Tours

Welcome to the Tours Department of your Costume College weekend.  Taking a Tour with us is a great way to get to know other attendees! If you don’t know a soul when you arrive, you will by the end of the tour.

Signing up for Tours:  Tours are treated just like the workshops and require pre registration, so check your scheduling and preferences very carefully before signing up!!!  (Like all workshops, tours are not transferable, and you cannot sell your spot.)  Only Costume College registered students can sign up for tours.

Tours, like workshops, are an additional fee, which includes transportation, snacks and water onboard the bus.  Please contact the Tours chair for more information about specific tours, timing, etc.

All tours gather in the lobby of the hotel, and depart at a specific time.  Tour return times vary due to LA traffic.

Minors: All minors regardless of age must be accompanied on the tour by a parent or guardian.  Both minor and parent/guardian must purchase tickets to the tour.

Costume College is committed to accessibility. If you need a transportation or other related accommodation, please reach out to us well in advance of the event. For more information, please see our Disability and Service Animal Policy.

Tour Registration opens April 2026

Thursday Tour Details      Monday Tour Details 

MORE, MORE, MORE!!!

THURSDAY'S TOUR IS OVER THE TOP!

Join us for an incredible behind-the-scenes day in Hollywood with not one, but TWO visits to professional costume houses where costumes are created for film, television, theater, and stage. We’ll visit Bill Hargate Costumes, Inc., hosted by Costume College favorite Rory Cunningham, and Muto-Little Custom Made Costumes, owned by Antoinette Muto and Kimberly Little.

Important: These are working studios. No photos are allowed, and all visitors must respect confidentiality agreements.

Notes for visitors:

• Studios are active workspaces—please wear close-fitting clothing.
• Muto-Little has two floors and no elevator.

There are many restaurants nearby, and we’ll pause for lunch at your own expense.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!
After lunch, we’ll visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for a self-guided experience of the exhibition Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity, with time to explore the museum, shop, and outdoor installations.

Schedule:

• Meet: 8:15 a.m. (hotel lobby by elevators)
• Return: Before 5:00 p.m.

Cost: $95 per person
Includes transportation, snacks, water, and museum admission.
Guests under 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult. Costume College is committed to accessibility. If you need a transportation or other related accommodation, please reach out to us well in advance of the event. For more information, please see our policy at (link).

Don’t miss this exciting day of costumes, creativity, and culture!

Downtown Los Angeles Fabric District Tour 

Once again, Costume College will be offering a tour of the Fabric District in Downtown Los Angeles.  Whether you are looking for natural fiber fabrics to create historical garments or fabrics to realize your fantasy dreams, you will find what you need there.  There is hardly any fabric, trim or tool you can imagine that you can’t find with a little guidance (from me) and a native guidebook.

An air-conditioned bus will transport you from and back to the hotel on Monday, August 4th.  The bus leaves the hotel promptly at 9:00 AM and will leave town to go back to the hotel promptly at 3:00 PM.  Traffic being what it is in Los Angeles, punctuality is important.  Travel here is not so much a function of distance as it is time of day.

As we will be traveling in over the road bus, there will be plenty of room for all of your purchases (or your luggage if you are planning to head straight to the airport on your own from downtown.)  The buses park all day in a centrally located place so that you can store your purchases while you continue shopping or if you would just like a comfortable place to sit down and take a break.  Light snacks and water are provided on the bus.

Prior to the tour, you will receive your e-copy of the Native Guide Book listing the names, addresses and variety of items sold in most of the larger stores.  (Hard copies of the book will not be available.) The book will also contain the names and addresses for some of the local eateries.