John Bright Collection
@jbrightcollection.bsky.social
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Reference collection of historical costume at film,TV & theatre costume house Cosprop. Online collection funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk www.cosprop.com
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Gustav Klimt’s soft pink brushstrokes conjure up a dress similar to our silk plissé bodice in his 1897-1898 portrait of Sonja Knips. When cataloguing the bodice from our reference collection, we were immediately reminded of it. #gustavklimt #klimtandfashion #historyoffashion #1890sfashion
Our historic collection team has interrupted its usual work to help mount star pieces for ‘Costume Couture -Sixty Years of Cosprop’ at the Fashion and Textile Museum’ #costumecouture #fashionandtextilemuseum #costumemounting #filmcostume #fashionexhibition #costumeexhibition #costumedesign
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Available now!
‘The Costume House: The Inside Story of Cosprop - From A Room With A View to Game of Thrones’ takes you inside one of the world’s most revered costume suppliers and creators.

@jbrightcollection.bsky.social
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I spent a long time thinking about #1840s fashion when I was writing The Dress Diary & I miss it! It is a transitional decade but the fabric techniques were amazing. This is a warp printed silk creating blurry florals bordered by silk fringe @jbrightcollection.bsky.social #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡
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I rarely post historic menswear but I just came across this fine 1835-45 silk waistcoat @jbrightcollection.bsky.social & well, how could I resist?🌹
Read about it here: www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/wais...
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😎 ‘Horrockses Fashions’ printed cotton sun dress with short matching jacket, early 1950s. Background information, full description & additional images via @jbrightcollection.bsky.social here: www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/sun-...
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Coat by Paul Poiret, Paris, c1921. More here, including additional images, via The John Bright Collection: www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/5054/
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Mid 1840s one piece day dress made of white printed cotton with a simple design. Read more @jbrightcollection.bsky.social www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/dres...
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This week’s Friday treat comes via @jbrightcollection.bsky.social Cotton sun dress, late 1950s, Horrockses Fashions. Read more here: www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/dres...
In their free time, our assistant curators Sage & Annie have come up with an exciting project. Follow them and their collaborators on instagram at @uncovering.dressmakers to learn more! #19thcenturydressmaking #whomademyclothes #historyofdress #historyoffashion #victorianfashion #vintagelabels
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Worn #onthisday in 1931 by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, at a dinner for the African Society at London's Mayfair Hotel. She accessorized the gown of gold mesh woven with floral motifs and turquoise beads over silk chiffon with her Diamond Palmette Tiara. #OTD @jbrightcollection.bsky.social
How exciting to learn which tiara she is wearing in the picture with our dress!
We are excited that our dress now graces the cover of this new book:
This fancy dress from our collection is presumably based on this ‚Pierrette‘ fashion plate from January 1884 ‚Der Bazar‘ that was also featured in ‚La Mode Illustrée‘ as ‚Folie‘ (Folly). #1880sfancydress #historyofdress #costumehistory #victorianfancydress #fancydressinspiration #cosprop
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Mid 1920s wedding outfit, dress, underdress, veil, headdress & shoes @jbrightcollection.bsky.social. Detailed description & additional images here: www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/wedd...
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Russian art critic and ballet impresario Serge Diaghilev was born #OnThisDay in 1872. He staged The Sleeping Princess in 1921, in which this velvet and crepe de chine dress with laced bodice and patterned skirt was worn by a Village Maiden. John Bright Collection. #fashionhistory
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A little bit of #Frockingfabulous #fashionhistory by #Liberty, 1913. Via the John Bright Collection.
'Her riding habit almost swept the ground' - so Charlotte Brontë describes Jane Eyre’s rival, implying the elegance of overlong skirts. Our 1900 habit skirt and the 1898 patent show a new concern for safety over 'dangerous elegance'. More here: www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/riding-habit/
Thanks for sharing, it was lovely to see this concept used recently by the designer Alex Byrne on her fabulous production of Emma, we made several outfits at #cosprop for the show that made use of this inspiration from our collection.
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The effect of a coloured under dress worn beneath a sheer white muslin gown is demonstrated to good effect here, bright yellow satin muted by the sheer layer on top. The cotton is sprinkled with metallic sprigs & braid for additional sunny sparkle @jbrightcollection.bsky.social #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡
Cheerful stripes swing gracefully as a lady turns towards her friend in a plate from 1831 'La Mode', illustrating how our bodice might have looked before its skirt was cut off. www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/bodice-and-inner-sleeve-supports-2/#1830sfashion #1830sdress #costumehistory
The abundance of satin stitched flowers around the pocket flap of our #1790s court dress coat reminds us that #mensfashion was not always as restrained as it should become from this time onwards. www.thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk/costume/court-dress-coat/ #historyoffashion #embroidery #1790sfashion
Thanks for sharing! A little side note from revisiting the dress for cataloguing: the ground stripes are also set apart by different basic weaves (plain and twill). Such a typical feature of printed cottons around that period to have another ‚layer‘ of pattern in the weave itself…
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The black and brown horizontally striped background, all sombre shades, allows the floral foreground to zing so that the red flowers almost glow. It is an example of the new print technologies that revolutionised the era, late 1840s @jbrightcollection.bsky.social #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡