We are so excited to announce the Costume Society’s Patterns of Fashion and Patterns for Performance Award 2024 finalists.
This year, the standard of entries was incredibly high, with the successful students studying at Wimbledon College of Arts, University of Salford and Carnegie Mellon University.
The students have completed a reconstruction of an historical garment based on a Janet Arnold pattern. All the garments have been completed to an excellent standard of craftsmanship. One is a recreation of Schiaparelli’s 1940s dinner dress, held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, one is an 1860s promenade dress, and the other is a late eighteenth-century gown and petticoat. The level of cut, construction, and decorative skill in all three demonstrates an exceptional understanding of period dress.
Finalists are: Amber Archer, Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London; Danielle Duchinos, Carnegie Mellon Univeristy; Abigail Johnstone, Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London.
Using a Janet Arnold pattern as a basis to develop a theatrical costume for a character in a performance, this year’s finalists have selected characters from Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist and Daniel Defoe’s Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress.
At this stage, students have created a costume design for their character and completed a calico toile. The finalists are invited to produce the completed costume for the awards ceremony and film the costume on a performer. All three finalists demonstrate creativity and imaginative flair through their interpretation and adaptation of period patterns to meet the needs of performance costume.
Finalists are: Olivia Gallamore, University of Salford; Alli Hepper, Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London; Kaiqi Zhang, Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London.
For more information about both awards including past winners, please see: The Patterns of Fashion Awards and The Patterns for Performance Awards.
The Awards will be presented as part of the society’s Annual General Meeting in July. Date and venue to be confirmed.
For press images or interviews with the finalists, please contact: Babette Radclyffe-Thomas, News Editor at the Costume Society