We will rock you so far..

We Will Rock You!
In Btec Performing Arts we have been focussing on We Will Rock You, during this course I have learnt many things about the theatre production one being the style of their costumes. They tend to be very punk and stylish, so when I made my costume for this I used a combination of both tartan and denim to construct the costumes. I used these fabrics as they help the style of music We Will Rock You consists of and adds flavour to the characters. Rather than completely constructing my costume from scratch I decided that I would modify a costume from denim jeans to make it look more professional. This would also make sure that the costume would fit me properly rather than having to measure myself.

I then measured and cut the top of my jeans and used the seams to hem the edges this would make the costume look more professional and neat. I ensured the seams where fixed securely fixed with a hot glue gun before I continued to make my skirt. Once this was done, I used tartan to pleat into a skirt and then again created a hem along the bottom. To make our costume more funky and nicer to look at I personalized it by adding details to the skirt such as using safety pins for the punk rock feeling, and rosettes. I also added buttons and badges.

Whilst I was constructing my costume I also had to be aware of the health and safety aspects. The glue gun being one, if I didn’t use this appropriately it could burn my skin, I also had to be aware of the fabric scissors as these are very sharp and could cause many problems.

The costume I made would be used to perform in, I will be constructing further items to accompany my skirt. I will also be involved in the makeup and accessory creation. And once this is all done I will model the costume I have made and professionally photograph them.

Below is an image of my skirt in progress, since then I have added seams to the bottoms of the skirt, and more rosettes.

corset research

The history of corsets-
In the 1830’s after using my research I have found the corset was thought of as a medical piece of clothing. I feel it was believed that a woman was very fragile and delicate and needed assistance from some form to stay up. Even girls as young as three or four where laced up into bodices, and wore corsets no matter what age. Gradually these garments were lengthened and tightened. By the time they were teenagers, the girls were unable to sit or stand for any length of time without wearing a canvas corset reinforced with whale bone or steel. The corset wasn’t healthy and for those who wore it, it deformed the internal organs making it impossible to draw deep breaths in or out whilst wearing a corset. Because of this Victorian women were always fainting and getting the vapors, so no matter what the outcome was ladies in mainly the 16^th-19^th century would have to wear the lovely elegant looking things that caused such problem.
This shows me that women were thought of as the weaker sex, therefore their minds and bodies were weak. So the corset was said to be morally and medically necessary. I have found from my research that corsets really set an impression on the person; a loose corset was probably a sign of a loose woman. So to keep your innocence a lady had to be chaperoned everywhere she went. She could not read or see any plays, even Shakespeare was though unsuitable for ladies. A woman needed to protect herself from inappropriate men, by wearing heavily reinforced layers of clothing and tight corsets and simple clothes is what they did to do this. This was because they didn’t need the freedom to do household chores, as those who wore corsets where those who where wealthy so could just pay servants to do this.
I feel that the history of corsets have changed over years, from being something beautiful and something people had to wear to now being looked at as a piece of underwear. Corsets have existed for centuries and can be traced back to Greek and Minoan times. However when the subject of corsets is mentioned many people immediately think of the tight lacing that is associated with the Victorian era, and the horror stories of practices that took place in that time in order for woman’s shapes to me moulded to what was accepted and constantly held up straight. 

constructing a corset

On top of all our practical work we are also constructing a corset in our costume construction lessons to go with our denim and tartan skirts we made.


To make our corset we have to do the following steps-
-Place a template on the denim and carefully cut around it using material scissors to get a quality cut
-Once they have all been cut out I had to pin each section in the right order to start making the shape of the corset
-To make sure they stayed together I used a needle and thread to tack over where I had pinned, I did this because when I had to start using the sewing machine I had guidelines of where to sew and that it was all in the correct place which would make it easier to use the sewing machine and save a lot of time.

-Once I have completed the bodice shape using the sewing machine, I will add accessories like rosettes and previous techniques we have learnt as well as badges and puns to decorate the bodice to match the skirt. Once we have finished the bodice I will add a denim edging so it looks neat and a finished look.
-On the back of my corset I am going to be adding an elastic strip to it to make sure it fits correctly and can stretch as well as being comfortable when performing in. 


I am really enjoying making all these costumes and have found it quite easy, I thought it would be hard to make costumes but once you have learned all techniques it makes it all so much easier!


Here is a picture of my corset without decoration and the final decorations.