Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2012 - 63

his Shakespeare days-strong historic and dramatic epics that called for the visual integration of lush costumes
and sets to evoke maximum emotional impact.
When he was asked to head up the Met's costume shop, he said yes, passing on the daily operations of his
workshop to one of his protégées, Sally Ann Parsons. In addition to supervising the Met's costume production,
he was thrilled to have the opportunity to design as well: Adriana Lecouvreur, Eugene Onegin, and Don Carlo.
Though Ray found the stories and music unfamiliar at first, Harry Good's extensive record collection, and Ray's
assistant David O. Roberts' passion for opera revealed a world he came to love.
Two years later, when politics at the Met had changed, Ray's contract was not renewed. It was one of the
biggest disappointments of his life. He briefly returned to his own workshop, was asked to supervise costumes
for the Muppets, taught at Yale, and designed and produced costumes for Sarah Caldwell, director of the Opera
Company of Boston.
When regime change at the Met occurred once again, he was asked to return as resident costume designer. Determined to learn from his experience, he rallied and inspired the talented staff and became renowned for his deft handling
of the egos and bodies of the stars who sang in this multi-storied red, gold, and crystal temple to the music gods.
Ten years later he retired to Eastbourne, on the south coast of England, to set about writing his memoir. It
starts when he accepts the first Irene Sharaff Benchmark Award, established to recognize craftspeople and other
professionals, other than costume designers, who made significant contributions to the art of costume design.
In his acceptance speech, he talked about fitting Elizabeth Taylor in her Irene Sharaff-designed wedding
dress for her first marriage to Richard Burton.
"When we entered the suite, Miss Taylor, in a dressing gown, holding her beautiful head in her hands, was
sitting on the bed. She had a hangover! We started the fitting. . . then I asked if I could see the emerald brooch to
match the ribbon samples. . . . Her jewels were kept in the hotel safe. . . (in) a large carpet bag, containing several
million dollars worth of jewelry. Elizabeth opened it, reached for a black velvet bag and withdrew the brooch. She
then rubbed it on her backside, to shine it up, and handed it to me. It was an oblong emerald. . . surrounded by
diamonds the size of peas. Exquisite! I had to match the colour of this beautiful brooch to a piece of half-inch satin
ribbon worth fifty cents a yard!"
In October 2011, when Ray read that Christie's had organized a world tour of The Collection of Elizabeth
Taylor prior to its auction in December, he informed the curators that he had made Taylor's yellow chiffon wedding dress. Its value at auction was estimated to be $40,000 to $60,000, however, before the auction started, the
Taylor estate withdrew the dress, announcing that it would be donated to a major American institution. Long may
Miss Taylor, her yellow wedding dress and Ray's story be remembered.
Ray Diffen is survived by nephew Peter Davis, niece Jacqueline (Mrs. John) Dorkings, both of Eastbourne,
UK, Lindsey (Mrs. Keith) Fernay of Brighton, UK, several great-nieces and -nephews, and colleagues, friends, and
protégés around the world.

a pilgRimage to eastbouRne n by tRiffin moRRis

Popular fiction is full of moments where the young heroine meets the wizard/sage/medicine man/fairy godmother
who explains everything. Sometimes moments like that actually happen in real life.
In 2011 USITT honored the research that my husband, Gregory, and I had done on the history of the theatre
costume business by granting me a Fellowship. We had been conducting the research for a book on our own
nickel, catch as catch can, but the one thing we could not do on our own was go to England to interview in person
the grandfather of the Broadway costume business, Ray Diffen. The moment we heard of the Fellowship, Gregory
and I exclaimed together, "We can go to see Ray!"
Before the trip I had never met Ray personally, but as a costumer in New York, I had heard of Ray the way
one hears that one's ancestors came through Ellis Island. That is to say that he seemed interesting and important,
but I didn't really know what it meant.
I started to think of him as a sort of grandfather. He brought the people and the aesthetic to New York which
shapes our work today. There is first and foremost the desire to make beautiful things, to produce a garment that
is effortless on the outside and clean on the inside. It needs to fit the actor and the needs of the show perfectly.
Close is not good enough. It needs to be exact.
Gregory had interviewed Ray by telephone a year or so earlier, but for our book to be exact, we had to spend

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