Surrounded by Santa Barbara City College students diligently sewing gloves and camisoles by hand and machine, costume teacher and designer Pamela Shaw sets a delicate piece of trim in the burgundy bodice of a 19th-century dress for the upcoming Theatre Group at SBCC play In the Next Room (or the vibrator play). The class works collaboratively to create the wardrobe that Shaw envisioned for this comedy about marriage and the early history of the vibrator, which was originally used to treat female “hysteria.”
Although Shaw’s main work now is as a teacher, she began her career in television and film, which granted her membership to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the honor of vice president of the Costume Designers Guild. In 2012, the silent film The Artist won Best Costume Design along with Best Picture, a result of Shaw’s work as assistant costume designer. In an interview with The Santa Barbara Independent , Shaw offered a glimpse into her inventive, industrious life.
Was there a specific moment that you knew you wanted to design costumes?