Personal Project - Millie Burman

Hypothectical costume designs for The Royal Ballet company’s adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, music by Joby Talbot.

INITAIL MOOD BOARD

ALICE IN WONDERLAND FULL MOOD BOARD

Background resreacrh - what country is it set in? what year is it ? what did they wear ?

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN - Alice

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN - The queen of hearts

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN - Mad Hatter

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN - White Rabbit

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN - Catipillar

Looking at details of bodices, tutus, sleeves and tights in dancewear costumes to better help my understanding an dresearch.

From oberservation I can see incriate embroidery and beadwork and shimmering fabrics used to help the costumes dazzle on stage and shine even for audiences far from FRIDAY TO DO LIST the stage.

WATCH BALLET PERFROMANCE - MAKE NOTES ADD CHARACTER NOTES TO CHAARCTER PAGES I also watched many videos

on social media platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube to better my knowledge of movement.

Watching the costumes bounce with the dancers and move with their bodies has helped me visuale my own ideas and think in more detail of what materials must be used in order to create a real visual design and ensure that said designs can be worn with comfort and mobility by my hypothetically chosen dancers. These videos also showed me more incritate detailing and inspired my ideas further.

PRE WONDERLAND COSTUME: Still in 1865 England

I am using the 2011 performance, with music by Joby Talbot and choreography by Christopher Wheeldon, as a basis for my designs. This is so I can use the lore and story points from that performance to help with the run of the show and have a clear knowledge of the music used.

In this adaptaion of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Alice is slightly older (around 15), she is described to be “ahead of her time” by the director Christopher Wheeldon.

She is uncomfortable being restricted as a Victorian Child, she is more contempary- almost as if she feels she was born in the wrong generation.

This costume is to have more mature feel, shes still in the real world and adhering to the classic Victortian child values and as such dress styles. This costume follows the classic shape of large bustle, small waistlines and high necklines . Its childlike yet still formal and proper.

COSTUME CHANGE after falling down the rabbit hole!!

initail designs

Once falling down the rabbit hole there will be a costume change. Now that she is in Wonderland she has entered a fantastical, mystical land and so her dress matches that world- but only to an extent. While yes, she is now in Wonderland she is still the same person: a well-trained, polite, middle-class Victorian “lady”. Therefore, her costume is still neat, simple and pretty.

I want to carry over the same elements from her historical costume into the second one to keep continuity and show that she is still this Victorian girl. The dress should also have a light and airy feel, and move with freedom.

Her colour palette consists of pastels and soft tones to emphasis her youth and add to the whimiscal element of Wonderland.

Plus, itll set her apart from other characters as blue is not a consistant colour within other characters.

The Queen of Hearts is only fully introduced in the second act along with her guardsman. She is presented as a singular force of fear who dominates the subjects/ creatures of Wonderland - she is only con cerned with absolute rule and execution.

Her gown is to be bold and unique, her TuTu is of a different shape to every other character.

I want her to stand out against those around her on stage, not only is the Queen but shes also a very differnt person to those around her.

The Mad Hatter does mot appear on stage for longer than 10 minutes or so, however he leaves a lasting impact on both Alice as a character and the audience. In the 2011 Wheeldon version of the Ballet, he tap dances

and thus there is more room for restricting costumes as he doesnt need and as streamlined shape.

I want to focus on layers and a mixture of formal yet messy/ chaotic elements with his costume. Layers can be removed in the second act as he put on trial- hes more vunlerable in front of the Queen.

The white rabbit is a super important charcter as he acts as Alice’s unnoffical guide through Wonderland.

He of course, is an animal but I want him to have a human/ male form to push forward the bizzare and fantastical elements of the story/ his character. Like the Hatter he formal costume elements, he works for the Queen and wants to impress her out of fear.

He is still separate from her adn her asethetic though; he is his own charcter.

The book describes him as “always wearing gloves, a waistcoat, and a pocket watch” and so these elements must reamin in tact.

The caterpillar is another charcter who does not have a huge amount of stage time but does have a large impact on the story. He described in the stroy as having the appearance of a wise old professor and thus I wanted to give him an accademic, smart feel while also having the feeling of freeing and slithering movement.

He has more of a cultural feel to match his infinte knowledge- I want it to seem that hes not just from Wonderland but could be from anywhere.

The sentient flowers are beautiful, elegant and matching. I want them to be obvious in their design with large petals and bright colours.

They should feel imtidating yet still approachable and feminine.

--Alice in 1865 England.

-- Based off of research from the fashion of the era and of Alice’s class:

high necklines, large, full skirts, small waist,

bows and frills, tight sleeves and block colours.

-- Reserved and conservative to demonstrate her status as the ‘perfect Victorian young lady’.

-- The blue however, brings an innocence. She is still a young girl and is not ready to give up her youth nor strong imagination.

-- She is uncomfortable being restricted as a Victorian Child.

-- Tu-tu (romantic style) is one piece- with a hidden layers beneath for bounce and volume- but should move as one skirt.

-- Made from a silk taffeta -- Blue: Sense of freedom- shes more free from classic victorian values than others, Wisdom- shes clever and quick, Coldness- She is not the most welcoming nor warm pers onality within the story, but is still kind, Youthful- its a a colour often associated with new borns + the pastel tones feel fresh and juvenility.

--Alice in Wonderland (not tied to any specific time).

-- After she is revealed post falling down the hole there has been a costume change into a more casual and mischievous look.

-- This tu-tu and bodice pushes the youthful look even further: more relaxed neckline, floaty x exaggeratted sleeves, shorter dress length, more sleek silhoutte and modern apron style.

-- The modernisation of this costume helps show that shes ahead of her time and can exist in any time period- as Wonderland exists in any time period.

-- There is still elements kept from her original costume though, to keep consistency and show that shes just a temporary visitor in Wonderland, not a permanent resident.

-- Glittery tuelle fabric for tu-tu. Layers and layers of differing shades of blue to create a textured and mixed blue effect.

-- Tuelle will create great movement for the dancer, as will the floaty sleeves, while the leotard bodice will remain still and fixed, allwoing her body movemts to be seen clearly by audiences.

-- Subtle glitter will shine well on stage and show the magical elements of Wonderland.

-- The Queen of hearts has a vastly different tu-tu shape to others on stage to make her stand out and prove she is of a differnet status.

-- The hard, plastic fabric layer sat above the tulle restricts her movement to an extent which provides an image of strictness and rigid behaviour.

-- The tu-tu is enlarged with muliple layers of thick tulle = creates dramatic look.

-- Hearts are a central image of her costume, with glitter embroidered hearts down the bodice, heart cut outs down her gloves and a heart shaped headdress (decorated with playing cards).

-- The corset style bodice (& pearl decorations) demonstrates her regal position as does her crown inspired neck.....

-- Small ruff sleeves = mimial take on the classic royal ruff.

-- Red colour palette:

Passion, Anger, Conflict, and of

course, contempory association with hearts.

-- The Mad Hatter has a strong focus on mismatched lines and shapes.

-- The foundation of his costume is a formal wear , with a waistcoat, bow tie and shirt, however the elements have been altered, exaggerated and distressed to demonstrate his chaotic nature.

-- The mixture of formal wear and mess shows the duality of his personality and shows that he is not just one thing.

-- His tights are a classic shape however flare out at the bottom into a trousers style.

-- He wears a billowy shirt with one sleeve shortened and cuffed. The billowy sleeves echo his loose and easy breezy nature and the even shapes push forward the chaotic and uneven personality.

-- His waistcoat has a bright checkered pattern and is embellished with pages from the original book to hint at the dream element of Alices journey- he is just part of a story she is making up.

-- Skin coloured ballet shoes to give the impression of bar feet.

--Bright compliementary colours.

-- The White rabbit has the most simple costume as he is to resemble an animal.

-- With a strong focus on white (for obvious reasons) I want him to emulate the look and feel of a rabbit while also giving him human elements and dress clothes.

-- Rather than adding a large clock for the rabbit to hold (since it would get in the way of the dancers movemnets), I have implemented clock embroidery into his tights.

-- Fur lining on the sleeve cuffs and ballet shoes as neat and subtle nods to the fur of a real rabbit. I didn’t want to add too much fur to the costume as I didnt want anything too bulky that may resist the dancers movements or obsruct the audiences view of them.

-- Formal wear to match his description in the original text and push forward the unusal / curious nature of his chatcter.

-- Floral embroidery on waistcoat = delicate and proper, creates bonds to other charcters as well.

-- Glitter cuffs on blazer jacket and a glitter/ shimmery shirt to shine on stage and move under the lights as he dances.

-- Colour pallete= soft and elegant and works well with the whites.

-- For the caterpillar as well I wanted to create shapes and colours that resemble a real living caterpillar.

-- The hareem inpsired trousers are to emulate the body and shape of a caterpillar.

-- Said trousers ^^ are to be made from a light weight velvet material to create a rich, thick effect and will hold a strong and assertive movements while dancing- which matches his strong and assertive personality.

-- Matching bodice sits beneath his waistcoat with matching velvet sleeves. The hood would be made from a silk in order to have a much more relaxed and delicate feel.

-- The waistcoat is to covered with sequins to sparkle on stage and create a visually exciting image for audiences.

This also further projects the idea that he feels superior to other characters/ residents of Wonderland.

-- The chaining on the waistcoat demonstrates his academic position (described in the book) as they resemble a monacle and create a sense of gravity.

-- Buterfly clips are a decorative piece, foreshadowing his future.

-- There would be a large ensemble of flowers on stage during the garden scenes, each with their colour.

-- To sample ideas for the sentient I have created a purple and orange flower scheme. Colours would be bold on the tutus yet softer and more pastel on the bodices.

-- The shape of the costume works as an upsie down flower, with the bodice being made up of leaves and vines and the tu-tu being composed of layers of petals.

-- The skirt (made from a combination of silk chiffon petals and tulle underskirt) should hold the attention and feels extreamly full and bouncy.

-- Underlayers of skirt have strength so when dancers lift their legs their is still a floral image beneath.

-- Sleeves made from a sheer organza or chiffon fabric. Extreamly light and floaty and move slowly with dancers gestures.

-- Leaf decoration on leotards heavily embriodered with incriate beadwork - glisten and shine under stage lights and create an idea of feminity and beauty. The flowers try and intimdate Alice in their beauty.