Fabrics for historical and stage costumes

For reenactment and period films the fabric is matched to the period. Mostly that means natural wool, linen and cotton: clothes were made of them before synthetics.

The pattern hints at the time as well. Tweed, herringbone and houndstooth suit costumes of the 1920s to 1950s, wide-wale corduroy the 1970s, tartan school uniforms and Scottish dress. There are separate articles on these: «Tweed», «Tartan», «Corduroy».

From the stage the audience sees a fabric from several metres away, and a small pattern merges into a plain patch. A large check, a wide stripe and a clear colour read better.

Under spotlights shiny fabrics can flare, so most roles get matt fabrics. Colour changes under stage light: if you can, look at the fabric under the theatre’s lamps before cutting.

A stage costume lives through dozens of performances, quick changes and frequent cleaning. Take dense fabrics that do not split at the seams or fray: suiting wool, dense cotton, corduroy.

If the costume has to dance or move a lot, a fabric with a little elastane or a bias cut helps.

A costume for a play or a show is made once, and its fabric should be special too. A piece that is just enough for one garment suits this perfectly.

People come to us for fabric for stage and period costumes, and designers too: one picked about a hundred different fabrics for a show, as every garment in the collection was made only once. Work out how much a particular garment needs with the articles on dresses, jackets or coats.