Stage

Whilst a student at The London College of Fashion, I worked for the wardrobe department of the Royal Opera House. It was very pressured and they set the highest standards. But it was the best training for subsequent work for a diverse range of groups and individuals including the Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, East 17 and Iron Maiden. Being thrown a brief at seven in the evening with every expectation that the finished piece, or pieces, would be ready twelve hours later was seen as being quite reasonable. And so designing, pattern-making, cutting, sewing and finishing original pieces through the night became normal. Of course, it wasn’t, but I had a lot of fun and was often allowed a fairly free rein. I look back on some of those experiences with fond nostalgia. But I’m not sure I would do it again.

But I do like to keep my hand in, and this year saw me become more familiar with the streets of Dublin than I thought I ever would be. Commissioned by Ballet Ireland to design and make all the costumes for their touring production of Coppelia put me in mind of those early days. Even more recently I designed and made the costumes for Andrew Visnevski’s Theatre Alive!’s production of Macbeth. Hard, fast work but immensely satisfying.

[‘Coppelia’ photographs © Ewa Figaszewska: ‘Macbeth’ © Henry Kenyon]