FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
18th Century Rincewind
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Photographer: Matthew Creally https://www.instagram.com/matthewcreally/
Outline the story …
Rincewind is the most inept wizard on the Discworld. He is, however, a proud alumnus of Unseen University, and insists on wearing the customary red robes, despite having been expelled for his inability to do magic. I decided I would create an outfit based on 18th century female dress. Inspired by paintings of Covent Garden by Pieter Angellis of working women in just shifts, stays, and petticoats, I wanted this to be the base of my outfit, with the red UU robes over the top. There was some internal debate over whether I should make academic robes or a cloak. A travelling cloak would fit Rincewind’s character as an (albeit reluctant) adventurer, but robes are mentioned in the books. Upon further research, I discovered that red wool cloaks were popular among 18th century women, so this made my decision. Many extant examples have ribbon edging, and fan pleating in the back of the hood, which I also included, to tie together the more fantastical elements of the outfit with the time period. The robes are described as having magical sigils embroidered on them. I chose Anglo-Saxon runes, since these have historically been used for magical purposes in Britain, as well as being a nod to Rincewind’s gift for languages. One of Rincewind’s most distinctive features is his “pointy hat with a floppy brim”, upon which the word “Wizzard” is embroidered in silver, so this had to be included as well.
Outline the construction…
Constructing 5 period-appropriate garments in 2 months is difficult. For budget reasons, I used cotton rather than linen for the shift and for the lining and interlining of the stays, and I used wool/polyester blends for the cloak, hat and petticoat. To save time, I machine-stitched all seams. I opted for hand-stitching to finish the garments; hemming, seam-felling, embroidery, and binding was all done by hand, so that the garments would have a historical look to them. Most of the garments were self-drafted, with guidance from online articles (such as American Duchess’s petticoat article), and YouTube videos (Bernadette Banner’s shift video, for instance). The main exception was the stays. I followed pattern 18 from Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion 5, making slight alterations. I added half an inch of width to each centre back panel after making a mock-up, and stitched wider boning channels, as I only had 25 metres of synthetic baleen. I also chose to omit the shoulder straps, and used red linen for the outer layer, which fit the character better than green silk. One challenge was getting the bias binding to curve smoothly around the skirts of the stays, without pleating. I had been trying to fell the binding from the right side, but backstitching with the right sides together made for better manoeuvrability of the binding. Meeting the deadline was the main struggle, but I’m proud of what I achieved in the time I had.
I love the embroidery and the tunes along the cape opening! The lines look so clean and lovely <3
Thank you so much!!
The rune embroidery is lovely. And I like that the skirt length for an adventurer/wanderer. Not so long that it drags on the ground or gets caught on bushes!
Thank you! That’s exactly what I was going for!
The embroidery is such a delightful detail! And the whole ensemble is so lovely! I’m having some sort of fantasy RPG game vibes and I like it
Thank you! Omg that might be one of the best compliments ever!!
That’s really awesome. And even you had so much to do and still did so much by hand is amazing.
Thank you! It was certainly a lot of work but I loved it!
i’m so psyched to see my main man Terry Pratchett represented here!! Your costume is gorgeous and you should be very proud. The finishing details in your video are especially lovely.
From the moment the theme was announced I knew I had to do Discworld! Thank you, that’s so sweet of you to say!
I love it. You are the most stylish wizzard at the Unseen University.
Thank you so much!
Thank you, that means a lot! ❤️
Oh it looks even better than it does on YouTube. I’m glade to have found you on this adventure!
Thank you! It’s been lovely having your support from the beginning. And your Alice dress is beautiful!
Your work is so imaginative and beautiful – and I loved watching your YouTube video.
Thank you, that means a lot! ❤️
I love the video of all your fine details. 😍 Beautiful work!!!
Thank you!!
this is gorgeous! The stays are absolutely exquisite, and I adore the colour you’ve chosen.
Thank you ❤️ I fell in love with that red linen as soon as I saw it!
Beautiful work! I love all the little details. I really like your interpretation of Rincewind’s outfit.
Thank you very much!!
Thank you so much!!
This is fantastic! It’s an absolutely gorgeous outfit, and also seems entirely practical for running away, shouting “you’re mum’s a big hippo!”
Thank you so much! Can confirm, it is practical(ish) for running. The only bit that isn’t is the shoes!
I really enjoyed following the creation of this in video, and I love love love the final result. You did a great job !
Thank you so much, that’s so lovely to hear!
Nice! And you can fit plenty of potatoes in those pockets! Love the embroidery on the cape!
An excellent use for pockets! Thank you!!
I love the embroidery! Very clever. I also love the stays, very well done. I also love that shift! Thank you!
Wow, thank you so much!
Lovely! Great work!
Thank you!
Awesome stuff. I followed along with your YT episodes on the project after you popped up in the hashtag as I was happily finding who else was creating what this year. I’ve yet to properly dive into the Pratchett universe but I’ve dipped my toes in and love it. Awesome interpretation!
Yay! I’m so glad you found my little channel! Thank you 🥰
Beautiful stitchery I love the color and that cape
Thank you so much!
OMG! So cute and clever!
Thank you!!
Loving how many people were inspired by the Discworld series! I adore the embroidery at the front of your cape, and the wizzard hat is just spot on! I loved watching the process of you making this on YouTube too. Also, you say the binding of the stays was hard, but you did such a good job of it! Well done and best wishes from Magrat 😉
Me too, every Discworld entry has made me smile. Thank you, I’m so glad you followed along! And I LOVE your Magrat dress – it turned out a treat!!