We take a closer look at the costume for Helen of Troy, played by Daisy Badger, in Troilus and Cressida.
The costumes for Troilus and Cressida were designed by Niki Turner and made by our skilled costumiers in our Costume Workshop in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The first part of the process involved Niki giving the Costume Team a drawing out how she wanted Helen to look, which they then use to realise her design. The Designer works closely with the Costume Supervisor and the Costume Team throughout the time the costumes are being created.
The Costume Supervisor works with the designer to find fabrics that could as closely as possible replicate the silvery effect in the design.
They decided the best way to achieve this effect was using three layers of fabric. The first was a lining of stretch fabric, dyed to match actor Daisy’s skin tone. They placed a layer of sparkle fabric over the top of the stretch fabric lining, and then finished this with a final layer of heavy lace. The stretch fabric, the sparkle and the lace together create the shimmering effect that Niki was looking for.
The costume was made by our skilled costumiers in Ladies Costume. Sewing the lace pieces on to the costume was done by hand, and took about four and a half days.
As well as showing attention to detail to make sure the costume looks how it should, the team have to make sure the delicate-looking fabrics are durable enough to withstand hundreds of hours on stage and the full range of movement that Daisy needs to make throughout the show.
