Caroline Allander, spawn of San Jose, graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.S. degree in Wildlife Biology. Somewhat incongruously, she spent the next three years pursuing a costume design career with theaters in Northern California. Consisting primarily of grand musicals, she was given ample opportunity to design just outside the reality of conventional dress. She used widely known classics like “Hello, Dolly!” and “Mary Poppins” to tap into the essence of color, movement, and form, while working within the framework of established iconography.  

Determined to improve, she attended the M.F.A. Costume Design program at UMKC in August, 2015. Three years of dynamic, intricate rendering and meticulous historical research lead her further down the path of experimentation. Abstraction, avant garde, and biology came together in her 2016 fashion collection “Tributaries” for the West 18th Fashion Show. She straddled the line between dated caricature and post-modern deconstruction in “An Octoroon.” With the world premiere of “Man In Love,” she united hope and horror within the confines of period realism. This year she designed a production of “King Lear” by UMKC Theater. Untethered to time or place, she created a bleak world full of bold silhouettes and ruined textures, capturing the chaos and decay of a divided kingdom and a mad king.

Caroline is devoted to bringing characters to life. Using the relationship between the wearer and the observer to generate story. She excels at finding new ways to use basic shapes and primary colors to convey nuanced ideas and emotion.