Belle Époque
Willow Selby-Willis
Belle Époque, translated to ‘Beautiful Era’, draws inspiration from the vivacious cabaret and burlesque scene of the 1920’s and 30’s. The collection explores a showgirl between shows, her dressing room, personal trinkets, and the flurry of the quick change. I aimed to explore the woman beneath the performance, and who she was behind the curtain. A beautiful moment born from glamorous chaos. Key inspirations were derived from images of cabaret royalty Gypsy Rose Lee, as well as historical references to traditional 1930’s undergarments and tulle overdresses. The delayed gratification of layers upon layers of clothing slowly falling away, and the undoing of tedious fastenings are part of what makes burlesque so alluring, a process I really wanted to capture in this collection. A key concept for me was reinterpreting historical references through textiles, using fabrics that both honour and subvert traditional techniques. I sourced vintage lace, draping it over satin bodices and embossing it into tight-laced leather corsets. Its delicacy contrasted by hand-crafted steel roses embedded within grey shearling and strings of pearls. Over 500 hand-sewn hooks and eyes allow for the manipulation of silhouette in Look 3. Chiffon and tulle shift in opacity through strategic creases and darts. Silk dupion is frayed and creased, echoing the wear of performance costumes, while plaited hessian evokes the texture of vintage show wigs. Each technique echoes the past, and is meticulously transformed.
Raised in Darlington in the North East of England, Willow Selby-Willis specialises in Womenswear, with a key interest in leather work and hand finishings. With a background in Fine Art and Textiles, she moved to London to pursue her career in Fashion Design. Her work celebrates the subversion of historical references, drawing particularly from the opulence of the 1920s and 30s burlesque, reworking vintage and reclaimed materials alongside modern mediums.
