This design for one of the British Ball Dancers in the play Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka is centered on the mentality of separation of the British in Colonial Nigeria. Each dancer dons a headdress inspired by old fashioned bee keeper hats that reflects the mentality of using mosquito netting to keep unwanted creatures away from one's personal space.
The fancy dress costumes in this 1940s setting are 'repaired' decaying 1920s eighteenth century fancy dress costumes. The floaty, twirling night sky via sparkle and netting is juxtaposed against repair patches of traditional adire fabric and humid mold damage.
With a budget of £100, this costume includes a wide range of various textile techniques and unconventionally used materials. It consists of a corset, bucket panniers, a petticoat, two skirts, bodice, headless, and customized shoes and gloves.