Arts Thread

My entry for PfP was a costume for Marie Antoinette from the 2006 film directed by Sofia Coppola, including a short sack back from a pattern by Arnold and a self-drafted and hand embroidered stomacher, as well as a hand sewn and decorated hat. I used repurposed and deadstock materials to create the entire costume, and took part in another cross-department collaboration with photography/hair and makeup students to document the finished garment.

For this project, we explored Erin Morgenstern's novel The Night Circus, set during the Belle Eqoque on the east coast of the United States. The eponymous circus only appears at night, with performers dressed in black and white performing mind-bending and spellbinding magic. For this project, I was inspired by alternative fashions of both the time period and the modern day, adding influences of gothic, steampunk and lolita fashion into my designs for the cast. My 1890s jacket was made with Isobel Martin, the jilted and despairing fortune teller, in mind. The sleeves of the original pattern were slashed and spread to give a more mid-decade silhouette, and trimmed with a hand-stitched satin bias binding pattern to reference the circus aesthetic. Finishing above the waist, the jacket alludes to the Artistic Dress movement, which favoured looser silhouettes and empire waists and was popular among alternative and artistic people of the time.

My final project for 2nd year was inspired by the Jacqueline Wilson novel Little Stars, one of my favourite books growing up. I chose to design for the exuberant yet ruthless owner of the Cavalcade music hall, Mrs Ruby. As she was fond of rich jewel tones and exotic silhouettes, I used a deep sapphire blue damask to construct a period accurate corset based on an 1890s pattern, with a patternmatched front and flossing to contain the bones and prevent fraying. With my limited remaining fabric, I constructed a tea gown inspired by the Orientalist kimono-like dressing gowns and loungewear of the time. The rectangular panels and sleeves create a dramatic silhouette and the pleated back is reminiscent of the Aesthetic Dress movement popular with alternative lifestyles.

From July to October 2025 I crafted a cosplay ensemble to enter a competition run by Animangapop. My character was Mami Tomoe from the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, an experienced yet desperately lonely magical girl fighter. The blouse, skirt, corset and boot covers were self drafted, the hair accessories were sculpted from polymer clay and hand painted and I created my first ever wig, using wire and tape to form the dramatic curls. I entered the cosplay competition in the Handmade - 70% or more category and won the second place craftsmanship prize. This project was born almost completely out of passion and I was delighted to bring one of my favourite characters ever to life.

Our first brief for university focused on 1950s fashion and aesthetics, requiring us to use vintage patterns to create an accurate and characterful garment. For my project, I decided to take a look at Hollywood silver screen stars. My Barbie was inspired by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, with her modern bright pink toned down to blush and accessorised with pearls and silk gloves. The finished garment was a full-skirted gown made from a 1958 pattern.

This brief was based in the fantasy world of Pinocchio, with creative freedom over the time period. For mine, I chose the decade in which the original story was written - the 1880s, and adapted the circus of the original into a Venetian carnival. My designs aimed to use colour to show changing relationships and personality contrasts. The garment was a pair of versatile flap-fronted trousers, which I made from reclaimed black twill and gold braid to create a nicely balanced staple piece with a clear tie to the carnival aesthetic.

For this project, we looked at the period romance film Ammonite, directed by Francis Lee and set in the 1840s on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset. I drew inspiration from the local wildlife, plants and the recurring motif of fossils in the film to produce four accessories for three of the characters, using embroidery and screen printing techniques to bring the garments to life and tie them to their wearer's personality and occupation.