Visit from the National Theatre
Fiona, a member of the National Theatre's staff came to see our progress on this project. We put our costumes on the mannequins for her to give us feedback.
The following comments were made about my costumes:
BODICE:
Don't make the bertha out of the main taffeta fabric, create it out of the brown lace. This will stop the ball gown looking very top heavy and keep with the sophisticated, "light" feel they have asked for.
The sleeves work well with the scallops and the lace, but add some gathering to the top so that it adds some extra fullness and allows it to sit better
The neckline does not necessarily need to be altered, attach the rose fabric onto the main one rather than backing it on the other fabric and it will help to keep it in place, whilst remaining sturdy.
No need to use the brown velvet ribbon because it is too heavy for the garment and it will look much more effective without it.
SKIRT:
The size of the scallops is good, no larger or they won't look as effective
The pleating underneath is good.
The panel down the centre should end in a more triangular shape rather than a straight rectangle.
No need to use the trim provided because there is not much of it and it doesn't fit in very well with the fabric and the design, especially because so much of the decoration is made from the fabric itself.
After having this visit, I feel as though I am on the right track. I found it useful to have someone come and look at our work whilst it is still in progress because it is good experience for when we are actually working for a client. The National Theatre have mostly given us free reign over what we create, but it was helpful to have this visit half way through the project because it would have allowed us enough time to change things if we were doing anything that they particularly didn't want. I found it interesting that Fiona decided against some of the trims we had been provided. I have learnt that it is not always necessary t use everything provided by a client, if you don't think it is very relevant.
I found the points Fiona made useful, especially in terms of the bodice because Gemma and I were a little concerned about how to create the bertha. I agree that the lace will be much more effective, we will just need to be sparing with what we have left to work with. Below is an image of what we aim to make the bertha like: