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Behind the Seams with Amy Monsalve

Amy Monsalve, Costume Designer for Little Women 2025 at the American Shakespeare Center, smiles beside several dress forms displaying finished costumes, including Jo’s capelet and a purple jacket. Shot inside the ASC costume shop.

Costuming Little Women

Every stitch in Little Women carries a memory. For Costume Designer Amy Monsalve, the goal wasn’t just to make the March sisters look beautiful—it was to show how they grow. In this adaptation by Erin Riley, Amy’s designs blend period detail, handmade textiles, and subtle storytelling to bring Louisa May Alcott’s beloved family to life on the Blackfriars stage.

From crochet hooks to scorched hems, the costumes in Little Women do more than dress the characters—they trace their journeys, mark their changes, and hold their stories close.

Meet the Designer: Amy Monsalve

Amy Monsalve is the Wardrobe Shop Manager at the American Shakespeare Center, but she’s also an accomplished designer and textile artist. She learned to sew at sixteen, studied costume design at Clemson University, and sharpened her craft at North Carolina’s Flat Rock Playhouse before joining ASC.

For Little Women, Amy brought that mix of skill and heart to every garment onstage.

“I wanted everyone to look really beautiful but also for them to have a clear distinction of: this is them when they’re young… and then the final look… they know who they are now at the end of the play.”

Watch the Costumes Come to Life

Take a closer look inside the ASC costume shop with Amy Monsalve as she walks through her design process for Little Women—from fabric choices and handmade details to storytelling through texture and wear.

Details That Define a Character

The cast of Little Women (2025) at the American Shakespeare Center perform an energetic scene on the Blackfriars Playhouse stage, featuring period costumes and handmade floral headpieces. Audience members react with laughter in the background. Photo by Alaina Shefelton.

(Summer England (Jo), Charlene Hong White (Beth), Raven Lorraine (Meg), and Larisa West (in for Leah Gabriel as Amy) perform alongside Angela Iannone (Marmee) in Little Women at the American Shakespeare Center. Photo by Alaina Shefelton.)

In the ASC production of Little Women, costume changes aren’t just practical—they’re emotional markers.

  • Jo March’s signature scorch mark appears on her skirt in Act I after standing too close to the fire. Even when she matures in Act II, it remains—a symbol of her boldness and identity.

    “Of course she still has a burn patch even though she’s a terribly mature young lady.”

  • Meg’s daisy pins quietly trace her journey.

    “Daisy in Spanish is margarita, so the daisy represents Meg perfectly… then in Act Two, the little twin pin daisies get added to show that her family is growing.”

  • Jo’s capelet is a highlight of the show, and it’s patched with fabrics from all the sisters.

    “It’s bringing together all these sisters to show how they are working together and growing up together.”

  • A large painted textile, created by the cast and design team, showcases the sisters’ shared creativity.

    “We lovingly refer to this as the textile… it just really shows how creative these young girls are—shows their imagination, their heart, they’re working together.”

From handmade accessories to symbolic flourishes, each detail deepens the audience’s emotional connection to the March family.

Crocheted with Care: Marmee’s Shawl

One of the most intimate costume pieces is Marmee’s shawl, crocheted by Amy herself using a deep sangria yarn and materials pulled from ASC’s costume stock.

Costume Designer Amy Monsalve adjusts a crocheted shawl on a dress form in the American Shakespeare Center’s costume shop during preparations for Little Women 2025. The handmade shawl is worn by Marmee in the production. Bins of sorted fabric fill the background.

“This is a shawl that I crocheted for Marmee to help keep her warm in those cold Concord winters.”

The layering of reclaimed yarns becomes both practical and poetic, rooted in warmth, love, and legacy.

The Hands Behind the Hems: The ASC Costume Team

ASC’s costume designs are always a team effort, and Little Women was no exception.

From stenciled banners to floral hatbands, the work of ASC’s costume shop team is on full display. The Little Women costume team also wishes to thank Sibley Morosco for her generosity and support in the shop—your help made a meaningful difference.

The costume team for Little Women 2025—Marie Lupia, Amy Monsalve, Trina Yager, and D. Scarlet Frishman—work together at the American Shakespeare Center’s costume shop table, surrounded by hand-painted textile pieces used in the production.

Costume Team for Little Women 2025:

Special credit goes to Trina Yager for her handmade shawl for Beth and for floral headpieces made in collaboration with Amy:

Trina Yager, Wardrobe Supervisor and Stitcher at the American Shakespeare Center, pins a large blue garment for Little Women 2025 during a collaborative design session in the ASC costume shop.

“Trina Yager is amazing at arranging flowers, so we combined our skills and we made a lot of beautiful flowers for the edges of the guys’ hats as well as some of the ladies.”

EXPERIENCE THEATRE IN STAUNTON, VIRGINIA

This is your last chance to see Little Women live on stage—closing this weekend at the Blackfriars Playhouse in downtown Staunton.

Whether you’re visiting from Richmond, Washington, DC, or just around the corner, there’s no better time to plan your trip to Virginia’s most intimate Shakespeare destination.

Tickets are also on sale now for our Sizzling Summer of Wit and Wonder, featuring Sense & Sensibility and The Winter’s Tale in true ASC repertory style.

Join us this summer for bold performances, handcrafted storytelling, and the joy of live theatre—only at the American Shakespeare Center.

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