The textile item is a wearable textile art in the form of a blouse and skirt set inspired by Shirley Barber’s children’s book Fairy Collection. It is designed for the end use of being exhibited at the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration for the 1st anniversary commemoration of Shirley Barber’s death. Alongside Shirley Barber’s Fairy Collections, the design takes inspiration from a range of artistic sources including historical design shapes, contemporary runway fashion and floral arrangements. The shape of the design conveys the influence of a combination of different historical and cultural designs including the Bishop and Peasant style sleeves from the early to mid-20th century, the A-line skirt shape inspired by 1950s Spring Dior and the bodice and panelled skirt style of the modern Vietnamese Áo dài. A more contemporary influence has also been introduced through the cut out back inspired by the daring cuts of Peter Do’s designs. Fairy Collections predominantly influences the colour palette of the design, leaning heavily into green with touches of pastel pink, blue and yellow. Additionally, the gold borders of the illustrations inspired the use of aesthetic gold bias binding in the design. The floral imagery of Fairy Collections is creatively brought to life by the influence of contemporary runway fashion of Kimberly Gordon and Elie Saab. Kimberly Gordon’s designs inspired the ribbon lace up front and pattern-like floral hand painting. Similarly, Elie Saab’s influence is conveyed using sheer fabrics such as chiffon and organza, as well as the inclusion of delicate embroidery and beading.
