Costume Welcome Guide

Preparing for your course

We're delighted that you've chosen to join our creative community at Arts University Bournemouth. We can't wait to see what you'll create.

Welcome to BA (Hons) Costume

This welcome pack is designed to give you an idea of what to expect during the first weeks of your course. Please take the time to read it carefully and take particular note of the pre-course preparation. We hope that you will enjoy a happy and productive time with us, and we look forward to meeting you in October.

A message from your Course Leader

Congratulations on achieving your place on BA (Hons) Costume at AUB!

We look forward to welcoming you to AUB at induction week, when you'll have the opportunity to meet staff and current students, find your way around the University, discover Bournemouth and learn more about studying at AUB. The course is delivered over 30 weeks, with a Christmas and Easter break, and one consolidation week.

You can find information below about what the course provides for you and what you need to bring.

– Dr Helen Walter, Acting Course Leader

Before you join us

There is no summer project as such, but we recommend practising drawing and sewing, reading around your subject, watching live and online productions and films, and visiting exhibitions and art galleries.

The Library at AUB is extremely well resourced and includes all key texts that you'll need. The books listed below (digital and hard copy versions are available in the AUB Library) are suggested to get you started; you might like to borrow a copy from your local library to read before you arrive. You'll receive a comprehensive reading list in the Course Handbook when you enrol and at the start of each unit of study.

Arnold, J. (1977) Patterns of Fashion 1: Englishwomen’s Dresses and their Construction c1660-1860. London: Macmillan.
Arnold, J. (1972) Patterns of Fashion 2: Englishwomen’s Dresses and their Construction c1860-1940. London: Macmillan.
Barrington, M. (2016) Stays and Corsets: Historical Patterns Translated for the Modern Body. New York: Focal Press.
Edwards, L. (2020) How to Read a Suit: A Guide to Changing Men's Fashion from the 17th to the 20th Century. London: Bloomsbury.
Edwards, L. (2021) How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 21st Century. London: Bloomsbury.
Kim A., and Mida, I.E. (2015) The Dress Detective. London: Bloomsbury.
Pride, R. (2018) The Costume Supervisor’s Toolkit: supervising theatre costume production from first meeting to final performance. New York: Routledge.
Magill, S. (2017) Making Vintage 1940s Clothes for Women. Marlborough: The Crowood Press.
Pride, R. (2018) The Costume Supervisor’s Toolkit: supervising theatre costume production from first meeting to final performance. New York: Routledge.
Waugh, N. (1964) The Cut of Men’s Clothes 1600-1900. London: Faber.
Waugh, N. (1968) The Cut of Women’s Clothes 1600-1930. London: Faber.

We also recommend you read a journal article from Costume, The Journal of Dress History or Studies in Costume and Performance. This will help you begin to understand costume within an historical, social and cultural context.

Current student work

Have a look through some of the work our current students are producing to get an idea of the type of work you may be making on our course.

Two mannequins dressed in 19th century Wuthering Heights-inspired costumes. One with a men's frock coat, waistcoat, trousers and top hat and holding a cane; the other wearing an orange patterned day dress and bonnet.

A 17th century jacket embroidered on one side with an intricate floral pattern.

A model shown side-on, wearing a 19th century lobster-inspired dress.

A BA (Hons) Acting student wearing an 18th century costume and wig, performing in La Casa Nova at Palace Court Theatre.

Several BA (Hons) Acting students performing a ballroom scene in a performance of "Masque Macabre". Several couples are in the middle of a waltz.

Cast photo of community play SALT, showing all performers in costume, posing for a photo in front of a black brick wall.

Close-up of a purple men's 19th century double-breasted jacket on a mannequin.

A model poses for a photo wearing a pantomime dame-style dress and bonnet.

A model poses for a photo in a period-style riding habit and headdress.

BA (Hons) Costume students viewing costumes at Blandford Fashion Museum.

Six BA (Hons) Acting students sitting along a high-backed wooden bench, all wearing period-style costumes while performing AUB Productions' "Masque Macabre".

Close-up of a long men's jacket with a red and gold waistcoat underneath, on a mannequin.

A model poses for a photo while wearing a pink period-style costume.

Close-up of the front of a period-style dress, with two winged snakes embroidered onto the chest.

Six BA (Hons) Acting students dressed in period-style costume while performing AUB Productions' "Masque Macabre".

A BA (Hons) Costume student adjusts a BA (Hons) Acting student's costume backstage during a performance of "Wolves of Willoughby Chase".

A performer in pantomime dame-style costume and make-up, pictured while leaping.

A model poses for a photo while dressed in a long druid-style costume and headdress, holding a staff.

BA (Hons) Costume students adjusting a BA (Hons) Acting student's costume backstage at Palace Court Theatre during a performance of La Casa Nova.

A BA (Hons) Acting student wearing an 18th century-style dress while performing La Casa Nova at Palace Court Theatre.

A BA (Hons) Acting student in 18th century-style costume and holding a cane sits on a sofa, performing in La Casa Nova.

Several BA (Hons) Acting students on stage during a performance of "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase".