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Nell Gwynn

Nell Gwynn, follows the life of Nell Gwynn and her relationship as a mistress to King Charles II. Nell develops a feud with another of Charles' mistresses, Louise De Kéroualle. Louise threatens to have a hat made so fantastic that Nell will look like garbage; Nell retaliates by surprising her with her exact hat only 3x the size. The moment is comedic spectacle for the audience.

I created both hat patterns, and then cut the structures out of buckram. There was a gathered ribbon along the edge of the brim, that was stitched between the outer and inner layers of each hat. Each pearl was individually sewn on to ensure durability throughout the run.

Both

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Purdue University Theatre

Playwright: Jessica Swale

Director: William W. Lewis

Costume Designer: Allison Jones

Photography: Andrew Day

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