"The picture which presents itself before my eyes is that of the glassy, glaring eyes of the victims, staring meaninglessly at the gilded furnishings of this sunken palace of the sea; dead helplessness wrapped in priceless luxury; jewels valued in the seven figures becoming the strange playthings of the queer creatures that sport in the dark depths. Everything for existence, nothing for life. Grand men, charming women, beautiful babies, all becoming horrible in the midst of the glittering splendour of a $10,000,000 casket!"
- Reverend Dr Charles Parkhurst regarding the Titanic Disaster and all that he believed it symbolised in 1912. From the book Down with the Old Canoe, a Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster, by Steven Biel.
This garment was inspired by the Titanic disaster and Edwardian era. It symbolises the decline of the class system in the 20th century through the symbolism of the Titanic disaster. I designed and constructed the garment and hat. The skirt overlay is hand beaded.
Fabric sample: blue nylon/viscose to mimic the look of water and steel blue shot polyester chiffon to highlight the gradual deepening of the water.
Rusticle: made out of dyed polyester chiffon to mimic the look of the rust on the sunken Titanic.
Hand beading
I created the anchor out of plaster using a plastic mould and I attached cogs, jewellery and other found objects to the bottom of the skirt to symbolise the upper class being dragged to the depths of the ocean.
Hat designed to look like the ship sinking into the ocean.
I made the hat completely from scratch and used ostrich feathers and hand made fabric flowers to create the look of the ocean.