Olivia Hildreth
Much Ado About Narrative
The collection began with research into Tudor and Elizabethan Britain, due to an interest in period film.This has led to further investigation into the period through Shakespeare, with particular emphasis on his plays set in Italy. Finally, the play that has been chosen is Much Ado About Nothing, which was chosen for the themes and imagery it inspires and is set in Messina, Sicily, and thought to have been written around 1595. This research has proceeded to draw me to the Italian Quattrocento and Cinquecento Fashions for men and women. Details, such as slash and puff, along with other intriguing garments known as Ciopas, where mainly worn by men. The characteristics of the garment consisted of are padding, along with splits for the arms and finished with a contrasting lining and black edging making a striking cape.
The collection will also be influenced by a Sicilian Caretta, which is a Sicilian Orange cart, that I discovered at an exhibition in the Hull Street Life Museum. The Caretta, from the 1920’s, is rich in colour and ornately decorated. These carts are still family heirlooms, decorated by each generation. The particular cart mentioned has cherubs carved into its wheels and ornate images, telling stories of events the families have been through. This story telling idea is one that the collection will take forward through prints depicting the themes in the play of Much Ado About Nothing. Upon finding a vintage scarf, I have used it and purchased more to investigate pattern cutting with square scarves. By incorporating the idea of pattern cutting through scarves, this will also be an environmentally friendly approach to the collection as the squares will only have minor waste.
A primary theme that runs through the play is that of ancient Greek gods and goddesses.The collection will analyse paintings from the period that depict these gods in religious paintings, along with other heavenly beings. These ethereal creatures and the way the artists portray them are a major influence on how the Italian Renaissance inspiration will be interpreted. The particular inspiration for the theme and fluidity of this collection is Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Moulage, the art of making from the body, will be used to understand how fabrics float on the body with the aim of achieving garments that embody the essence of the Birth of Venus, being flattering to the body and empowering to the wearer. The silhouette that will be adopted is mainly that of an hourglass figure aiming to be draped in ways that move around the body and give motion, even when stationary. This idea influenced by the Birth of Venus as Venus is stood stationary, but the wind and world move around her.