Back For The Future
Alice Edge
Lilleah Stuart
Gort
Community
School
galway county council
Created from items sourced in charity shops and a donation of unwanted fabric from a family friend, this outfit was inspired by the Victorian era, a time where women’s fashion became the site of political change, playing a major role in the suffragette movement.
The trousers were inspired by women’s cycling britches, a design that allowed women to move about freely, rejecting the constricting corsets and crinolines of previous era’s. Using a pattern book from the 1890s as a reference, the group created their own patterns for both the ‘scrousers’ and the waistcoat, adapting them for a more modern, contemporary look.
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The two tone ‘scrousers’ have a gathered detail at the front and a topstitched waistband feature, the buttonholes were hand stitched and the buttons were salvaged from an unwanted shirt.
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The waistcoat is lined with a beautiful owl fabric salvaged from an unwanted dress which is hand stitched to the outer fabric in a nod to Victorian construction techniques. The button loops were handmade using a japanese lace making technique and create a beautiful design feature on the waistcoat.
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The shirt was customised with a band of the same fabric used for the waistcoat lining, appliqued to the collar.
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The group researched polyester and highlighted the 70 million barrels of oil used to produce polyester in 2022.
