This was one of two wigs I had been considering for Mrs. Kirby in You Can’t Take It With You (inspired by film star Madeleine Carroll), but I didn’t have time to fix all the broken wefts, so I had to use the other wig. After I was done designing the show, I decided to repair this wig and make her look pretty again. I began by stabilizing and stitching the broken wefts, then I washed her and combed in a wig-shine-for-synthetic-wigs product. Next, I set her, backcombed her carefully, and styled her fingerwaves with pins and an extra shot of steam. She turned out nice, no? Tara Maginnis, the costume designer/costume shop manager, was shocked when I gave her back this wig – she’d thought she’d have to throw it in the trash. <grin>
