When starting to formulate ideas for my costume design for the selected character, Luisa Ruiz, better known as the “Dog Lady”, I skimmed through the text. The text itself included a wide variety of both character and costume descriptions. I found most of my inspiration for my costume design within the stage directions located right above her first lines on page 10 of the actual script. It stated, “She is dressed in a torn, stained, dingy white bathrobe. Although her lips are painted red, her hair not been combed”. Milcha Sanchez-Scott even goes as far as comparing Luisa Ruiz to her messy yard which is over grown with weeds and plants, a strong and explanatory analysis. As costume designer, I respect the ideas and characters of the playwright and wanted to stay true to the descriptions provided, so I designed a costume that used a white, old robe combined with infamous red lipstick. Based on prior encounters with older Hispanic women (I am Cuban), I decided they were prime candidates to model after. I also researched photos online of older women’s dress and items they wear, specifically oversized clothing because older women usually want to be comfortable.
I decided to pick from a wide variety of colors for Luisa because she has an extremely vibrant personality. I choose dynamic, solid colors such as red, orange, and green. When put together the colors clash but that is my intention. She is also described as older and tad off the walls so I wanted that to be portrayed in her costume. Her costume is also composed of smaller, specific pieces of jewelry. In another scene she is wearing a long necklace so I wanted to include that in her original attire and add gold rings and bangles to her arms. I choose to put her in panty house because in earlier times, it was inappropriate for women’s legs to be seen without them; however, I wanted to show how one was rolled down because of overuse and carelessness. My fabrics include silk for the robe and cloth for the shirt and skirt.