The Golden Butterfly

The golden butterfly

By Hanxin Zhang

This dress combines modern style and the fashion of the 1700s and is made from recycled fabric, threads and beads. The big slits reveal the cream silk petticoat under a long skirt. The edge of the coat is decorated with beaded embroidery and flowers are embroidered on the corset and skirt. The two sides of the skirt are decorated with similar patchwork which makes the skirt look luxurious.   

We were inspired by the fragments of Mary Davis's wedding dress in 1765. We wanted to evoke the passage of time since the 1700s by using old materials combined with embroidery and modern wedding dress design. We used water-soluble fabric to embroider patterns highlighting the importance of environmental protection. 

We researched clothing patterns from around 1765 and flower patterns of the 1700s. Inspired by the designs of Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano, especially the shapes of the skirts and surface decoration, we have incorporated some of these elements while retaining the original 1700s style.

Because our clothes are made of silk we wanted to add something special and used old beads and embroidery using recycled threads. Most of these threads are very short, so we changed the threads frequently, which took a lot of time but it was also very rewarding.