UMW Style: the characters of ‘Macbeth’ show off medieval Scottish couture

By SAVARA GUNN

Macbeth- King of Scotland (Neil Gallini-Burdick)

 “My attire just got an upgrade actually because I recently killed the King and I figured I’d take the crown. I found this really nice coat in my closet, and it’s so heavy that it makes it difficult to go down the stairs, but it looks great. I have a pretty rad belt, it looks kind of WWE. I have a lot of red now and it kind of brings out my eyes.”

Lady Macbeth- Queen of Scotland (Austen Weathersby)

“It’s been a very stressful week you know, I just became Queen and it was totally unexpected. I was very shocked but I’m glad things fell into place that way. I really like purple, and I enjoy dark colors…It’s the season for it, I guess. My favorite part is how the sleeves tie off, it’s very handy to just be able to take off your sleeves and put them back on if you need to get your hands dirty, not that I do very often anymore. I do wear a veil, it’s very nice just to frame the face. My husband just got back home from war and we haven’t seen each other in a while so I try to dress up for him when he gets back. You gotta keep the romance alive. I’m a very structured person, I like to plan things out beforehand and so I think my clothing shows that, it’s very structured, a lot of lines. And I do like a lot of texture that comes out a little more in my nightgown. I also like to dress simply in general to not call too much attention to myself, but I do like a bit of flash here and there so I’ll put on a piece of jewelry.  My husband and I do like to complement each other, not completely matching, we are individuals, but we do want to look good together and communicate a united front. Every King needs a Queen next to him. We are equal partners He treats me as an equal and I think that shows, not only in the way we complement each other visually and aesthetically, but also how we act with one another.

 Malcolm- Prince of Cumberland (Alexander Rios)

“I picked this outfit is because I’m really into the fashion of the time. We’re in the 11th century so a lot of the time our clothing is really bland and neutral colors, but I kind of like brighter colors so I’m wearing a red tunic with a nice pattern embroidered on it, and then just regular pants. Actually they’re stockings but they’re really high up so they look like pants, and black boots. I wear armor later because I’m getting ready for war. So I have gauntlets and chest armor and studs. My favorite piece I wear is this blue cape so it’s a nice contrast with the red. I’ve never worn capes so it’s my first time. I’m one of the King’s son’s you know so I’m higher up and my clothing reflects that, it stands out. My outfit is really put together and so at the end of the play when I become King, I’m literally put on a pedestal, and I look that way. I’m ready to be the King and my clothing reflects that.”   

 Lady Macduff- Wife of the Thane of Fife (Victoria Fortune)

“I live in Fife which is very green, very mossy, and so my family and I tend to dress in this sort of earthy way. Although my husband is one of the highest-ranking Thanes, we do tend to be a little more humble, we tend to be more modest with our clothing, and so my dress today resembles that. It’s a very simple straight cut, not exactly A-line, but I do have a nice train to express my elegance. It’s a nice forest-y emerald green. It suits my skin tone and hair very well and coordinates with my son and my family as well. It expresses me because I as a person am very modest and very intelligent, I speak a lot and I’m just very simple and down to earth. But at the same time I do hold myself very highly, I am respectful of myself and the people around me. And I do still recognize my place and so my outfit reflects that where it is a rich deep color, but it also has some elements of elegance about it. I’d say that I normally wear rich colors and very heavy styles but simple styles because I can’t move around Fife if I’m dressed like the Queen.”