Undergraduate Course: Performance Costume 3B: Re-design and Critical Analysis (DESI10079)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Research is one of the key elements supporting costume design. In this course students develop and expand focussed research skills in dress history together with innovative textile design and manipulation, to create resolved character illustrations that form the basis of their costume make, to be undertaken in the related course 3C.
Alongside they will analyse live and filmed performances in professional context by writing critical reviews of productions and creating an industry-facing, personal costume design website. |
| Course description |
To develop research skills, students will be given a date on a historical timeline and asked to research the dress history of that era. Working with a limited palette of textiles, they will explore techniques for generating a wide range of fabric samples, exploring texture and colour through dyeing, heat transfer, digital print, stitch and textile manipulation. Students will also undertake a series of historical pattern cutting exercises as a means for embedding their knowledge of past fashions, through cut and construction.
Based on their historical research and textile development, students will go on to re-design two specified dramatic characters from the source text in the linked course 3C: Re-thinking the classics, responding creatively to produce finished costume design illustrations.
Supporting technical drawings will be created for each design illustration, and an item of millinery appropriate to time and character will also be designed.
In parallel with this core research and design work, students will develop their analytical and communication skills through writing short critical design reviews for theatre, cinema or television productions. They will also produce a personal design website. This will be added to in fourth year as a tool to promote their design work beyond college, into industry.
Teaching will be delivered over 5-6 weeks, through a series of supervised practical workshops: 6 hours in historical pattern cutting per week and group tutorials of 3 hours per week in textiles. There will be 3 x 20-minute 1-to-1 tutorials on their research and design work and 1 x 3 hour CAD session on website design. Regular self-directed study, workshop, class and studio attendance is required.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is only available to students on a Degree Programme in the School of Design |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Only available to visiting students in the Design School
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
12/01/2026 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 36,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
147 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 4 assessment components.
1) Historical Pattern Cutting Exercises, set of 4, 40%, weeks 7-8, assessed against learning outcome 2. Create 4 resolved, half scale, historical garment shapes, cut and made up in calico.
2) Two Critical Reviews 600 words each, 10%, May exam diet, assessed against learning outcome 3. The written reviews will analyse and respond to design in professional Performance context.
3) Historical Research, Textile and Design Project File (PDF 30 pages) 40%, May exam diet, assessed against learning outcome 1. The research will be in response to an allocated period, with textile samples and design development into 2 final, period Inspired costume illustrations.
4) Personal Design Website (6 pages) 10%, May exam diet, assessed against learning outcome 3. A curated website to showcase costume design work, forming basis of an online portfolio.
Resit Information
The resit arrangements for this course are as follows.
The resit task for assessment component 1 is two critical reviews, 600 words each.
The resit task for assessment component 2 is historical research, textile and design project file (PDF 30 pages)
The resit task for assessment component 3 is historical pattern cutting exercises with calico, set of 4
The resit task for assessment component 4 is a personal design website (6 pages)
Students will receive further resit information as per University regulations where necessary. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback
Verbal feedback is received weekly throughout the course, from individual tutors and peers in conversation about students work during classes.
Students receive verbal formative feedback for component 1 on an ongoing basis throughout the first half of the course.
A formative feedback event, for which students will submit drafts for components 2, 3 and 4, takes place mid-semester (weeks 5-6). Written feedback for this will be provided on Learn by tutors, relating to LO1 and LO2. This will take the form of indicative individual grades and written feedback on LEARN. Feedback will reflect individual students¿ achievements, identifying areas for improvement to feed forward actionable learning for creative growth, applicable to coursework ahead of summative submission.
Summative Feedback
Written summative feedback will be provided on Learn by your tutors.
Summative feedback also feeds forward practical advice and actionable learning for individual creative practice in work experience or personal projects you may take on during the summer and your 4th year courses.
Grades and feedback will be provided according to university regulations.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explore a range of analytical approaches to research, development and delivery of final costume designs, in response to parameters set within the project brief.
- Employ a range of appropriate techniques to solve practical challenges in historical pattern cutting and garment construction.
- Evidence and communicate critical understanding of design outcomes in professional performance contexts, in written and visual form.
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Reading List
Arnold, Janet (2021). Patterns of Fashion 1 1720-1860. London: The Historical School of Dress.
Arnold, Janet (2023). Patterns of Fashion 3 1560-1620. London: The Historical School of Dress.
Arnold, Janet, Jenny Tiramani and Luca Costigliolo (2018). Patterns of Fashion 5 1595-1795. London: The Historical School of Dress.
Davis, R. I. & William-Alan Landes (2000). Men's Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Costume. Cut and Fashion. Studio City, CA: Players Press.
Drucker, Johanna (2004). The Century of Artists¿ Books. New York: Granary Books.
Waugh, Norah (2015). The Cut of Mens¿ Clothes 1600-1900. Oxfordshire: Routledge.
Cut of Men¿s Clothes
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical and reflective thinking: This course will help students to develop their abilities as critical and reflective thinkers by asking them to analyse and evaluate design for performance, in different production, story and character contexts.
Creative problem-solving and research: The course will help students develop their abilities as creative problem-solvers and researchers by building historical costume knowledge and skills, to support convincing interpretation and application in costume design practice.
Effective communication: The course will help students develop their skills as effective communicators, in written, visual and spoken form, through coursework presentations, essays, illustrations and graphic media. The emphasis on critical visual and conceptual resolution, will help students develop their skills as effective designers and makers.
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| Keywords | Design concept,Costume research,Developmental drawing,Textile research,Historical pattern cutting |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Emma Renhard
Tel:
Email: erenhard@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Linsey McEwan
Tel: (01316) 515448
Email: lmcewan2@ed.ac.uk |
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