Fashion History Through Doll-Making

In this image, you can see what my Fashion History students do (in lieu of writing a paper). I give them the option to create a marionette doll and clothe her/him in period style.

Here you see Taylor, one of my students, helping me set up a display of the dolls.

Nearly half of my class were non-fashion students (as Fashion History is now offered as a General Education course). I loved to see students from Math, Business, Political Science, Nutrition, Child Development, etc., attempt the needle and thread. I think they did great!

I generally suggest that if they haven't sewn much, that they choose the Egyptian, Greek or Roman time periods, as not much structuring of patterns happened back then either. Rather, cloth was generally wrapped and girdled on the body.