FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Mad Hatter
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Outline the story …
I'm a theatre costume designer and I had a lot of fabric pieces and scraps from previous productions that I always wanted to use. When I read this years theme "into another world" I saw the opportunity for just that.
Usually I'm most comfortable wearing black, so wearing this much colour is quite another world for me. But the design is also my version of the Mad Hatter of Lewis Carrolls "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". I wanted it to be a lot and full of contrasts, not just in the choice of fabric - there is something fluffy, something soft and something crisp - but also in the pattern. So the coat is a mixture of a tailcoat and a halfcircle skirt. The striped silk of the corset I had for about two years and I always wanted to make a corset out of it - so I finally did! And the chemise is highly inspired by a night gown of my great-grandmother and, well, I had to wear something underneath.
Outline the construction…
For the corset I wanted to challenge myself and use the striped pattern to emphasise the shape of the corset. I can never get my head around pattern matching, so that definitely was a challenge. Also the first three pieces are cut on the bias, bold decision for a corset... There are two layers (the striped silk and a white coutil) which were sewn separately and then combined, so no extra boning channels just the two layers. I didn't floss it as I thought it would take away from the stripy design.
For the coat I didn't buy any of the fabrics, so there is a lot of piecing going on, not just the obvious. First I had to make the patchwork. That was a lot of repetitive cutting, sewing and pressing. The pattern is actually a wild combination of the TV 1896 Ripple Jacket, a sleeve pattern that I had and a half circle skirt. The bodice is interlined with horsehair canvas. Because of all the different fabrics and the pressed seam allowances not wanting to behave, I used a herringbone stitch to keep them liying flat. The lapels are pad stitched and the lining of the bodice is sewn in by hand using a slip stitch.
The chemise is just two large rectangles with a lot of inserted lace, mostly by hand hand using a slip stitch.
What a showstopper! It looks very dramatic and your certainly made good use of those scraps. That coat is amazing. The corset is also so lovely, and the stripes of it accentuate the silhouette of it.
The labor and creativity that went into this project is really amazing 🤩 The fit is perfect!
That jacket is literally stunning inside and out. What a statement piece, and the dainty pink corset is such a lovely contrast. Stunning work.
What a beautiful, playful design! It imediately made me think of theatre, which I love. The jacket is so nicely worked, and the undergarments are just lovely.
Wonderful!
The corset is such an unexpected touch but also so perfect.
A really great costume – beautiful inside as well as outside. Proper respect!
Wonderful fit and great construction! A really lovely interpretation of your concept.