The Telegraph. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  17. ^ Carter, Rachel (19 September 2014). "Clothing Makes the Musketeer: Talking with BBC's The Musketeers Costume Designer Phoebe De Gaye | BookTrib". Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  18. ^ "About | Phoebe de Gaye". Phoebe de Gaye. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  19. ^ "The White Princess Is Television's Most Opulent New Show". Town & Country. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  20. ^ Tauer, Kristen (18 April 2017). "Meet the Woman Behind the Regal Costumes in 'The White Princess'". WWD. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  21. ^ Yotka, Steff (27 April 2018). "Killing Eve Is the Most Fashionable Show on TV". Vogue. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  22. ^ Complexity / simplicity: Moments in television. Manchester University Press. 2022. ISBN 978-1-5261-4875-9.
  23. ^ Gilligan, Sarah; Collins, Jacky (1 October 2021). "Fashion-forward killer: Villanelle, costuming and queer style in Killing Eve". Film, Fashion & Consumption. 10 (2): 353–376. doi:10.1386/ffc_00030_1. ISSN 2044-2823.
  24. ^ babrams (16 May 2018). "Costume Designer Phoebe de Gaye Brings Killer Style to Killing Eve". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  25. ^ "Dressed To Kill: How Villanelle Became TV's Subversive Style Icon". Grazia. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  26. ^ "Costume Design". Bafta. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  27. ^ Maitland, Hayley (25 November 2022). "In 'The English,' Costume and Character Are Inextricable". Vogue. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  28. ^ "Rafe Spall Talks About The BBC's The English Drama Series". TRIPWIRE MAGAZINE. 6 November 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  29. ^ "Cast & Crew: Justince". Mubi. London: Mubi. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  30. ^ "Hogarth: Metadata record". Westminster Research. London: University of Westminster. 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Hogarth". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  32. ^ "The Life Story of Baal". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Four Questions About Art: Metadata record". Westminster Research. London: University of Westminster. 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  34. ^ "Four Questions about Art". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  35. ^ "Cast & Crew: At the Fountainhead (Of German Strength)". Mubi. London: Mubi. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  36. ^ "At the Fountainhead (Of German Strength)". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  37. ^ "On the Black Hill". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  38. ^ "Carry On Columbus". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  39. ^ "Tom & Viv". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  40. ^ "A Man of No Importance". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  41. ^ "Snatch". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  42. ^ "Birthday Girl". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  43. ^ "Killing Me Softly". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  44. ^ "Creep". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  45. ^ "Land of the Blind". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  46. ^ "The Other Man". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  47. ^ "Top of the Pops [25/12/82]". Mubi. London: Mubi. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  48. ^ "Cast & Crew: The Forsyte Saga, Series II". Mubi. London: Mubi. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  49. ^ "Cast & Crew: The English". Mubi. London: Mubi. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
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