Emily Adams Bode Aujla, the fashion designer known for her Americana-inspired clothing line, has taken her talents to the stage, lending her design skills to Little Island’s production of “The Marriage of Figaro.” Bode Aujla, who usually focuses on designing for the modern woman, found inspiration in late 18th-century Spain for the opera costumes. This isn’t a far cry from her usual process, as she often draws from her own personal stories and the people in her life.
“My collections are largely inspired by personal narratives,” she says. “I often think about people that are in my life currently, and they serve as muses—whether that’s my husband or my friend Kurt from college. There’s certain people in my life that have always been inspiring figures for me.”
Bode Aujla sees her fashion shows as akin to stage performances, which helped her transition to the world of live theater. “Our shows are like tableau vivant. It really is creating an entire memory-evoking idea, similar to theater. It usually involves scent or music,” she explains.
Little Island’s producing artistic director, Zack Winokur, saw a natural fit for Bode Aujla in the costume design process due to her emphasis on storytelling in her work. “Every time I see her collections, every time she talks about the work that she does, it’s all story,” he says. “Because she’s so historically informed and really interested in narrativizing, and putting her own mark on historical style, [I thought] that this would be a really fun assignment for her, and I think she knocked it out of the park.”
For Bode Aujla, the Figaro costumes presented an opportunity to delve into extensive research, particularly in France. “I’ve been in Paris a lot the last few months for work because we were looking quite a lot at French costumes. I bought a folio from the 1920s, but it’s of French clothing of the late 1700s,” she says.
This project allowed Bode Aujla to explore historical details at a pace she rarely experiences in the fashion world. “I could expend energy on doing all of that research, knowing that I want to utilize a candy stripe or a stripe for the Countess, and then looking at other stripes that are in museum collections,” she says. “I want to focus more of my energy because I feel like it makes my team and myself better at our jobs.”
The resulting costumes showcase Bode Aujla’s signature style, with a mix of historical influences and contemporary elements. While many cast members wear sailor slop suits and period-appropriate attire, Bode Aujla’s touch is evident in details like the tomato-red clown suit with its delicate lace collar, the floral-printed frock, and the brocade overcoat. Each piece is adorned with thoughtful details, such as pearl and metallic trim and antique textile cuffs.
“It looks like historically informed garments that people would be really happy to wear right now,” Winokur says.
