Research Summary: Creating the 18th Century In Your Own Backyard

The main areas where I will need to make the scene look the most realistic in terms of period style and setting will be in the office and with costume, especially with Annabeths dress.

In terms of dressing the office in the case that I wouldn't be able to use the Chatsworth House I figured we would just have to wallpaper our own space, so I looked at the  style of wall papering that was present in 18th century houses

Then I went and checked HomeBase to see what they offered that was similar and would create the best effect at the most cost effective price.

This method though looks like it would be quite costly. A cheaper alternative could be to make prints on long plain pieces of paper

I think making the men look believable will be easy enough, as suits can be tailored/amended or have things added to them to make them look like they're from another era. The costume for the main character Annabeth on the other hand will prove the hardest as so far the only things I have been able to find in terms of just buying a costume are tacky looking Halloween costumes. Where the material looks like it could rip with ease and the colours were too fluorescent. Also a lot of the websites were American.

http://www.amasquerade.com/costumes_pirates_and_18thcentury.asp

These costumes can only be rented; http://www.largerthanlifestagewear.co.uk/costume_18th.htm

Solutions could involve combining the use of two different costumes if i cant find one that looks  a imagined.
I could buy a costume and use it as a model in order to duplicate my own, calling in the assistance of some fashion/design students to help with sizings etc. If I was forced to use an outfit from the costume shop, then because the visual of the piece is very dark and gritty I think the look will be altered and perhaps the cheesiness of it won't be obvious

If it came down to having to make my own costume then there are a range of books and videos that would come in handy.

Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Fashion in Detail by Avril Hart and Susan North

 

The book goes in to a lot of detail about the stitching, the shape, design and preferable fabric type.

and this website: http://pinterest.com/sew18thcentury/18th-century-gowns/ shows a vast range of possible designs that can be mimicked when following the book pictured above.

Therefore I don't think it will be that hard to make the costume once the material has been obtained, in London I know a range of fabric shops where the right print can be found.

In many ways making my own costume might be slightly more time consuming but I won't have to worry about getting it messy as I would have to if I were renting it. The befits of buying one of the cheap and taky looking costumes would be that I could buy multiple in case of damage, wear, stain or tear.