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- Verity Joy – A finalist for the Patterns...
Within the world of studying historical costume, there’s one competition in particular that stands out: the Costume Society’s Patterns of Fashion Award (think Great British Sewing Bee, but with even more hand-sewing and many hours exploring archives). Stemming from the legacy of historian and researcher Janet Arnold (author of the Patterns of Fashion books), it has inspired students within textile-based spheres for well over a decade to interact with items from the past. So, when the opportunity arose at the start of my MA Historical Costume degree to take part, I grabbed it with both hands.
My process began with selecting an item to recreate. As per the rules of the competition, I chose a dress studied by Arnold, using her drafted pattern as a basis for the project (Arnold, 1977, p.54). This was arguably the most challenging part (there are so many beautiful pieces), but I chose a pelisse-robe from 1824-27, which is part of Salisbury Museum’s textile collection. This garment, dating from the early 19th century, is what we’d refer to today as a dress-coat, and would have been worn by a middle-to-upper class young woman – potentially a teenager. Made of a stunningly vivid green silk taffeta and featuring intricate pleating, it is entirely hand-sewn. From fine topstitching and piping to the ivory silk lining, it appears to have been made-to-measure by someone of skill such as a dressmaker; though, as is relatively common for the era, there are no labels inside. With limited information available about its former life, I felt that its story needed to be explored.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Patterns of Fashion Award is the focus on historical accuracy. Wherever possible, items must be made using the same technology as available during the time of its creation – of course, some compromises have to be made in today’s world, such as the inevitable modern production methods of fabrics and differences in dye chemical compositions. Therefore, as the sewing machine was not in common use until the mid-Victorian era, I sewed the dress by hand. As a former student on the BA (Hons) Costume degree at AUB, this project gave me the freedom to apply the practical skills I learned in new and exciting ways – I’ll be honest, I never thought I’d ever sew so many pleats on one garment!
As someone fascinated by historical fashion as a tool for academic research, accurate fabric selection was central to my project in order to replicate the dress as closely as possible. To achieve this, I took a selection of samples with me on a trip to view the original pelisse-robe at Salisbury Museum. After much close examination of the fibre types, weave structure and fabric weight, I selected a green silk taffeta that was slightly lighter in colour tone than the original. While there were others with a closer colour match, this taffeta had the most similarities in terms of physical make-up. When making any form of clothing, the type of fabric can significantly alter the way that the final product drapes, moves and looks. Therefore, as a researcher, I concluded that I could learn more about the original garment by prioritising the fabric weight over colour.
Completing this project has given me a fascinating insight into the world of dress history within museum and heritage settings. As I move towards the final project of my Master’s, I’ve been inspired to investigate this further and learn how I can continue to contribute to the industry.
From screen printing silk floss thread to pleating seemingly endless quantities of fabric, I loved every minute of this project. I’m honoured to have been selected as a finalist for the competition and, most of all, hope that I’ve helped to support the legacy of this beautiful pelisse-robe for many years to come.
