July 2004
For my role as Bella Manningham in the play Gas Light, I was immediately struck by the similarities of her situation to Isabel Archer in the film version of Portrait of a Lady. I was facinated by the black dress in the film and recognised at least one historical inspirational source. I decided to use correct historical patterning mixed with the design in the firm.
The entire ensemble is made from cotton which helps with heat issues under lights from the stage. The fully pleated underskirt used 10m of black muslin and the pleats are held in place with a wide decorative stitch which prevented the stitches from popping open when I needed to sit on stage. The fabric was pleated then treated as a single layer of fabric to create shape and a fairly short train.
The bodice and overskirt are made from a fine cotton twill wich a soft sheen. The bolero is made from cotton velvet.