Davina Gray

This gown was made as a semester project by a brilliant young costumer studying at Wimbledon School of Art, in London England. The inspiration for the gown (which is being worn by a fellow costume student, Anna Jartin) came from a miniature of Mary Queen of Scots, and you can see a full-length photo of the dress here. And one of the coolest things about this ensemble is that it is for sale! You can read more details about the gown beneath the picture, and just to give you a clue about the size, it has a corseted measurement of 31.5 inches for the waist and 34.5 inches for the bust. If you would like to inquire about purchasing this spectacular gown, you can contact Davina at dee-dee(at)talk21.com.

This is my first period costume ever tackled and it took such a long time to make! I made a linen smock which I machine embroidered with blackwork, a spanish farthingale and a corded cotton petticoat (couldn't afford more linen). The ladies doublet was heavily boned so I did not need to make a corset (all lined). I made all the jewelery and pearl decorations out of air-dry clay which I gold leafed - I found this method really effective for making specific decoration (which you can never find in the shops). The ruffs were made from linen which I starched and inserted very thin wire through the turned edge. The sleeves were made from silk which I slashed, and decorated with silk ribbons sewn on by hand. The underskirt fabric was decorated using jones tones foiling, tulip fabric paint and pearls/gemstones. I made my pomander from an X-mas bauble, which I stuck buttons, beads to and painted gold.