How to make new clothes look dirty? Help?

[MadelienneBlack]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I'm currently in a production of West Side Story. (I know, a bit after the golden age, but stay with me.) I play the role of Anybody's, a tomboy dying to be a member of the Jet's gang. The costume designer's given me an excellent costume consisting of high waisted, cotton, tapered leg trousers and a cotton teeshirt. The problem is they're brand new. My job is to "rough 'em up and make them look dirty." I'm supposed to look like I'm a hoodlum who lives on the streets, but have no idea how to dirty up clothes. I could take them outside and rub dirt all over them, but I don't think that would look authentic. A friend suggested running over them with a car, but I thought that might be a bit much. Plus, I don't need tire track through the middle of my shirt. I just a scrungy sort of look.

Any suggestions?! Please?

 

[sian kisses]

tea is good for staining, so is watered down charcoal, or kohl eyeliner, as well as anything that has staining power.
hope this helps, when i played nancy in oliver i stained with tea and make-up and it worked a treat.
xx

 

[dollydaydream]

rub it in the dirt then wash it. but dont use any strong cleaning stuffs...

 

[Eyemo]

Ahh.. now this I know something about!... But I'm going out in a few mins for the evening..will post some tips later..

 

[dollydaydream]

Oh Eyemo, you tease!

 

[Paisley]

Put on the clothes and work on your car. Your air cleaner, tire pressure and fluids should be checked anyway.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Fuller's earth for dirt. Fray edges with a wire brush.
Tea stains are a great idea. I believe that is how khaki came into being.

 

[Creeping Past]

The costume designer's given me an excellent costume consisting of high waisted, cotton, tapered leg trousers and a cotton teeshirt. The problem is they're brand new. My job is to "rough 'em up and make them look dirty."

Slouch about the house and lie down in the clothes, especially the trousers, which will then become delightfully creased. As for dirtying the outfit, wear it outside the house. Sleeping in the clothes should work the creases in. Travel on public transport. Seriously. Nothing like public transport for getting clothing dirty... even if you want it to stay clean.

Then wash and repeat a few times.

Well, that's how I used to live...

Or wait for Eyemo's trade secrets and do it the 'clean' way.

Good luck.

 

[GWD]

Let my 9 year old have them for 5 minutes. She can't keep anything clean.

 

[LocktownDog]

I'm with ya, GWD. I was gonna say let one of my boys wear them and then warn "these clothes better not see any dirt or stains!". Guaranteed to be a mess with 17 minutes.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Brown & black shoe polish.

 

[DerMann]

Splotches of Noodler's bulletproof inks. Eternal brown and bulletproof black should do.

 

[Rachael]

absolutely rub the clothes with things like dirt and even shoe polish. I take a rag then smear it with gunk so that it's not a direct application. Then dirty up the parts that get dirty in real life. the neck edge, the hem, knees, etc. Shredding with sandpaper or wire brush is also great. For a recent aging project, I used a brush that I have for the grill, which was great because it was sooty already. A softer brush like a fingernail brush is great for removing that shiny factory finish all over the clothes. It will make knits pill and get all fuzzy which will in turn make it more absorbent to color changes you make.

for that general dinge, you could wash the clothes with some cheap cotton fabric that will bleed dye. maybe something in the brown family. cheap flannel is usually great for this. but do check the wash frequently so you don't get brown clothes.

And while you're washing the clothes, throw in a shoe to bang around in the drum a bit. This will give you random smudges, which is what happens in real wear.

 

[Miss Sis]

I have used brown eyeshadow to 'dirty' the bottom of a car coat for a stage production. Just rubbed it around the hem.

Did such a good job that it never came out! Oooopps. Spoilt my Dad's old 1960s coat, although it was already missing the belt.

Also if your t-shirt is light coloured, put it in with a dark wash. That should grey it down.

 

[MadelienneBlack]

A big thanks to everyone! These tips are really helpful. I'll definitely try them all out in some way or another.

 

[Brinybay]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I'm currently in a production of West Side Story. (I know, a bit after the golden age, but stay with me.) I'm supposed to look like I'm a hoodlum who lives on the streets, but have no idea how to dirty up clothes.

Any suggestions?! Please?

Give them to a street hood to wear for a few days. Only problem will be trying to get them back...

 

[dhermann1]

Personally, I think an experienced costume mistress/costume designer would tell you exactly how to do it, and to what degree.

 

[Miss 1929]

"Howdy boys, I'm Moonbeam McSwine

Sleeping out with the pigs is my line"

I was in a production of Lil Abner in my youth, and had to actually be dirty (not just stage dirt) for each show,so I would go out and actually roll in the mud in costume to get the desired effect... clouds of dirt a la Pigpen.

Maybe that's too far to go for the stage...and it doesn't sound as if you need to be that dirty!

 

[Eyemo]

Hia,
I’m back and happy to help.
Breaking down costume is a bit of an art form. If you drag your clothes behind a car, they will look like clothes dragged behind a car..

Think of the situation your caricature is portraying, then you can decide on how to break it down.

Collar and cuff grim :- Vaseline. Rub into the areas around the collar and cuffs, adding some dark makeup to the Vaseline to build up a grimier grime.

General dusting :- Fullers earth.. Put a handful into an old sock and get someone to dab the costume (While you are wearing it).

Sweat:- A bit sticky, but glycerine under the arms will create some sweat damp patches.

You may want to add the odd blood stain. Available at any good joke shops.

You can wash out colours by using really cheap washing powders (They contain more bleach) and repeat wash several times. You could also tone down colours or whites by soaking in diluted kids poster paints the clothes in a bath overnight.

Remember to test first, especially if the costume is to be returned. And make sure you aren’t allergic to any of the above products.

Hope this helps for starters…

 

[dollydaydream]

hehe this sounds like fun. I may troy out hobo chic...