Costume designs for the original Broadway production of West Side Story

Irene Sharaff costumed more than 50 Broadway plays and musicals and received 8 Tony nominations, including one for West Side Story. She also worked in film, earning 15 Oscar nominations (and a win for her designs for the film version of West Side Story). Sharaff’s designs for the Broadway production had to look worn, as though they came off the streets, and yet be flexible and durable enough to endure demanding dance movements eight times a week. Contrasting colors reinforced the opposition between the two gangs; Sharaff used purples and reds for the Sharks and blues and yellows for the Jets. Notations beneath the designs shown here reference the names of the cast members in the original production, which opened on September 26, 1957, at the Winter Garden Theatre.