The Ornamented Being

The V&A says:  ”The costume retains all the obvious features of the Elizabethan period - the wide neck, rigid stomacher, elaborate sleeves and the huge farthingale skirt (the large neck ruff is missing). The making, however, is clearly 1970s, especially in the selection of materials. The main fabric is a woven lurex pattern on a background of then-fashionable apricot colour. The elaborate decorations are executed in other materials of the period - gold wired ribbons, gold netting, gold faceted beads and jewellery findings.

The costume structure is inbuilt and the stomacher, though quilted and with padded lining to give weight, has sacrificed historical accuracy for practicality, being much looser to allow the singer to breathe correctly.”