…from an earlier post? This is how it came out.
The piece was born out of an overabundance of white fabric that came in the form of a costume that was used in Royal Exchange’s Anna Karenina being passed on to Costume Hire, but not in a form we could really use. So I hacked it apart and started again, as is my specialty.
The bodice/jacket/top I drafted straight onto a dress dummy; since the item would be for hire to the general public, therefore not having a particular real person to fit, a generic shape would do.
The fluted front was inspired by a photo of a similar victorian garment in a book (we have so many great books there) and the couched cord work is just something I fancied doing.
My favourite bit, though, was taking the original 12 foot train from the Anna Karenina dress and making it into an outrageous bustle. I do so love an outrageous bustle.