William Ivey Long

William Ivey Long – Life, Work, and Memorable Quotes

Explore the life and career of William Ivey Long — the celebrated American costume designer whose wardrobes bring characters to life on Broadway and beyond. Discover his philosophy, major works, and inspiring quotes.

Introduction

William Ivey Long (born August 30, 1947) is an American costume designer celebrated for his prolific contributions to Broadway, opera, film, and television. His designs are distinguished by bold color, theatrical flair, and a deep understanding of character. Over a career spanning decades, Long has won multiple Tony Awards and left an indelible mark on theatrical costume design.

Early Life and Family

William Ivey Long was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on August 30, 1947. His father, William Ivey Long Sr., was a professor and stage director, and his mother, Mary, was a drama teacher, actress, and playwright.

Long grew up in a theatrical environment. His family spent summers in Manteo, North Carolina, working on the outdoor drama The Lost Colony. His childhood memories include the theater’s backstage spaces, costume making at home, and storytelling as daily life.

This upbringing seeded his lifelong devotion to theatre arts and design.

Education & Formation

After high school, Long studied History at the College of William and Mary, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1969. He then enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to pursue a PhD in Art History.

However, during his time at UNC, a mentor encouraged him to apply to Yale’s drama/design program. He left UNC and joined the Yale School of Drama, where he studied under notable teachers including Ming Cho Lee.

While at Yale, Long shared classes and a milieu with peers who later became luminaries—such as Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Wendy Wasserstein.

This mix of intellectual rigor, theatrical legacy, and peer inspiration shaped his distinctive aesthetic and ambition.

Career and Major Works

Early Career & Broadway Emergence

Upon graduating from Yale (circa 1975), Long moved to New York City. He initially worked as an apprentice for the couturier Charles James until James’s death in 1978.

His first Broadway design credit was for The Inspector General in 1978, suggested by a Yale colleague. From there, his Broadway career took off.

Over his career, Long has designed costumes for over 70 Broadway productions, including such major hits as:

• Nine

• Crazy for You

• The Producers

• Hairspray

• Grey Gardens

• Cinderella

• Young Frankenstein

• On the Twentieth Century

• Bullets Over Broadway

He’s been nominated for numerous Tony Awards and has won six for Best Costume Design.

Opera, Dance, Television & Film

Long’s talents extend beyond musical theatre. He has also designed for opera productions at companies like the Metropolitan Opera, including The Merry Widow.

In television and live events, he has designed costumes for shows such as:

• Grease: Live!

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again

• A Christmas Story, Live!

He has also designed for other media: film, dance, and collaborations with choreographers and musical artists (e.g. Mick Jagger).

Lasting Connection: The Lost Colony

Despite his global reputation, Long has maintained a deep connection to the outdoor drama The Lost Colony in Manteo, North Carolina. He has served as its production designer for decades and returns each summer to work on it.

For him, this is home — a creative anchor tying his national career back to his roots.

Philosophy, Style & Creative Approach

Long sees costume design as storytelling. In interviews he describes how clothing reveals character — through choices of fabric, wear, stain, tailoring, and detail. He often speaks about how design, values, and play interact in a production.

His style is bold and theatrical, yet character-sensitive. Costumes aren’t just decorative — they illuminate a character’s emotional state, social class, interior life.

He is rigorous about materials, accuracy, and silhouette. At times he stresses that costumers must balance fashion, utility, theatrical needs (movement, lighting), and durability.

Long also accepts that in theater, much is ephemeral — the same costume may last a few performances or decades. Yet his passion lies in the transformation the actor undergoes when wearing it.

Personality & Challenges

William Ivey Long is known to be vivacious, witty, and intensely self-critical. In his own words, he says:

“My mind still runs too fast. If we get the wrong fabric … I get so angry … I start spelling my words, just to slow myself down.”

He also reflects on the emotional dualism in creative work:

“At the level at which I work with people, their great talent is paired with great insecurity. Self-doubt is literally the twin of self-confidence.”

He tries not to take rejections personally:

“The trick about the theatre is at the end of the day you cannot take any of it personally.”

These insights show a designer sensitive to the psychological dimension of collaborative artistry.

In his personal life, he has acknowledged being a bachelor in a more classical sense:

“I’m a bachelor in the old sense of the word, meaning I flirt … but then I come home and like to read my book.”

He also maintains humility. He has publicly acknowledged the influence of his mentor Ming Cho Lee, and the importance of continuous growth even after decades in the profession.

Challenges in his career include navigating the demands of commercial productions, production budgets vs. artistic ideals, and the physical constraints of stage performance (movement, quick changes, lighting, wear & tear). Though not always publicly discussed, these tensions are underlying in the life of a theatrical designer.

Famous Quotes of William Ivey Long

Here are some memorable quotes that reveal Long’s mindset:

• “At the level at which I work with people, their great talent is paired with great insecurity. Self-doubt is literally the twin of self-confidence.”

• “The trick about the theatre is at the end of the day you cannot take any of it personally.”

• “My mind still runs too fast. If we get the wrong fabric or something is stitched the wrong way, I get so angry … I start spelling my words, just to slow myself down.”

• “I’m a bachelor in the old sense of the word, meaning I flirt … but then I come home and like to read my book.”

• From the Theatre Library Association (Words of Wisdom from William Ivey Long):

  “A white shirt means a leading man.”
  “You can only use one red dress per show, by the way.”
  “It is hard to tell kids, sometimes it is just clothes, not fashion.”

These quotes reveal his sensitivity, wit, and the practical wisdom that comes from decades of designing for live performance.

Legacy & Influence

William Ivey Long’s influence is extensive in the American theatre and design community:

• His costumes are known to become iconic, sometimes as memorable as the actors themselves.

• He has helped shape how audiences conceive of theatrical style—bridging spectacle and character.

• Many up-and-coming costume designers look to his work as a benchmark in color, silhouette, storytelling, and craft.

• His mentorship, public talks, and writings have inspired generations to view costume design as a core art of theatrical narrative.

• His continued commitment to The Lost Colony demonstrates his belief in local theater, continuity, and roots—even as his work circles global stages.

Moreover, his combination of high theatrical flair and deeply rooted craftsmanship helps show that costumes in theatre are not superficial decoration, but integral to character, atmosphere, and emotion.