‘History is written by the writers' – Stephen Thompson

The cornerstone for my MA Historical Costume degree has been anachronism, specifically why costumers sometimes make the choice to be intentionally anachronistic when designing and building for film, television and stage. 

We place the concept of ‘history’ on a pedestal as something that should only ever be perfectly replicated when telling stories of the past, and yet humanity’s collective perception is skewed by culture, nostalgia and personal ideology. We struggle to see facts as they are because at some point we progressed so far past our roots that we cannot envision how humans once existed, acted and poured themselves into their preferred forms of self-expression.

Through primary research study, dress observation, and practice-based learning, I investigated fashions worn by adults and children from the fifth, sixth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. From this, I built re-imagined, period-accurate costumes based on characters from Alice in Wonderland, What We Do In The Shadows, and Good Omens. Understanding how humanity views history, and why this knowledge is essential to effective costuming, has given me essential insight into my own work and how to be a better historical advocate and representative.

I plan to return to my career in film, television and stage as a more informed costume-maker.