Patterns of Fashion Award

The Patterns of Fashion Award honours the work of the dress historian Janet Arnold, a founder member of the Society.
An award of £500 is open to students studying on costume and fashion related education courses that involve the design and realisation of costume.
It is awarded to the student who has, in the opinion of the judges, produced a reconstructed garment from a pattern in one of the Janet Arnold Patterns of Fashion books that reflect the high standards presented in the books.

Patterns of Fashion Application Form
You should enter this competition not only for the possibility of winning but for the experience that will leave you with a portfolio of skills and an excellent example of your own workmanship. The competition is about your development and understanding of period craft skills in pattern cutting and sewing.

There are numerous patterns included in the books, using variable quantities of materials. As the appropriate fabrics can be expensive you may use recycled fabrics or fabrics of a similar weight and handle or even various types of calico. Please do not use professional dyers or printers. You should not attempt to adjust the published pattern to an individual’s sizing.

'to study how a piece was made is to understand, the skills of the craftsmen and women of the past. All our contemporary skills are based on those of the past; if we do not understand that we fail to appreciate our heritage in its widest sense' Naomi Tarrant – Curator of Costume and Textiles National Museums of Scotland.

‘You need to know the rules before you break them in interpretation’ - Sue Nicholson – costume maker and lecturer

Click here to see previous winners

Publication details of the Patterns of Fashion series:

Patterns of Fashion 1 (cut and construction of women's clothing, 1660-1860), Wace 1964, Macmillan 1972. Revised metric edition, Drama Books 1977.
Patterns of Fashion 2: Englishwomen's Dresses and Their Construction C.1860-1940, Wace 1966, Macmillan 1972. Revised metric edition, Drama Books 1977.
Patterns of Fashion: the cut and construction of clothes for men and women 1560-1620, Macmillan 1985. Revised edition 1986.
Patterns of Fashion 4: The cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women C. 1540-1660 London, Macmillan, November 2008

Terms of the Award

The applicant will state the institution and course attended and the name of the supervisor who will act as referee for the applicant’s suitability.
Members of the education sub-committee of the Society who have professional and academic expertise in costume design and realisation will make the initial selection. The sub-committee will present its recommendations to the Executive Committee of the Costume Society.
Three finalists will be invited to present their work at the Society’s annual general meeting. The Society will ensure that facilities are available for static displays; students are expected to provide suitable dress stands for the display of the garments.
The Society reserves the right to photograph and publicise displays in the Society’s newsletter, in Costume, the journal of The Costume Society, and on the Society’s web site.