Maison de Papier

Thanks to Artists Open Houses in Sussex, I discovered Stephanie Smart‘s ‘Maison de Papier’ at Danny House, an Elizabethan mansion in Hurstpierpoint.

A wonderful combination of research, revealing stories of residents shared with Stephanie while she was the artist in residence and the use of paper and threads resulted in her creating some extraordinary life-size garments for her first collection of historical fashion.

This dress, Angel Bourne, was inspired by 1950’s swing dresses, WWII wedding dresses made from parachute fabric and a resident’s experiences during the war.