For my Final Major Project, I made three dresses for Hurn Court Opera’s 1930s reinterpretation of Verdi’s La Traviata. I created two dresses under the designer Wayne Martin for Annina, Violetta’s maid (a Town Dress and a Country Dress), performed by Erin Fflur as well as Violetta’s Act Two dress, performed by Caroline Taylor.

This was one of my favourite projects from my time at AUB because we had the opportunity to collaborate with an external production company. It felt very different from previous university projects because these costumes were being made for professional opera singers and would be seen by a live audience. It was exciting to see the costumes being developed from initial ideas into finished garments that would become part of the performance.

One of the highlights was being able to visit Christchurch and watch one of the three productions of the show with my fellow costume makers, which also toured to Blandford and Winchester. Seeing the costumes on stage under the lighting was a completely different experience from seeing them in the costume studio, as well as being perfectly finished with hair and makeup, led by BA (Hons) Makeup, Hair and Prosthetics student Erin Nice. After the performance, some members of the audience came over to congratulate us on our work and tell us how amazing the costumes looked on stage. It was such a proud moment seeing all of our hard work come together and knowing that our costumes were helping to bring the story to life.

My favourite costume to make was Violetta’s Country Dress. As Violetta’s illness and eventual death from tuberculosis is central to the story, the designer and I wanted to create a subtle way of foreshadowing her fate through the costume. Instead of using a traditional floral fabric, I designed a print with tuberculosis cells and an X-ray of the human torso, layered with microscopic imagery of the disease. I created the design digitally using Procreate and Photoshop before working with AUB’s textile technicians to print the fabric using the sublimation printer. When viewed from a distance, the fabric looks like a beautiful floral pattern, but when seen up close, the hidden medical imagery creates a much more unsettling feeling, adding another layer of storytelling to the costume. To further develop the concept, I collaborated with a BA (Hons) Modelmaking student Connie Shillito to create bespoke buttons inspired by white blood cells. I really enjoyed this part of the project because it showed how different courses at AUB can work together and how everyone’s individual skills can contribute to a final design.

Three women posing together against a grey background. The woman on the left wears a black dress with a white collar, the woman in the middle has long blonde hair and wears a dark green top, and the woman on the right is seated in a floral dress with a handbag on her lap.

A young woman with dark hair wearing a light-coloured dress featuring a floral and polka dot pattern. She stands with her arms behind her back, looking down, against a dark, neutral background that highlights her silhouette.

A woman with curly hair stands in a long, dark grey dress featuring a decorative white collar. The background is a plain grey, and she has her hands clasped in front of her.

A woman in a long black dress with puffed sleeves stands in front of a small table featuring champagne bottles. Two gold chairs are beside her, and the backdrop consists of a plain wall with a decorative geometric design.

A woman wearing a floral patterned dress stands with her hand near her face in a posed manner. The background features green lattice and pink flowers arranged in pots, with a wooden floor beneath her.

The biggest challenge I faced during this project was the timescale. We started making the costumes in mid-January with rehearsals beginning at the start of April, meaning I had just over two months to draft, construct and fit three complete dresses. Throughout the process, the costumes also needed to be adapted during fittings to ensure they worked practically for the performer and allowed them to feel comfortable and confident on stage. This taught me the importance of being flexible and problem-solving throughout the making process, as costume construction is not just about creating something visually interesting, but also about understanding the needs of the person wearing it.

Looking back, this project brought together many of the skills I have developed throughout my time at AUB, from pattern cutting and garment construction to digital design, collaboration and working with external clients. It gave me a valuable insight into what it is like to work on a professional production and showed me how rewarding it is to see something I have created become part of a live performance.

Since completing my Final Major Project, I have been lucky enough to be approached and offered a full-time position working in a costume workshop. It has been amazing to see the skills and experience I have gained throughout my time at AUB lead directly into a career opportunity. The knowledge I developed through projects like La Traviata, from construction techniques to working with performers and adapting designs, has become invaluable as I continue to grow as a costume maker. I’m excited to keep developing my skills, take on new challenges and see where my career in costume takes me next.

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