One of the challenges in the costume design for ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ at William Peace University (November 2013) was the ensemble – we had eight women in the ensemble, and I wanted to keep the overall aesthetic cohesive while still giving each woman a different look.  This was accomplished through a lot of mixing and matching of pieces – I purchased a number of inexpensive “Victorian” corsets to use as a base, and built bloomers, skirts, and bustle overskirts to use as accent pieces.

One of my favorite Ensemble outfits was this one – dubbed the “Peacock Outfit”.  It features a late 19th c. chemise, pale green tights, black-and-white striped bloomers decorated with black Venise lace, and an 1872 Draped Overskirt built using Truly Victorian 303.

The shimmery ‘peacock’ effect was accomplished by using a place green taffeta as the base and overlaying it with a sea-blue organza.  The light caught it beautifully as the actor danced, and the movement on stage was great.  Edged with green/blue gimp trim and tassel trim.