Mrs. Lovett ("Sweeney Todd")

For this project, I was asked to research a character from a certain time period and create a historically accurate design. I decided to go with Mrs. Lovett from Hugh Wheeler's "Sweeney Todd." This play/story was originally set in the 1780s, so (though it pained me so) I had to diverge quite a bit from Colleen Atwood's well-known 19th century, Victorian, and 1910s inspired movie costumes. I am a huge fan of Burton's "Sweeney Todd" movie, so I tried to pay homage to the color palette and visual style of the movie, as well as Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of Mrs. Lovett, in my design.  I drew most of my research from an incredibly detailed and fascinating video by Sew Through Time on YouTube. In her video, she walks the viewer through the dressing process of 1780s English women in great detail. I took elements from both lower and middle class fashion for Mrs. Lovett, as I figured she would have been lower class, but with a taste for the finer things in life, thus incorporating middle and upper class elements in her style.