Get ready to hop in the wayback machine: It鈥檚 that time of year again when Dal鈥檚 talented Costume Studies students help transport you back to an earlier era with their hand-crafted creations.
This year鈥檚 Historical Dress Presentation, happening tonight (April 12) at 7:30pm in the new Joseph Strug Concert Hall, will take attendees back more than a century to 1903.聽.
With guidance from Dr. Perin Westerhof Nyman, their Aesthetics of Historical Dress instructor, students will be showcasing designs made with period-accurate materials. Dr. Westerhof Nyman chose the show鈥檚 time period, but gave students creative freedom beyond that.
鈥淭he students are invited to pursue any theme or avenue of research that appeals to them,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hen, once I have a clear picture of where everyone is taking their projects, I try to find a theme or narrative thread to connect them together for the show.鈥�
In this case, the narrative that emerged was one that harkened back to music hall and variety show performances popular at the turn of the 20th century. The show鈥檚 title, The Gilded Fountain Music Hall: A Celebration of Costume and Performance in 1903, is both a play on the name of the Fountain School of Performing Arts as well as a nod to what Dr. Westerhof Nyman notes as 鈥渢he grand, often fanciful names given to music hall theatres in the 19th and early 20th centuries.鈥�
鈥淭his year, many of the project proposals touched on the history of our own field 鈥� costuming for theatre and other types of performance and 'fancy-dress' 鈥攁nd then it also turned out that we were going to be the first show of this type in the new Joseph Strug Concert Hall.鈥�
Creative freedom in motion
Someone eager to share the results of her hard work is fourth-year student Tess Martin. Martin has created a 1903 fencing ensemble entirely of historically accurate materials as per course restrictions.
鈥淸The ensemble] includes a matching black velvet skirt and shirtwaist, which is a top, and a quilted vest that was the historic safety measure,鈥� says Martin.
鈥淭he combinations, corset, petticoat, skirt, shirtwaist, and vest are all made of cotton. The type of fabric varies greatly. A lot of what I use is a standard cotton that you might buy for quilting, but the skirt and shirtwaist are a black cotton velveteen which provides a nice feel,鈥� she adds.
Martin, pictured below right, acknowledges that her project sits outside the show鈥檚 theme, but that the freedom afforded to women of the era through sports is aligned with the show鈥檚 aim of underscoring the carefree feel of the era.
鈥淭his era is before the First World War, before the Great Depression. People were having fun and I think our theme . . . highlights some of the exciting parts of Edwardian life,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淪howgirls, fancy dress, Can Can, ball gowns and more. It's going to be an amazing night!鈥�
The show does more than just prov