Àbito (costume design)

Notice for English readers:
Abito (phoneme /à-bi-to/ ; from latin habitus) in italian language is both a noun (which means clothing and at the same time habit, custom, inclination) and a verb (which means to leave in a place or inhabit).

Clothings, costumes, have been fundamentals during the artistic research of Àbito since the very first day.
Clothings were there even before we gave the name Àbito to the show.
We changed clothes every rehearsal, with different colors and shapes pouring on them our fantasies and concerns.
Those weren’t only aesthetic changes but moreover emotional tone changes with the aim of facing the next scene.
There wasn’t already a story, a narrative, it was just the beginning of our research and scenes were disorderly in sequence one after the other.
Immediately costumes, clothings, engaged a relationship with actors. As actors itself.
They were important as much as dances, choreographies and acting.
Costumes told us about ourself and our characters.
They told us that those characters (without names at that time) used to change clothings frequently.
A bit too frequently.
Twenty-two changes, one for each scene.

Then, one day, we looked into each others eyes and said:
“we are beating about the bush”.
Because it’ true that you can hide yourself behind clothings.
And it’s true that can show yourself wearing something.
In this way clothings reveals the human being under the tissues.
We were looking for the heart of the matter.
Under the skin, deep inside.
We fulfilled with colors until bursting, almost choking inside of it.
With time we decided that the characters (named Olei and Caduto meantime) should have dressed black and white because they were already bringing colors with their personality to the scene.

Removing colors, simplifying and getting back to an origin brought us to the Amish community.
Amongst Amish women are free from decorations, with long sleeves, aprons and caps to cover hairs which they never cut.
For those nubile caps are black and for those married white.
Their skirts are always long until the ankle to be modest and practical at the same time.
Exactly what we were looking for.
In the same way men are always dressed with trousers until the ankle, braces, shirts and jackets.
We reached finally the idea that clothings were not only superficials but the specific sign of belonging to a community and its specific rules.
That wearing clothings means to inhabit them.
We founded the way, those clothes belonged us.
Black and white.
Other similarities brought us to the Amish community as closing each others inside this house as if it was our small community made by an catress and an actor.
Us.

Founded the clothings, the costumes, for Olei and Caduto it was about to find a place in which to live (to inhabit).
And so the scenography.
So rehearsals.