16th CENTURY BODICE
Conceptual Design & Make Unit (January - April 2021)
Project Brief
To create six costume designs - and one realised costume – for the contemporary musical “SIX” by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, based on the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives.
The designs needed to follow the 1598 corset pattern from Mandy Barrington’s book Stays and Corsets Vol 2, using flat pattern drafting to create a historical silhouette – albeit with modern additions and embellishments.
We were encouraged to explore contemporary fabrics rather than the silks, satins and velvets usually associated with a traditional Tudor bodice.
My Design Concept
I wanted to inject a gritty attitude into my designs and chose Punk subculture as my core concept.
Tartan is an integral part of the Punk visual language. By researching the personalities of the six wives, I was able to match different colours and styles of tartan to best represent their various characters and moods.
For my realised costume I chose Katherine Howard.
Project Length
A 10-week unit.
