STACIA LANG

\\BIOGRAPHY

Stacia Lang is a costume designer and builder living in Los Angeles.  

Her iconic designs for musical genius Prince defined his style during the Diamonds and Pearls and Love Symbol eras. Sharp, clean, and elegant, the looks include the Gangster Glam wide lapel jumpsuits and two- and three-piece suits; sumptuous ensembles of swirling French laces and elaborate cutwork; luxurious silk pyjamas and sleeveless, turtleneck knit jumpsuits. Most famous (and notorious) of all is the Butt-Out suit from the 1991 MTV Music Video Awards.

Stacia worked with Prince at Paisley Park, his legendary production facility in Chanhassen, Minnesota. A Minnesota native herself, Lang’s hometown isn’t far from Paisley Park. Her desire to become a costume designer was sparked in childhood, as she watched Old Hollywood extravaganzas such as The Wizard of Oz and The Ten Commandments. Marilyn Monroe was a revelation in There’s No Business Like Show Business, in her stunning Travilla confections. Most influential, though, were the television variety shows of the 1970s that featured glamorous costumes designed by Bob Mackie, especially those worn by Cher.

Acceptance to the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC set in motion the education that would lay the groundwork for an exciting and diverse career in fashion and costume. After graduation, the opportunity came to learn costume cutting in the fantastical workroom of the New York City Ballet. This experience opened the floodgates to new opportunities with distinguished costume ateliers throughout the city, and Stacia worked on large scale Broadway productions such as Into the Woods, Legs Diamond, La Cage Aux Folles, and Cats. She also continued her work in the world of Ballet, creating costumes for the American Ballet Theatre and The Joffrey Ballet, through the legendary costume workrooms of Barbara Matera Ltd, and Parsons-Meares, Ltd, respectively.

In 1990, a chance meeting resulted in Stacia being offered a position as patternmaker and sketch artist at Paisley Park. Within a matter of months, fate would bring the opportunity to be Prince’s exclusive wardrobe designer. Collaborating with Prince, along with the world-class costume technicians who worked there, remains one of Stacia’s most treasured experiences. While still there, she designed ensembles for two other extraordinary musical talents, Billy Idol and Angélique Kidjo. Eventually, though, she answered the call of her Hollywood dream, and moved to Los Angeles in 1997. Once in LA, she had the pleasure of designing costumes for her beloved childhood idol—Dolly Parton.

Today, as an in-demand specialty costumer in Hollywood, Stacia has created Space Suits (Interstellar, Passengers, First Man), Super Hero costumes (Marvel’s Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Thor: Ragnarock, The Amazing Spider-Man movies, X-Men United, Fantastic Four; DC’s Aqua Man, Man of Steel, Superman Returns), and Sci-Fi and Fantasy attire (Star Trek Into Darkness, Tron: Legacy, Star Trek Nemesis, The Cell).  

The personal art of Stacia Lang, with its spangles, feathers and flourishes, helps to temper this testosterone-driven world of superheroes and aliens. Creating a private sanctuary filled with fantasy bird sculptures, jewelry, and opulent, feminine garments, she recharges and refreshes for the next intergalactic battle to come.