Description

The textile project is inspired by the Belle Époque period (1870–1914), drawing on late 19th and early 20th century French fashion to create a historically accurate costume for film. Influenced by the emergence of softened corsetry, early feminist ideals, and advancements in textile manufacture, the design emphasises feminine silhouettes, natural body contours, and refined craftsmanship. The three piece set consists of a corset, camisole, and drawers, in period-appropriate 100% cotton fabrics. Decorative techniques such as lace insertion, traditional flossing, pleating, pin-tucking, ribboning, hand embroidery and steel boning were incorporated to reflect authentic construction methods of the era. Art Nouveau aesthetics, particularly the work of Alphonse Mucha, have informed the use of floral motifs, repetition, and organic line through embroidery and lace detailing. Further inspiration was drawn from Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), through the use of sheer white fabrics, lightweight textures, and soft silhouettes to convey femininity, vulnerability, and nature while remaining functional for close-up performance.

Images of Work

"Decorative elements include light green embroidery in a swirling, filigree pattern that runs vertically along the side panels of the corset. The front features a busk closure with visible metallic clasps in a gunmetal finish. The overall aesthetic is feminine and vintage, the pastel colour, lace trim and delicate embroidery suggest a style reminiscent of historical Victorian undergarments. Pintucking runs the length of the bodice between the structured boning."

"The style is delicate and feminine, characterised by embroidery and lace. The fabric features elaborate white embroidery in a scrolling, floral, paisley-like pattern on the upper portion visible. Below the embroidery, there is a band of decorative stitching with ribbon detailing and small square cutouts. Multiple rows of fine pintucks create subtle texture. The hemline is adorned with delicate white lace trim in an openwork floral design. A small white satin ribbon is tied into a neat bow on the side, adding a charming detail. The overall aesthetic is romantic, vintage and bridal."

Select Student Folio Pages

The pages selected for each project reflect the individual students' interpretations of the syllabus guidelines for the MTP. Each student should develop their folio according to the guidelines, relating to their own individual project. This may result in a variety of presentation styles, numbers of sketches and/or experiments.