Harley Ward: "Traditional Elizabethan Gown: Adapted for use on the Stage"

            This gown represents Elizabethan period of research clothing and traditional clothing embellishment.

            Research for costume design in the Theatre Arts is conducted in two ways: designs are created based on extensive personal knowledge of the particular period; or from outside research of actual period elements such as paintings, photographs, or drawings.    Traditionally, today’s theatre costumes are constructed in a less elaborate manner than their historic counterparts.

            For a garment of this design to be made in the Elizabethan period, it would have taken a collection of weavers, stitches and cutters many weeks to finish.  With today’s modernizations, we are able to take liberties with its construction.  Such liberties include the use of nylon thread to hide hems and iron adhesive to attach some trim work.

            Also because of today’s standards of clothing are different, adaptations had to be made.  Although it is hard, finding patterns from   or based on actual Elizabethan designs can be helpful, but are normally not used because of the large differences between clothing making techniques.

            The needs of the theatre are simple.  The garment must be wearable, unrestricting, lightweight, durable, and quick to change.  As a result, items such as snap closing corset and lighter fabrics were used to make the garment more comfortable for wear on the stage.  All of these liberties are taken without sacrificing the historical accuracy of the garment’s design.  Therefore, this gown is of a period en vogue design, but also contains modern adaptations that make it accommodating to today’s standards.