Patterns for Performance Award Winners 2024

On Saturday 6th July, the Costume Society announced the Patterns for Performance 2024 award winners at the Society’s Annual General Meeting held at the Fashion and Textiles Museum.

The Patterns for Performance award enables students to design and make a theatrical costume for a character in a performance using one of Arnold’s or Waugh’s original patterns as a starting point. The awards are an important part of the Costume Society’s output that promotes the high standard of craft and artistry within costume.

Three finalists were selected for each Award and the students exhibited their costumes and research at the museum for judges and Society members to view. The entries for Patterns for Performance were judged by the multi-award-winning costume designer, Susannah Buxton whose work includes Poldark (series 2), Burton and Taylor, Downton Abbey (series 1 and 2) and Mr. Wroe’s Virgins.

This year, the standard of entries was incredibly high, with the successful finalists studying at Wimbledon College of Arts, University of Salford and Carnegie Mellon University.

Patterns for Performance 2024 Winner: Alli Hepper

Alli, a student at Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London, designed and created a costume for the character Dol Common from The Alchemist by Ben Jonson. In her process work, Alli explained that research ‘into the historical travelling circus Commedia dell’arte, the context and politics of the early 17th Century, and into the roles and appearances of the characters in this time period’ informed her design process. Alli used the pattern ‘1603 Stitched Bodies in Fustian on the Funeral Effigy of Elizabeth I’ in Patterns of Fashion 5 along with research into farthingales from Patterns of Fashion 3 to create her garment. She also undertook experiments in dyeing and printing to achieve the fabrics required for her design. Alli applied to the competition because she hoped to gain a better understanding of historical dress, fabrics and techniques through her application of the Patterns of Fashion books to her own practice. The costume on the body not only portrayed a historical aesthetic, but importantly the character, Dol Common.

Patterns for Performance 2024 Highly Commended: Kaiqi Zhang

Kaiqi, a student at Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London, designed and made a costume for the character of Mammon from Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist. She used several patterns from Patterns of Fashion 3 and Patterns of Fashion 4 as references for her designs. These were the c.1615-1620 Doublet, c.1615-1620 Breeches or Venetians, and c.1660-1680 Crimson Velvet Circular or Compass Cloak from Patterns of Fashion 3 and a ruff pattern from Patterns of Fashion 4. The level of creativity and the colour palette selected was extraordinary. Kaiqi chose to enter the competition because it gave her “the opportunity to use traditional clothing patterns and be innovative, which is exciting”. Kaiqi explained that her costume was “based on traditional European men’s costumes from the 1600s, with some details based on Mammon’s character traits. For example, because he is a greedy and lustful person, I added the feeling of decay-like bubbles and used flowers to represent desire (but considering the final effect, I changed the flowers into small beads)”. Kaiqi said of the Award ceremony that “meeting with the judges gave me the opportunity to hear more different professional voices and suggestions, which made my future path clearer”.

Patterns for Performance 2024 Runner Up: Olivia Gallamore

Olivia, a student at University of Salford, created a costume for the character of Roxana in a ballet adaptation of Daniel Defoe’s 18th-century novel, Roxana. She used several patterns from Patterns of Fashion 5 and Patterns of Fashion 6. These were the ‘Mantua Gown and Petticoat in Green Silk Brocaded with Gold’ from Patterns of Fashion 6, ‘Smooth Covered Court Stays in Embroidered Ivory Silk’ and ‘Yellow Linen Farthingale with Ropes of Bents’ from Patterns of Fashion 5. Since Olivia designed her costume for ballet, she had to make several adjustments including making the stays from a stretch fabric. The embroidery on the stays is completely hand worked and Olivia described her inspiration, in her process work, as ‘jewellery designs and portraits’ from the period. She used this to ‘develop a symmetrical pattern that will stand out once worked in with gold’. Olivia had not designed for dance before and said the competition was “a fantastic problem solving opportunity as I had to consider things about movement and seam placement that I had never thought of in designing costumes for screen”. She entered the competition “as it provided a unique challenging experience” that took her out of her comfort zone and gave her an “opportunity to take an in depth look at historical costume making”.

Susannah Buxton said of the finalists; “It was such a pleasure to be one of the judges at the Costume Society Awards this year. The standard of work was exceptionally high and it wasn't easy to choose the winner. However Allie Hepper's inventive and striking costume for Dol Common in Ben Johnsons play The Alchemist totally fulfilled the brief. As well as a very good adaption of the Janet Arnold pattern, the costume came to life in the video she made, the actor taking on the seductive and wily role of the character in the play. This was helped hugely by Allie's dramatic use of colour and her adherence to the silhouettes of the early 18th Century”.