ANAHEIM, CA— The staff at the newly opened Grand Californian Hotel— located within the Disneyland California Adventure theme park here— doesn’t wear uniforms. Instead, the “cast members,” as they are called, wear “costumes.” Joyce Gray, director of costuming at the 750-room Grand Californian, was not brought into the project until after the hotel’s design theme— the early twentieth century Arts and Crafts design style that features clean lines and detailed architecture — had been decided. She and her team had to research that time period and how it impacted fashion to figure out the basic elements for the costumes. Then the on-site designer, who’s been with Disney for over 25 years, was brought in to create 22 different costumes capturing the essence of that style. Gray noted that all cast members, including landscapers and pool people, wear costumes with the exception of the general manager who wears his/her own business suit. The designer said her goal was to create costumes that “look good on all people and make them feel good because we want them to provide great guest service.” Gray added that knee-length skirts and pleated pants are examples of attire that looks good on most people. However, noting that people come in all shapes and sizes, she said, “We try very hard to accommodate all of our cast members and can do custom sizes.” After the design process came the search for the right manufacturers. “We looked at manufacturers based on their skills and decided on four because not every manufacturer is good at producing every piece we needed,” Gray said. The manufacturers selected include: Big Front, Los Angeles; Just For Fun, Torrance, CA; Red The Taylor, Toms River, NJ; and Uniforms For You, Chicago. When the costumes were first ordered, Gray said that things went smoothly due to “good quality control inspections and the maintenance of production schedules.” Re-ordering will be done based on the expected life cycle of the garments and the number of staff. Employees get three costumes because it’s estimated that they’ll always be wearing one, one will be at the laundry and one may be in need of hemming. Cast members can have their costumes laundered at the hotel or wear them to and from work and launder them on their own. The costumes are made of different fabrics, Gray noted. For example, front-desk cast members wear jackets of a wool blend to fit the woodsy theme of the lobby; in dining areas more delicate silk costumes are featured. While the fabrics vary to fit with the park’s theme, similar colors are used. “The costumes can look contemporary or even retro in some cases,” Gray noted, explaining that some costumes like those for front-desk staff may resemble the styles in some 1930s movies. One of Gray’s favorite costumes is the one the valet wears: knee-high socks, knickers, a flowing shirt and a beret.