Hello everybody

This may seem a daft question but here goes...

We've hired some costumes for Hobson's Choice but they're a bit too clean - how do I make an apron and trousers dirty to suggest they've been in used in a workshop? They will need to be cleaned again for return.

Shoe polish is obviously not a good idea and I thought about black poster paint but it says on the bottle that it may stain so are there any other suggestions?

Any help appreciated.

Steven

Hi Steve.

How about some crushed charcoal mixed with talcum powder? Should brush out afterwards or certainly be dry cleanable.

When we did Someone Who'll Watch Over Me we literally made a tin bathful of mud in the dressing room, then half an hour before going on stage, the three men all tramped around in the tub of mud and covered themselves in it. Worked a treat!

Thanks Anne-Marie, but that wasn't quite the effect I was after!

I managed to find some artists pastels today which look good and are washable.

But the mud might have been cheaper.....

Try Tea &/or Coffee - added to the wash - for that grubby than grubby look.