I came across this interesting article about the costumes that were used in this libararian movie:
www.filmneworleans.org/site.php?pageID=307&newsID=190------------------
Local costume designer in the running for an Emmy Award
It was a beautiful, $2,000 Zegna tuxedo, freshly pressed, never been worn, when Kim Martinez pulled out a razor blade and began slashing at the fine fabric.
It needed to look like it'd been on the receiving end of a sword fight -- not like it's just come out of a Saks Fifth Avenue garment bag.
"I just kept thinking, 'Oh, I hope I get this right the first time'," said Martinez, costume designer for "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice."
No worries, she'd bought six of the same suit.
"Librarian," the TNT network's action-adventure movie, was filmed in New Orleans last year, starring Noah Wyle as the adorably brainy yet bumbling title character. Wyle wears the tux, pre- and post-razor blade adjustments, in the opening scene, shot in the New Orleans Museum of Art.
The film, which premiered last December, is a fantasy romp. There are flying vampires and historical flashbacks. Bad guys in black. A sexy French singer and a whole cast of quirky characters. In other words, it was a visually challenging project for a costume designer -- so much so, it earned Martinez an Emmy Award nomination for outstanding costumes for a miniseries, movie or special.
The Mid-City resident was sound asleep when she got the call from "Librarian" director Jonathan Frakes, letting her know she scored a nomination for TV's biggest award.
"My son and I just kept screaming," said Martinez, 45. "It's such an honor."
Though the glitzy live broadcast of the 61st Prime-Time Emmy Awards will be held Sept. 20, the golden trophies for "creative arts" get bestowed this Saturday in a separate ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
Martinez and Jennifer Kamrath, costume supervisor on the film, will be there. Martinez hopes the nomination -- even better, the award -- will be a boost not only to her career but also to the profile of New Orleans costume designers.
"We've got such a huge reservoir of talent here," Martinez said, yet many of the big-budget productions that shoot in Louisiana still bring in designers from Los Angeles.
Frakes, however, didn't hesitate to hire locally. "There is so much talent in New Orleans. All of our designers, our crew came from New Orleans," he said.
Martinez was one of many people to interview for the job. "Kim really got the right combination. We need scary vampire stuff, but also to be sexy and have a real sense of humor," Frakes said. "Kim got it."
"Librarian" is an Emmy long shot, thanks to some stiff competition in the category: the universally acclaimed "Grey Gardens," "House of Saddam," "Into the Storm" and "Little Dorrit." But Martinez is proud of the nomination, and passionate about the artistic value of her craft.
"The costumes bring the characters to life," Martinez said as she clicked through images on her computer of Wyle and co-star Stana Katic at various "Librarian" fittings. "With the production designers, we paint a picture."
Creating Hollywood magic requires plenty of old-fashioned pavement pounding. "You start with the script. Get the actors' sizes, meet with the directors and then you start shopping," she said.
Martinez had three weeks to outfit about 30 characters as well as extras. She spent the majority of her $65,000 costume budget primarily in local shops.
Katic's character, for example, wore a "hippie chic" shirt from Hemline boutique, as well as seamed stockings, a gorgeous Cameo and other jewelry from Trashy Diva.
"The little subtleties, like the stockings, are part of the reason I think I got the nomination," Martinez said.
Wyle wears a pin-cord suit from Perlis, and a classic white linen suit from Jos. A Banks.
"We bought six of those white suits, and we had to dye each one. A real white white doesn't work on camera, so they actually are more ecru," she said.
Other pieces came from the Tulane University costume department. "I did as much with locals as I could possibly pull off," she said.
Martinez has worked in costume design for about 20 years, but she's been collecting vintage clothing for most of her life.
"I was the only child of a single mother, so we did a lot of thrift-store shopping when I was growing up," the Chapel Hill, N.C., native said. "I absolutely hated it. I was so embarrassed. I wanted to wear my Jordache jeans. But my mom was so talented. She could find the best things and put together great outfits.
"I grew to really appreciate it," Martinez said.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Martinez moved to Los Angeles. She worked in film for six years, but started to dream of opening her own vintage shop.
It was during a trip to the 1988 Jazz Fest that prompted a change of location. "I just fell in love with New Orleans. I thought it was the most beautiful place," she said. "So I packed my car and moved here cold."
With 2,000 pounds of vintage clothing collected over a lifetime, Martinez opened Mariposa in 1995, a boutique on Magazine Street. She ran the store until 2001, but eventually got immersed in the Hollywood South scene.
"I'm a movie nerd," she said. "I love every aspect. There's nothing better than taking a character and bringing him to life."
www.nola.com/fashion/index.ssf/2009/09/local_costume_designer_in_the.htmlby Susan Langenhennig, Fashion writer, The Times-Picayune