Don Foote with wardrobe sketches.
Image courtesy of Feld Entertainment
FROM THE LATEST ISSUE OF BANDWAGON
Circus costume designers are subject to an almost impossible task: To create a visionary masterpiece that outfits the entire circus with extravagant costumes, while also ensuring they are functional and durable enough to withstand the rigors of continuous performance. While circus costume design is a difficult craft, Don Foote made it look effortless.
One “Foote” in the Fabulous:
Don Foote and His Fantastic Wardrobe
By Amanda Dent
Volume 70 • Number 2 • 2026
Circus costume designers are subject to an almost impossible task: To create a visionary masterpiece that outfits hundreds of people and animals with extravagant costumes, while also ensuring they are functional and durable enough to withstand the rigors of continuous performance. While circus costume design is a difficult and unique craft, Don Foote made it look effortless.
Don Foote was the main costume designer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey from 1970 to until his death in 1984. Foote studied and worked in Los Angeles, California where he made a name for himself designing for MGM Studios. On the advice of noted film costume designer, Edith Head, Foote moved to New York City to work as a staff designer for Eaves Costume Company, which was a major costume house for Broadway productions, movies, and circuses since 1863.1 In 1970, just in time for the centennial of The Greatest Show on Earth, he began creating a legacy in circus design history.
The complete article is available to members of the Circus Historical Society through the members-only Backyard.