Behind the Seams: How Hamilton’s costumes came to life

Enchanted by the cast’s wonderful performances and the beauty of the costumes, I spoke with Yuting to go “behind the seams” of Hamilton. From sewing and fittings to props and last-minute fixes, her story reveals the craftsmanship that helped bring the production to life.

First off, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m Yang Yuting, from China. I’m from the Mechanical Engineering faculty, in my last year of Bachelor, though I’m starting my Master’s at the same time.

What do you do for the Hamilton musical?

I make costumes and props and also play as an ensemble actress.

What drew you to costumes in the first place?

During the Mixtape era (the musical we did before Hamilton), which was at the end of January 2024, the war situation was tense and the team lacked costume labor, so I joined to reduce pressure. I got attached to deciding what characters wear. I feel a sense of achievement when actors feel more “in character” thanks to the costumes/props. For Hamilton, I got to learn 18-19th century wardrobe and made costumes close to the originals.

How many people are in the costume making team? How was the work divided?

For garments props and small items: me, Or, Neta, Mango. Small props on characters are mine; large furniture props were made by Itay, Miriam, and others.

Give us a tour around your workshop. Briefly explain what (machines, tools,...) you have and what they do. What are the 3 most important things you couldn’t do without?

In the workshop I have a Singer sewing machine, a Singer serger that secures edges so fabric doesn’t fray, and boxes of fabric, tools, and accessories. The top 3 most important things to me are the serger, and the seam ripper, which helps me remove unwanted stitches without damaging the surrounding fabric. It’s especially important for velvet fabric (in the vests of Jefferson and Washington) as I had to restart a lot because it is slippery.

How long have you been making costumes? How did you learn these skills? What’s one skill you had to learn specifically for this musical?

I started about two years ago, when I joined Mixtape (Jan 2024). I learned mainly through Etsy/eBay patterns + instructions + guidance videos, following experienced makers. I feel like I basically learned “everything” through doing Hamilton itself.

How many things did you make for Hamilton? How long in total did it take you?

Around eight vests/waistcoats (Hamilton himself has two: green and black), plus the king’s crown, alterations to pants into breeches, and lots of small props and mock ups. Total time isn’t measurable as it was weekly workshop work over a long period. Eliza’s dress, as it’s my first time making a Regency dress and it has many layers of cotton and organza and I had to gather through the chest piece for 5 times! It’s very complicated!

So walk us through the process of how you made Eliza’s dress!

I used an Etsy pattern.

I started with the chest piece: a small rectangle where I gathered a long white organza layer to fit over a light-blue cotton dotted chiffon, then attached the rest of the short top.

To keep it on securely, I added ribbons inside, one in front and two in the back, so I could tie it tight (sometimes I still used a safety pin for the last small gap).

The skirt was basically a big rectangle: I gathered the top edge to match the bodice, then hemmed the bottom so it falls and spreads correctly.

For the sleeves, I made them puffy by gathering one edge of a half-circular piece and attaching it to a rectangular section, keeping volume at the top where it connects to the shoulder opening.

At the end, I added a darker blue ribbon under the chest to match the original show, but since we didn’t have time to sew it on, the actress just tied it very tightly so it wouldn’t slip.

What was your favorite costume/prop to make in the Hamilton musical?

My favorite is the king’s crown, because I glued mock jewelries from China onto the crown and they make the crown look very shiny and royal!

Did something go wrong, and how did you solve it?

Hamilton’s black mourning waistcoat (after Philip’s death) came out too small because I made it exactly according to the actor’s waist dimension without accounting for the extra bulk of a tucked-in pirate-style shirt. So I had to make everything again, which took a lot of time because the lapel collar is complicated.

Did you reference Broadway Hamilton or create your own interpretation? What did you keep/change?

I did reference Broadway Hamilton from a section on Reddit that summarizes the original Broadway costume changes and how each look was. I took the inspiration from that, but also toned it down the inspiration from that, but also toned it down budget-wise while still reaching the same effect to the audience.

How did you coordinate with the director/choreographer? Any moment where another department changed your design?

The director and choreographer were super nice. Because I joined all the rehearsals, so we could see each other every day. We talked, like casual chatting, and I would tell them my idea and we would coordinate with each other casually. So they made everything easy for me.

What do audiences never notice that’s actually crucial (fastenings, reinforcements, sweat, repairs)?

The audience never noticed that all our shirts were not buttoned together on the neck because we didn’t have time. So we just used hooks and eyes but they would pop open when you move your shoulders close to the body’s center. That’s why at the end we used safety pins - and I was worried that the audience would see them, but under the strong white light the pins became invisible.

What was it like seeing your costumes under stage lights for the first time?

As I’m also an ensemble actress, I didn’t get to see the costumes the way the audience saw them. But we had a recording from the professional cameraman and I got to watch the costumes from the small screen. It was cool because all the imperfections were blurred by the strong white light and everything looked perfect, even from the first row!

If a student wants to start costume-making, what should they learn first?

If you want to start this hobby, you’d better be prepared for all the equipment that you have to pay for, like fabric - which is not cheap in Haifa, and of course the machines. So if you want to start, I’d suggest thinking about what kind of garments you want to make for the next 1-2 years and whether those garments will be worn a lot. If you’re like me and just want to learn how clothes are put together and want to experiment, keep in mind that there will be a lot of failures and you might feel greatly discouraged. But eventually, when someone wears what you made, there’s a sense of achievement and the facial expression of the person when they receive your garments is always golden!

Anything else you want to share?

This year we’re doing Legally Blonde which is a contemporary show so we buy costumes instead of making them, but we do keep a very high standard to screen through thrifted costumes and cast members’ wardrobes. So I hope everyone comes to see our show, it’s probably in June in Churchill Auditorium. Buy tickets and see you at our show! It will be really good!