Corsets and crinoline in the spotlight at time-travelling fashion show
A time-travelling fashion show is set to take to the catwalk in Ironbridge this week.
To coincide with fashion weeks in London, Paris, Milan and New York, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust will host its own Fashion Through The Ages catwalk show at Enginuity in Coalbrookdale later this week.
On Friday, September 22 and Saturday 23, models dressed as Quakers, coal merchants, female footballers and even Queen Victoria will strut down the catwalk in some 40 replica costumes representing fashions from 1750 to 1970.
A compere will present the fascinating history of each outfit and explain the sometimes complex engineering behind the pieces, from bustles to bum rolls, corsets to crinolines.
Alison Phillips, senior costume interpreter at the Costume Project has curated the show.
She said: “Visitors to Blists Hill Victorian Town love seeing our staff dressed in Victorian costume, which inspired us to produce this catwalk show.
"Fashion Through The Ages is an opportunity to see replicas of an array of beautiful costumes from a period of more than two centuries.
"The audience will learn what styles were popular and why, as well as how these sometimes complicated designs were made. We think the show will delight fashionistas and sewers as much as history buffs and technical specialists.”
A special guest will model one of the pieces in the show: 2022 Great British Sewing Bee contestant Richy Wedge from Shrewsbury will go down the catwalk in a Regency outfit made by him.
As fans of the show will know, Richy has a passion for costume and period pieces and makes historical garments in his spare time.
Richy Wedge said: “I’m delighted to be taking part in IGMT’s catwalk show. I’m looking forward to seeing all the period costumes go down the catwalk.
"The show is a great way to celebrate the different styles that have made fashion history, in the historic setting of Coalbrookdale.”
Another special piece in the show was designed by local student Carl Davis, whose outfit was selected by a panel of judges including Richy Wedge as the winner of a competition for Telford College students to design an innovative costume inspired by clothing from the period 1750 to 1900. The winning piece will be revealed as the final outfit in the show.
There will also be a small collection of original dresses on display for people to see before the show.
Doors open at 6pm and the fashion show will take place from 7pm to 9pm. Tickets cost £15 for adults and £12 for children and students.
For more information visit: ironbridge.org.uk
