New York Fashion Week

 

Costume & Styling Immersive Experience

A Luxury, Behind-the-Scenes Introduction to Costume for Screen & Performance

Curated & Led by Deborah Cantor

Costume Designer | Stylist | BAFTA Member

THE CONCEPT

Step Inside the Industry

A highly curated, behind-the-scenes costume and styling immersion during New York Fashion Week (September), designed for emerging stylists and costume designers to gain real-world experience, elite industry access, and mentorship from award-winning professionals. With rare, insider access to the worlds of television, film, fashion, and live performance.

 

This is not a tour. It is a working creative lab—combining education, access, production, and cultural immersion at the highest level. The experience places participants inside real creative environments—working to professional briefs, styling real talent, and gaining access to institutions and individuals rarely open to the public.

 

Created and produced by Deborah Cantor, leveraging her international network across fashion, film, television, and theatre.

WHY THIS EXPERIENCE IS UNIQUE

Breaking into costume and styling for screen requires more than taste—it requires understanding process, hierarchy, storytelling, and on-set reality.

This experience was created to demystify the industry while maintaining its standards. Participants are treated not as students, but as emerging professionals, guided by someone actively working at the highest level.

  1. Led by an active, award-recognised Costume Designer working at the highest level
  2. Real-world styling, fittings, and creative direction—not theory
  3. Exclusive access to normally closed institutions
  4. Cross-continental designer exposure (Australian collections in NYC)
  5. Professional photography, BTS filming, and portfolio-ready content
  6. Timed during New York Fashion Week for maximum relevance and energy

ABOUT DEBORAH CANTOR

Costume Designer | Stylist | BAFTA Member

Deborah Cantor is a highly accomplished Costume Designer and esteemed Stylist with over 30 years of international industry experience across fashion, television and film.

Her career spans:

  1. Freelance work across leading UK & US networks: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Fox, Amazon, Comedy Central, Sky
  2. Extensive experience in television, film, commercials, publicity campaigns, and editorial
  3. Collaborated closely with producers, directors, and high-profile talent
  4. Part of creative teams recognised by BAFTA, RTS, and other industry awards
  5. Formerly of British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar UK/US
  6. Trained within the BBC Costume Department
  7. Currently Lead Costume Designer on British and American television productions

She has contributed to award-winning productions recognised by BAFTA, RTS, and other major industry bodies, and remains an active BAFTA member.

Deborah’s approach centres on costume as storytelling—how clothing shapes character, narrative, and emotional truth on screen and screen.

Every costume tells a visual story—about who a character is. Ultimately, a costume is more than fabric and thread—it is narrative made visible.

WHO THIS EXPERIENCE IS FOR

  1. Emerging and aspiring stylists and costume designers
  2. Fashion creatives seeking real industry insight
  3. Professionals transitioning into styling for screen, editorial, or live performance
  4. Those looking to build credible portfolios, contacts, and confidence

Limited to ensure depth, access, and quality.

EXPERIENCE STRUCTURE

3-Day Immersive Program | New York City | September (NYFW)

Participants work directly with industry professionals across costume, styling, photography, and production—within real creative and cultural environments.

DAY 1 – MASTERCLASS & STYLING LAB

Creative Control, Styling & Storytelling

Masterclass with Deborah Cantor

The first day masterclass was designed to give the four selected stylists full creative control over their work.

Focus:

  1. Creative confidence and decision-making
  2. Developing a clear visual narrative
  3. Understanding responsibility on a professional set

Stylists were encouraged to take ownership of their ideas while being guided by Deborah’s industry expertise.

Creative Styling Lab

  1. 4 emerging stylists
  2. 6 professional models
  3. 2 Australian designer collections

This experience was delivered in partnership with a charitable organisation, whose involvement enabled the stylists, models, and designer collections to travel from Australia to participate in the New York Fashion Week experience.

Stylists were responsible for:

  1. Selecting looks from the collections
  2. Fitting garments on models
  3. Styling and accessorising
  4. Defining the narrative behind their looks
  5. Articulating creative intent in professional critiques

 

Deborah led group discussions and critiques, helping stylists refine their ideas while maintaining creative ownership.

Pre-Shoot Preparation

  1. Fit photography
  2. Styling refinements
  3. Preparing looks for an editorial-style shoot

All looks were finalised for the following day’s photoshoot.

Documentation

  1. Behind-the-scenes filming
  2. Professional photography by Phillip Silverstone

DAY 1 – ICONIC NYC ACCESS

Patricia Field Experience

A rare and unique opportunity to meet and speak with costume and styling royalty.

Private meet-and-greet and shopping experience at Patricia Field.

  1. Emmy Award-winning Costume Designer
  2. Iconic work on Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada

This session focused on:

  1. Costume as cultural influence
  2. Character-driven styling
  3. New York’s fashion legacy

An invaluable moment of insight, inspiration, and direct access to one of the most influential figures in modern costume design.

DAY 2 – INDUSTRY ACCESS & PRODUCTION

Luxury, Editorial & On-Set Reality

Bergdorf Goodman Private Tour

Bergdorf Goodman is the most high-profile luxury department store in the United States, renowned for serving exclusive clients, celebrities, and global tastemakers.

The group was granted unseen, behind-the-scenes access before store opening.

  1. Guided tour of the store
  2. Insight into luxury buying and merchandising
  3. Understanding how stylists work with high-end retail

Networking Lunch

  1. Hosted on the 7th floor
  2. Industry discussion, mentorship, and reflection

DAY 2 – NYFW PHOTOSHOOT

Editorial Look Book Production

The photoshoot was designed as a look book shoot for the Australian designers.

The stylists were responsible for the entire creative execution, building directly from their Day 1 masterclass work.

Stylist responsibilities included:

  1. Finalising the complete looks
  2. Selecting and suggesting shoot locations
  3. Communicating hair and makeup direction to models
  4. Maintaining continuity and creative intent

Creative Brief

  1. Designed by Deborah Cantor
  2. Editorial look book format

Shoot Execution

  1. Photography by Phillip Silverstone
  2. Shot on location in Times Square

Deborah:

  1. Directed each individual shoot
  2. Worked one-on-one with stylists on set
  3. Taught them what to watch for on a live shoot
  4. Demonstrated how to work professionally with a photographer and production team

 

The result was portfolio-grade imagery and real-world on-set experience.

DAY 3 – COSTUME, PERFORMANCE & STORYTELLING

Theatre Development Fund Costume House

Located within Kaufman Astoria Studios, the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) Costume Collection houses tens of thousands of costumes from every historical period.

  1. Includes designs by Bob Mackie and other legendary costume designers

Guided by Stephen Cabral, VP and Director of the Costume Collection, the visit explored:

  1. Costume history
  2. Craftsmanship and construction
  3. Preservation and archiving

Stylists were given the rare opportunity to:

  1. Handle garments
  2. Try on costumes
  3. Step into character to understand movement, silhouette, and storytelling

DAY 3 – STORYTELLING THROUGH PERFORMANCE

Museum of the Moving Image

An immersive exploration of screen-based storytelling.

Highlights included:

  1. Jim Henson Exhibition
  2. Private Mission: Impossible exhibit

The museum showcases:

  1. Cameras and lighting
  2. Costume, hair, and makeup
  3. Production and set design

 

Offering stylists a holistic understanding of how costume integrates into the full production process.

Broadway Exclusive Access

  1. Behind-the-scenes tour of Buena Vista Social Club
  2. Led by the Wardrobe Supervisor
  3. Insight into live performance costume management

KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR PARTICIPANTS

  1. Real-world styling and costume experience
  2. Industry-level creative feedback
  3. Exclusive access to fashion, film, and theatre institutions
  4. Professional imagery and documentation
  5. Expanded international network
  6. Clear understanding of career pathways in costume & styling

THE OUTCOME

Participants leave with:

  1. Stronger creative confidence
  2. Practical on-set and shoot experience
  3. Portfolio-ready content
  4. Direct mentorship from leading professionals
  5. A deeper understanding of costume as storytelling

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK CONTEXT

Timed deliberately during NYFW to immerse participants in:

  1. Global fashion energy
  2. Industry relevance
  3. Cultural momentum

 

This experience bridges fashion, costume, media, and performance in one of the world’s most influential creative cities.

CLOSING

An immersive, access-driven experience that cannot be replicated without deep industry trust, expertise, and relationships.

 

Created, curated, and led by Deborah Cantor.

 

Costume. Character. Story.

Apply for the Next Experience

 

Each experience is tailored and application-only.

Dates, locations, and access vary to maintain quality and integrity.

If you are serious about building a career in costume design or styling for screen and performance, this is a rare opportunity to learn from the inside.

Applications for the next tailored experience will open soon.