Victorian inspired shirt
Robyn Daly
Wellington High School
Year 12 Fashion and Textiles Technology
Teacher: Kylie Merrick
When invited to design a garment for herself or other teenagers, Robyn turned to history for inspiration. In her research of costumes and fashions she was inspired by the Victorian era, and decided "to design a contemporary garment which reflected both the style of the 1800s and my own". She sketched some dress designs, incorporating the intricate detailing of that time, but decided these would take too long to make, so opted to make a shirt instead.
Robyn experimented with different sewing techniques, such as puffed squares, stuffed bubbles, gathering, pin tucks and knife pleats, and considered which kinds of detailing would work best in her design. She also examined fabrics, to see what would give the romantic, old-fashioned look she was after, deciding on chiffon with satin, lace and ribbon as feature fabrics. Robyn chose black fabrics, so that bright colours wouldn't detract from the detailing nor make the shirt look 'over the top'.
After selecting her final design for development, Robyn substantially modified a commercial shirt pattern, changing the front seam to make a scalloped edge, taking the flaps off the collar and substituting ties, removing the shoulder pads, shortening the sleeves and gathering the shoulders to make them puffy, and adding a flounced hem. She also added a large bib for the chest and a panel for the back of the shirt and decided to cover the buttons in fabric to add to the opulent look she was after.
Robyn made a mock-up of her shirt first, to see if she needed to alter the pattern to get the fit she envisaged. She made a flounce to go around the bottom of the shirt but decided it didn't look as frilly as she'd hoped, so instead used some left-over calico to make a long line of pleats – this worked better and was incorporated into the final version.
Before starting construction, Robyn trialled different stitching techniques to find out which would give seams, hems and buttonholes the neatest and most professional look. She sewed the shirt and pleats in chiffon, with satin for the sleeve edging, ties, collar and buttons. The front bib was made out of lace with ribbon underneath for added detail.
Robyn was pleased with the look of her shirt, which she says could be worn in formal or casual situations. She enjoyed working through the technological process from concept to construction, and notes that the shirt could be adapted for mass production by using ready-made lace rows and having fewer buttons for faster assembly.
Teacher comment
The Victorian inspired shirt has great fashion value and street appeal. The project was about being inspired by the past and transforming and manipulating ideas to form new fashion trends. Robyn successfully transferred ideas and concepts from one period of fashion history to meet the needs of forthcoming fashion trends. The materials she selected had a difficult-to-handle aspect (fraying, being transparent and slippery during sewing) which pushed Robyn's skills, knowledge and handling techniques. Her technological practice included a range of different tests and mock-ups, with evolving alterations as the design emerged from paper to a 3D solution. The end garment was a great success and many people, from teenagers through to adults, were interested in purchasing it from her. It is a fashion staple that will not date in the wardrobe as it is classic with a mix of modern funk.
