Nothing Like Being A Dame

Designing and making costumes for Pantomime Dames is always a fun start to a year! Working in a pair with Claudia Medina, we designed a costume for Dame Trot from 'Jack in the Beanstalk'. We wanted our dame to be a faded beauty queen who in her middle age owns a dairy business with her two sons. The costume was designed for her to wear during the milking scene at the beginning of the pantomime:

A Midsummer Night's Dream

In the Summer term of the First year we had a design and make project, we were all given a character to design for from William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', then we had to swap these designs with someone else so that we had to make part of the costume from a different design. Our designs had to be inspired by Steam Punk as well as inspiration from the play itself.

I was given a design by Lucy Gallagher of Peter Quince, the carpenter and the leader of the artisans acting troupe:

Fit For A Queen

This was the first project I had to undertake whilst on my Costume Construction Degree course. As a class we were each producing a famous king or queen's costume out of calico, taking inspiration from a painting of him or her. This project was a challenge that enabled us to explore pattern cutting so as to achieve a historically accurate costume.

My queen was Queen Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, wife to George II of England.
I based my costume upon this painting of her by Charles Jervas in 1727:

Portfolio: Art Foundation Final Exhbition

I was lucky enough for my work to be selected to be in the window and the entrance hall of the Art College, the lecturers obviously loved it just as much as i did!
I was very pleased to receive 3 Distinctions and 2 Merits overall for my Art Foundation.

Portfolio: 1790's Navy Gown

I designed this costume as my final project during my Art Foundation.
This project focused on the traditions of Venice Carnival and masquerades; and the costume is inspired by late 18th Century fashions and by 18th Century Navy uniforms.

Portfolio: 1770's Polonaise Gown

I created this costume whilst studying on my Art Foundation course at Plymouth College of Art & Design.

I adapted the design from an existing commercial pattern, and I fitted it to my model.
This was the first full period costume I made so is not of as high quality as my other costumes.

Vintage Glamour

So Ive deceided that I should have been born earlier on in the 20th century, purely because I love the fashion, music, culture and the whole way of life of the 1920's-1950's.
I adore the glamour and strictness of having to wear stockings, heels, gloves and a hat all the time..and of course the luxury of red lipsticks!
Unfortunately me being so tall and having a large..ish head and large..ish feet I find it hard to find any vintage finds that properly fit me, I would love to have a pair of 1940's chunky heels and an extravagant hat with lots of net or feathers..
...I best get searching then!

xxx