# Project Description

'Nights at the Circus'

Evie Watson

Summary

Final work

College School of Pre-Degree Studies

Course UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design

Graduation year 2025

Having taken inspiration from Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus (1984) and informed by research into the costumes of Victorian-era aerial performers, I designed and constructed pieces that depict both the eccentricity of the main character, ‘Sophie / Fevvers’, and the attire of the period. The final visualisation of the costume consists of a Victorian corset and shorts crafted in the same striped cotton twill, paired with a cream muslin chemise, which serves as a contrast to the dense and almost gaudy striped fabric. Inspired by Sophie, “The Cockney Venus,” and her vivacious, often provocative attitude, I incorporated asymmetrical stripes, smocking (inspired by 1880s–90s circus shorts), and trailing laces to capture both her audacious character and the flamboyant, brilliant work of Angela Carter.

Final work

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Having taken inspiration from Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus (1984) and informed by research into the costumes of Victorian-era aerial performers, I designed and constructed pieces that depict both the eccentricity of the main character, ‘Sophie / Fevv...

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