costume props

As part of my interest in the History of Dress I collect period fans. These also became items I was asked to make for various projects. For Lady Windermere's Fan for the BBC, which was only going to get a little use but was obviously important to be on period I used an actual fan base but remade the fan leaf to incorporate the famous name of Lady Windermere. Also Clarissa there were just so many 1740's fans needed and they are so valuable I used chinese paper fans and replaced the leaves with actual photocopies of real fans. They looked perfect.

For the West End Musical Phantom of the Opera three seperate styles of fans were used, the period of the peice, 1870's; the Spanish 16th century in the style of 1870's Grand Opera, The 18th century style in a very distinctive style of Maria Bjornson, the costume designer. These had to be extremely hard wearing as they are use hundred of times. So I made the ribs too, in a special plastic called A.B.S.

I can repair fans and make the special boxes that contain them.

Another area are the feather fans historically used at Court with Court Dress but later feather fans became fashionable in the thirties and were adopted by Ladies that we call 'strip tease artists'. I collect the former and have made the later, no not for strippers, Follies in the West End and Dr DoLittle.