I decided I wanted to step outside the restrictions of creating a historical costume and push boundaries with colour and silhouette. I develped a concept for an underwater burlesque dancer from the book ‘Where dreams descend’ by Janella Angeles. This character is a show magician who bases her powers and act on water dancing. I wanted to portray the sense of her dancing in water, even though she is on dry land, on a stage. I focused on how embroidery and print can enhance the sea aesthetic using reference such as fish and coral and selecting a sea like colour palette. The silk sleaves were digitally printed with mermaids to remind the audience we are in a fantasy realm. The effect was that the sleeves drift through the air like water. My passion lies within embroidery, and I hope to make a career out of this. I love how hand and machine embroidery work together to create unique pieces of work. During my placement year I entered the Alexander McQueen competition where I created an embroidery piece based off their bee collection. I also did a few embroidery courses on placement year, such as silk shading.