Robin Gurney
'The Price is Right' wardrobe stylist on designing for the historic game show, and why Elmo is such
They're called "Barker's Beauties" but they owe everything to Robin Gurney.
The 41-year-old Walnut, California, native has handled the wardrobe duties for The Price is Right, the king of all game shows, since 2000, when her predecessor retired after 29 years at the post. Gurney is responsible for dressing the show's stars - from the host (once Bob Barker, soon Drew Carey) to the women who show off the prizes. She does the shopping, designing, constructing, and laundry, but taps a few seamstresses and the CBS special-effects department when her complicated creations require it.
Currently at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) - Gurney's alma mater - is an exhibition of costumes she designed for skits in the "Showcase Showdown," the final, most prize-laden game of the program's hour. This is the first time the outfits have been seen outside CBS studios, and their display points to a significant convergence in the show's costume history: what happened when a new stylist focused on craft arrived at the same time producers decided to hire younger, "sexier" prize models.
While the enduring formula of The Price Is Right still too easily equates the models - that is, women - with the shiny, or dully domestic, objects they present, there is another, more progressive constant: Barker is an animal-rights activist, which means no fur, leather, or feathers are allowed on the costumes, not even fakes. "He didn't even want us to put the suggestion out there," Gurney says, and describes making a cat costume out of (vegan) Polar Fleece. "You really have to stretch your imagination, especially when it applies to something like Eskimos [when] fur is really what they wore. And Uggs? No, no Uggs for us."
-Rebecca Epstein
How far in advance do you start working on a design?
Normally we have about a two-week notice. It's up to me to come up with the idea.
I get very simple instructions. The writers and the producers will say, "Make a dress with as many fruit and vegetables on it as you can." Then they'll just go away, which is a designer's dream because that leaves complete creative freedom.
So for instance, for that big fruit dress in the exhibition, one's first thought would be to put the fruit on your head. But I thought, how about if I make a buffet? That led to building a dress with big panniers so we could put the fruit displays on both sides.
Have any of the costumes been worn more than once?
The mermaid has been worked twice. They don't actually tell me to make things: It's up to me if I want to make it or if it's something I can buy or rent. We don't make everything because of the time and because of the labor cost. I could have bought a mermaid costume, but there weren't any that I thought were special enough. So we made it and they only used it for about 10 seconds. I was so disappointed after all that work. So I asked them to please write something so that we could use it again.
Are there technical as well as aesthetic considerations when designing for The Price is Right?
Since the sets are very bright, I always try to use bright colors in the costumes because any kind of a natural color just gets lost. You always have to think about the background. And then, technically, well, a little sparkle goes a long way! (Laughs) There's a lot of lights and flashing things, so it's kind of like the showgirl mentality.
Also, we've got girls with just outstanding figures. Most of them are swimsuit models or pageant girls. I always want to show their shape, even in something funny like an ant or a fly costume; she's a fly but a pretty fly with rhinestone-studded wings and antennas. We also try not to make the necklines too low because the girls are moving things around a lot and the cameras are going to end up going straight down her top. (Laughs)
You raised an interesting question about sex appeal. What is the line you have to walk?
The Price is Right is known for having beautiful girls and sexy girls on the show, but it's on at 10 a.m. and it's very popular with families, all ages. The show is very popular in the Bible Belt, and grandmas watch with their granddaughters, so you have to find a way to convey sexiness without being too loud about it.
How long has the Showcase Showdown been a part of the show?
Since the beginning - it's when you get multiple prizes grouped together and you have to guess how much they are, and there's a costume skit. It used to involve even more elaborate performances.
The woman who handled the wardrobe before me was there from the beginning, and she would rent whatever they needed. Maybe a year or two after I started, we did a skit where the models had to be pre-historic cave girls. So I said, this could be a fun time to make something! So we made some cute little cave girl outfits. It was a surprise to the producers because they weren't used to having that kind of an expense. I explained that this is something special and people like to see these things and, you know, it's worth the extra money. We went through that a couple of times. Then as they started seeing we had things that were unique, and when I got my first Emmy nomination, I think they finally understood.
When were you nominated for Emmys?
2004 and 2005.
But you haven't won one?
The problem is, there aren't enough game shows to make their own category. So I'm in this category with game shows, talk shows, and children's programming. There were some ice skating shows in there, too. The bottom line is: I'm up against Sesame Street. Until Elmo retires, it's going to be tough.
Are there any big changes in store in terms of costumes with the new season featuring Drew Carey?
We're hoping to get some costumes on Drew. He brings a lot of playfulness to the stage. Once we get settled and he knows how to do all the games, maybe we'll ask him. Remember Rod Roddy? He used to be the announcer. He was the guy with sparkling jackets. Sometimes we would put funny hats on him. So there used to be costumes on other people, besides the girls.
Have you ever done a costume that the producers said they didn't want?
They didn't trust me in the beginning. When I first came, I changed all the clothes for the show because that was also when they first hired younger models. So I said we needed younger clothes. That's when we started introducing more spaghetti straps and open-toe shoes and things like that. So that took a little getting used to. And I actually did get some hate-mail from fans, because any time you change something, it makes people uncomfortable. Especially on a show like The Price is Right, which people watch every day. Changes have to be very gentle.
What was Bob Barker's reaction to those changes?
He always supported me. He just wanted me to be careful to not shock anybody. So we didn't rock the boat too fast. Anything that has to do with old Hollywood glamour, he was all for it. And anything that looks like a USO girl, he's into it. That is the definition of what a Price is Right model should look like. It's a glamour that everybody can appreciate. A lot of leg, but he liked the girls to wear sleeves because too much bare shoulders was a little too much skin at once.
What will you miss most about working with him?
Bob always had a lot of stories. I would come into his dressing room in the morning because he would bring a suit from home, whatever he felt like wearing. I just would get all the cat hair off, de-lint, and steam it. Mostly we would just chat. He liked to tease me about my personal wardrobe. He always thought I had something weird on.
Do you think you learned anything about design from him?
Absolutely. I think about keeping with that whole aesthetic of the USO girls, being able to show a woman's figure without actually having to show a lot of skin. A lot of times we'll be doing a costume and someone will say, "It's too covered up!" That's something I don't feel when I watch other game shows, where everything's kind of out. Price is Right girls are still sexy, they're still hot, but there's a little bit more class.
There's also humor.
I definitely like to find little things to suggest that. Maybe with Drew on the show, people will start thinking more about comedy and costumes.
If you put him in one, maybe then you'll get that Emmy.
I think I'm just going to have a pink tutu standing by.
Published: 08/30/2007
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