COSTUME DESIGN

This costume was made for the play, The Duchess of Malfi, set in the 16th century and written by John Webster.

 

This revenge tragedy play is set in the court of Malfi, Italy, from 1504 to 1510.The play begins as a love story, when the Duchess marries beneath her class after her first husband dies, and ends as a nightmarish tragedy as her two brothers undertake their revenge, destroying themselves in the process.

I wanted to design my characters as close to historically accurate as possible, to further develop my research skills and learn more about costume from different time periods. I designed and made a dress for the Duchess inspired by one of the only surviving full garments from the time period and place, the crimson Pisa dress.