Anthony Phillips is an icon in the Australian costume design world.
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His work spans across decades and can be seen in some of the most well-known stage shows including - but not limited to - The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Chicago, Wicked, Hello Dolly, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard, The King And I, Mary Poppins, King Kong, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
His work even transcended from theatre to the big screen with Star Wars.
"The Star Wars experience was pretty amazing, that was just extraordinary to see that happening," he said.
Phillips has also worked with some of Hollywood's biggest names including Nicole Kidman, Tina Arena and Natalie Portman.
However, he said when he worked with celebrities he saw it as doing his job and viewed them just as people he was working with.
The costume maker began his career at the Independent Theatre in North Sydney during the early 1960s. He started his formal training with Harlequin Costumes and learnt under the direction of Alastair Roberts.
A few years later he took the head of wardrobe position at Perth's Playhouse National Theatre.
"I came from a background where my father was a painter and mixed quite a lot with the arts and theatre people, and I became aware there was another side to life apart from school books and things," he said.
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"Quite early on I got into a small theatre company in Sydney and I was just helping around the theatre. I took an interest in helping with the costumes and I just went from there."
From there he travelled to the Old Tote Theatre Company and then, with the work from the Sydney Theatre Company, he was given the opportunity to design costumes from The Way of the World.
This opportunity led to a 12-month scholarship of study in New York, London and Paris.
Phillips undertook positions at Nimrod Theatre Company and The Australian Opera Co before establishing Anthony Phillips Costumes in which he went on to produce costumes for some of the highest acclaimed productions, many of which were mentioned earlier in this article.
Phillips said he felt he had a natural talent for costume making as "it just felt right".
Though he was mostly self taught to begin with, Phillips said he did learn from others that he worked under such as Kristian Fredrickson, Hugh Colman, Anthony Powell, Anne Frasier, Tom Lingwood, Trisha Biggar, Terri Ryan, Roger Kirk and Julie Lynch.
"Working with some of the big names was great fun," she said.
"There have been some wonderful people I have worked with, really great actors and actresses who have been really nice to work with too."
Phillips said his working career was a long period of his life, 40 odds years.
But for the costume maker, his work on Phantom of the Opera was the "big one" for him, and the opening night was "quite amazing".
"Twenty-five years or so of the mainland production, and then touring."
He said he would be sent overseas regularly to undertake the costumes for the cast changes.
"I was on a plane a lot for a few years."
Big productions such as Phantom of the Opera have second and third casts for when the cast needs a holiday or break. These other casts still need costumes, and they need to look the same as the original.
"When you make the same costume over and over again it can be repetitive. If it's a great costume like some of the Phantom ones, then that's a great joy."
Phillips said there was a difference between costume making and costume designing but that he did both.
The designer presents a drawing or design to the workshop, then the costume makers interpret that design to create the costume.
"Interpretation is a difficult thing. People give you a design or drawing and you have to interpret that and make it look good. Quite often the designer doesn't quite know what they want so that's where I step in."
He said when he makes a costume and it is successful and fantastic, it gives him a buzz.
Knowing how to create the clothes is one thing but there are other logistics to think about too, such as using the best quality and most durable fabrics so the costumes can withstand being knocked about.
"The knowledge of constructing it in a way that it will last, and be able to be altered for a second cast and third cast [is important]."
There was also the practicality of the costume to think about according to Phillips.
A dress could get suctioned to the floor if it was too heavy and unable to breathe. It also needed to be able to be taken off or put on in a hurry during costume changes.
Sequins are another matter altogether apparently. Phillips said they are difficult to work with and beading is an art in itself, often done by someone else more trained.
Some of the bigger, more extensive costumes Phillips has worked on have taken three or four weeks to complete, with teams of people creating different parts of the costume.
"When I started it was very elaborate with big costumes, proper period reproduction costumes, but in the last decade or so, it's become simpler and cheaper I suppose," he said.
The costume maker shared his concerns around the lack of teaching and skill in costume now.
"I just wish there were more setups for that here in the colleges and TAFE."
Phillips shared his wisdom of starting in an industry that is not the easiest to break into.
"It's like any career, you have to really want to do it. It can be hard."
"There's no money in it and it's a long path sometimes to get a job and get work in it. But if there's a creative spark there and they want to do it, please keep going with it."
He said the industry is a very closed circuit and proving yourself and being known and liked is the way to break in.
He also recommended getting experience with a good designer.
Phillips is now retired and has settled in Launceston, with his last big production being Matilda in Melbourne.
Since retirement, he has still worked on costumes for stage productions such as Strictly Ballroom and for companies such as Encore Theatre with their productions of We Will Rock You and the yet to be staged Mamma Mia, of which he is excited to see return.
"It's terrible [theatre productions cannot go ahead]."
He said he understands why but it that it's not viable for productions to go ahead with the current density limit restrictions.
"Until it gets to 75 per cent or 100 per cent, there's no chance," he said.
The costume maker misses the work of creating and making costumes and said he still enjoys the work when he takes it on.