Sarah Bennett Opening At the Pop Up Gallery

Currently in the Pop Up Gallery is Sarah Bennett with an exhibition of romantic costume design.

*Kindly modelling the Corset with finger details and Crinoline for the photos is Steph.

The exhibition charts three years worth of work from her Degree and clearly shows Sarah’s progression from creating historically accurate costumes to a designer of fantastical corsets and vamp inspired dresses in red satin.

We Are Open: This is great, we love dresses, hats and corsets! What were your inspirations for all of these costumes?

Well firstly, I love the Goth style, not the skulls and cross bones, more classic gothic. I love black, red, this (Red Dress with Crinoline) is basically Victorian in style, the shape is correct, the opening is historically accurate, but I wanted to give it a fantasy theme, it has a bit of a vampire thing going on.

I’ve never made anything like it before and it was just something I was interested in.

I did a 5 week work experience at York theatre royal, they were working on Wind in the Willows, the costumes were very advanced…they showed me different ways of doing things. I learnt a lot of different techniques. Our first two years (during the Degree) were purely constructional, re-creating 18^th century corsets etc.. No design work, the third year stuff is all my own ideas.

We Are Open: What about this chap over here? (Mannequin dressed remarkably like Henry the Eighth)

Oh him? He was inspired by an oil painting from Auckland castle at bishop Auckland, He’s Tudor, there’s a collection of paintings there which are quite biblical, they wanted us to create a costume from the painting. He’s made with hand painted fabric, with freehand gold thread details done on a sewing machine, all been finished to a really nice standard, nothing will happen to it, you can wash it wont fray or damage. These (mannequins in costumes) are all made from historical patterns, its pretty much spot on. The princess dress is from 1460…

We Are Open: The hats really pretty…

The hat is really uncomfortable, it’s supposed to be worn at an angle, and its really hard to keep on.

We Are Open: Do you like the Pre- Raphaelite style?

I do actually, I like the style, I like going to auctions and buying junk, a lot of the pictures are from my house, lots of fantasy, romantic Pre-Raphaelite prints and calendars.

We Are Open: So what are your hopes for your time in the Pop up Gallery?

I’d like to see what happens in the next year, I think this is just testing the publics reaction, and to see if there’s a market. I’d like to make someone something special, a gown or outfit or wedding dress, something for a themed event made especially for them, a bespoke service. It’s not dressmaking, its costume making! I’d love someone to come in and ask for a corset, something fun! I like to be free and break the tailoring rules a bit.

We Are Open: Great! Ok, sum your entire practice up in one sentence…..

I enjoy the fantasy and I love sparkly things!

Sarah Bennett Costume Design is now on at the Pop Up Gallery on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough. Pop in and see, weekdays from 10 til 5.