Designing Tatum’s outfit for Kristin Chenoweth’s For the Girls on Broadway

Danielle Amato Apparel has made her Broadway Debut!!

It was Monday morning, and my phone rang. The caller ID said Oklahoma, so naturally I didn't answer it. The next thing I knew, I had a voicemail from Shelli, who has the sweetest southern accent. Her 14 year old daughter, Tatum Hopkins, was invited by Kristin Chenoweth to sing with her on Broadway. Amazing right? Let me fill in the story of how we got to this point.

A Broadway professional made it known to Tatum and her mom that since Tatum showed so much passion and talent, there were far more opportunities to continue her training in voice, dance, and acting in New York, than there were in Oklahoma. So, Tatum and her family recently moved to New York where Tatum can continue her training, and since then, was invited to perform on stage with Kristin.

With all of that being said, Tatum had only two weeks left to find an outfit, and so they were hoping I would be able to design and create an awesome outfit for her to wear. I obviously called back right away and agreed. I told Shelli that her and Tatum needed to come over that day because we had such limited time.

Shelli let me know that the most "Tatum" thing for her to wear are overalls. If Tatum could wear a different pair of overalls every day, she would. When they came over, we talked about different styles of overalls, and possible fabrics. We decided on sequins for the jumpsuit, and I put a couple sketches together that night and sent them over to Shelli to get the approval from Tatum.

The following day I ran around the garment district, knowing we had limited time, trying to source the perfect fabrics for this spectacular event. I was able to find the perfect black sequin fabric for the overalls and an ivory modal knit for the bodysuit.

Before cutting up the nice fabric, it is crucial to do a fitting in muslin, which is cheap, unbleached cotton fabric that is used to do a mock up of the garment in case adjustments need to be made. This step is especially helpful if something is cut too small, and needs to be recut, you didn't waste any of the nice fabric in the process.

The one not so fun thing about muslin is that it's not that pretty. I told Tatum and Shelli before the fitting that no one feels good or pretty in muslin, its strictly for fit so don't freak out.

Another day, a fitting was done on the final garments and we were in great shape for our short timeline.

Showtime.

I was able to attend the show and it was unbelievable. I had never seen Kristin live before and it was incredible. The passion Kristin has in her voice and in her performances, along with the commitment she has to supporting other artists, and also in rising talent is extremely admirable.

Enter Tatum Hopkins.

Tatum and Kristin sang "For Good" from Wicked. I cannot think of a more fitting and emotional song for them to sing. It absolutely blew me away. Between their chemistry and their voices, and how Tatum owned the stage, it was so special. Trying to take it all in during this performance, it made my heart so happy to know that I was able to collaborate with Tatum to make sure she felt her best for such a spectacular moment.

I have definitely been changed for good. (Sorry, I had to)

-Danielle

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