Decorative Arts: Period Accessories Part One
The second unit in my Decorative Arts class is formally called "period accessories," but informally called "propstumes"--items which are sometimes considered a prop, and sometimes considered a costume, usually aesthetically determined by the costume designer, and sometimes made by the costume production staff. The point of the project is to explore the creation of an item which often has a very specific function within the context of a theatrical production--reticules must contain other props, housekeepers must unlock doors with the keys on chatelaines, fans must easily and smoothly open and close (and often stand up to abuse like smacking a fellow actor with them!).
So, since i have eight(!) students this time--i'm overenrolled by two, my normal course max enrollment is six--i'll share these projects in two separate posts, split by theme. Today features three handbags and a fur muff.
Third-year grad Candy McClernan has really become interested in the translation/reinterpretation of historical crochet patterns--recall that her gloves involved rewriting a 1950s crochet glove pattern. So, when she found out that i owned a set of 1885 patterns for crocheted purses and bags, she decided to give one a try! The original pattern called for seed beads, but we knew that made a very small purse, far too small for practical use onstage, so she decided to make hers using size 6 glass beads and #30 crochet thread, and came up with this much larger reticule.
Second-year grad Colleen Dobson was drawn to this bellows-style reticule in the Kyoto costume collection. She used a salvaged purse frame from a deaccessioned damaged bag, and created it from a length of shibori fabric that she'd made last spring in dye class.
First-year grad Katie Keener was drawn to this vintage tortoiseshell bag frame, and decided to embellish her bag with over 100 yo-yos of silk taffeta.
Second-year grad Denise Dietrich used pelts from a deaccessioned fur coat to create this lovely (and WARM) fur muff with beaded/tasseled wrist-loop.
So, since i have eight(!) students this time--i'm overenrolled by two, my normal course max enrollment is six--i'll share these projects in two separate posts, split by theme. Today features three handbags and a fur muff.
Third-year grad Candy McClernan has really become interested in the translation/reinterpretation of historical crochet patterns--recall that her gloves involved rewriting a 1950s crochet glove pattern. So, when she found out that i owned a set of 1885 patterns for crocheted purses and bags, she decided to give one a try! The original pattern called for seed beads, but we knew that made a very small purse, far too small for practical use onstage, so she decided to make hers using size 6 glass beads and #30 crochet thread, and came up with this much larger reticule.
Second-year grad Colleen Dobson was drawn to this bellows-style reticule in the Kyoto costume collection. She used a salvaged purse frame from a deaccessioned damaged bag, and created it from a length of shibori fabric that she'd made last spring in dye class.
First-year grad Katie Keener was drawn to this vintage tortoiseshell bag frame, and decided to embellish her bag with over 100 yo-yos of silk taffeta.
Second-year grad Denise Dietrich used pelts from a deaccessioned fur coat to create this lovely (and WARM) fur muff with beaded/tasseled wrist-loop.