The original Peacock dress is inevitably faded, tarnished, and damaged, despite the conservator’s best efforts, and has been heavily altered. It still conveys a fragile beauty, but it is a shadow of its dazzling original self, and must be minimally handled and carefully preserved in a glass case.
One hundred and twenty years ago it looked very different. How can one resist the extraordinary spectacle of letting a garment like the Peacock Dress step out of the glass case, as it were, releasing it from its great age and fragility and allowing it to be seen in context, dazzling, in motion, on a body, as it was on the night it was first worn?
After first seeing it in 2006, for five years I joked that one day, I would reprise this project so that we could collapse time and appreciate the full, dazzling impact that the dress would have had when new. The Hope2Haiti project gave me the push I needed to make it happen – details below.
As the years have passed, the project has taken on multiple further, deeper meanings.
- It has inspired people to begin or complete their own ambitious dream project, such as a dress of their own choice, or even a post-graduate degree. The project has taken on great meaning for me as a way of encouraging confidence and ambition in creative people, not only to begin something ambitious, but to embrace and celebrate all the twists and turns of a journey that’s rarely quick or linear.
- Most importantly, the cultural reckoning of 2020 brought the issue of systemic racism in our culture to the fore, and this project has become an opportunity to “repair the story” of the dress and its creation, writing the Indian craftsmen back into the story as full participants rather than an anonymous partner, and to begin talking more completely about the story of Britain in India, considering the Indian perspective on the British Raj.
Hope2Haiti
In March 2011, I took on a challenge laid down by the non-profit organisation Random Acts, in which the first few people to raise $5000 for their projects in Haiti would have the opportunity to travel there and help in the continuing post-earthquake relief effort with their own hands. In order to take part, I pledged to make good on my ridiculous costume maker’s dream and create a replica of the extraordinary hundred-year-old Peacock Dress, in much the same way as one might run a marathon or climb a mountain to raise money for a good cause. This was where the story of my dress began.
Not only did I go to Haiti, but I won a fundraising prize in 2011, and completed the challenge again the following year, returning to Haiti in June 2012. So far, the Peacock dress has raised a total of approximately US$20,000 for projects in the town of Jacmel, including the building of a new children’s centre, funding an Arts school, and housing families who were, until recently, still living in tents. All of these projects were conceived and implemented by Haitians; the project just supplied the funding.
Image above shows mountainous farming plots near Port au Prince in Haiti. Image by Jlanghurst, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
List of donors
The following list documents all 318 people around the world, mostly from the online historical costuming community, who donated to the Hope2Haiti project, with the extra incentive of seeing the Peacock Dress recreated in the 21st century. My thanks are due to every single one.
Ya know…I just got a bit teary-eyed looking at this list. All those names, people who recognize the importance of the project in Haiti, the importance of the *doing*, the belief in the reconstruction of a truly important garment…the coming together of so many of us who love the art we do, and the art YOU do…what a wonderful thing this is that you’ve built. Thank you, so much, for making it possible for us all to come together. – A donor
| Katherine Adrian Laura-Jane Airey Leigh Aldrich Ali-Christiana Lauren Allpress Q Anderson Approach Personnel Joanne Arnett Heather Ast Lisa Atwood Lynne Bacon Meguey Baker Elizabeth Baker Naomi Barnes Issica Baron Gina Barrett Naomi Bartle Carmen Beaudry Jessica Benger Beverly Bernhard Kirsten Berry Lucy Billany Amber Bingham Larissa Boiwka Jennette Boone Deborah Borlase Mona Boucher & daughter, Élise Adèle Auld Gwyneth Brain Julia Bremble Gillian Brent Hillery Brewer Patricia Brimhall Andee Browne Lauren Bukata Sharon Bussey Karen Buurmans-Niemi Tina C Elizabeth Cadorette Chris Campbell Alison Campbell Meagan Carey Katherine Caron-Greig Becky Carter-Hitchin Kelly Cercone Anna Chapman Bess Chilver Alexandra Chuzo Suzi Clarke Francis Classe Christine F Cleaton Robin Coccagna Misty Cochran Kelly Cochran Davis Debbie Collington Brenna Cook Sam Coupland Cherylyn Crill-Hornsby Helen Dabill Daisy Janice Dallas Tatiana Danilova Hepziba de Vries Christina DeAngelo Loren Dearborn Emma Dobbs Hilary Donaldson Serena Dyer Melanie Dymond Harper Lindsey Eastman Karen Ehrlich Grace Erickson Bianca Esposito Catherine Ezell Elizabeth Fallon Sarah Feeney Martha Fletcher Lorri G Amanda Gannon Aylwen Gardiner-Garden Jenny Garside Noel Gieleghem Kerrigan Gilbert Lynnie Glass Antara Glover David Goldfinch Christa Gordon Tania Gruning Jenni Hampshire Rebecca Handcock Richard Harper Tracy Harris Hilary Hatch Anne Hawley Jonna Hayden Victoria Henige Elisabeth Hopkin Sarah Hosking Cynthia Howell Dr Kirsty Hutchison Austin J Austin Kris Jachens Christina Johnson Kimberley Joyce Kirstin Julian Gwen Kachelmyer Alison Kannon |
Bianca Karlsen Lis Kester Sarah Keuper Coralie Kiloh Tab Kimpton Nannette King Marie Knight Alison Kondo Adrienne Kubiak Caroline La Porta Val LaBore Suzette Lalime Davidson Claudia Laughter Karen Lavoie Penny Le Besque Sue Lee Christy Lee Amanda Lerum Faulkner Elina Levkovskaya Elizabeth Licata Hannah Light J. Leia Lima Margaret Lion David Llewellyn Laura Loft Carolyn Loftis Regina Lutz Lone Madsen Meagn Maguire Rebecca Maiten Sabrina Mark Wendy Marques Susi Matthews Tonya Mayberry Willa McCafferty Deirdre McDaniel Sarah McEvoy Tricia McFarlane Melissa McGuire and Cat Robinson Nancy McKeown Marion McNealy Johanna McNicholl Anne-Marie McRoberts Kathleen Methot Bennie Meyers Colin Middleton Heather Mikhail Ninya Mikhaila Lesley Miller Jessica Mingus Kate Mior J D Monterroso Marlene Morris Jeanette Marie Murray Elizabeth Nelson Samantha Nelson Gini Newton Annet Nijmeijer Julia Nolan Janel Norris Nancy Nowlin Noelia Oblanca Arwen O’Connor Erin Odenweller Dorothy O’Hare Kerryn Olsen Louise O’Neill Judy Owen Noelle Paduan Beteena Paradise Gina Patterson Paula Pennanen Lynette Pinchess Izabela Pitcher Jett Pontier Heather Pritchett Nicholas Quayle Gerry Quinton Jane Ramsay Jude Reid June Rider Philippe Riga Charlene Roberts Rebecca Rowan Elaine Rowland Nicole Rudolph Stacy Ryall Jannean Sapp Joyce Scheeren Andrew Schroeder Caren Seaman Taylor Shelby Grace Slater Amelia Slavin Kimiko Small Yekatarina Sokol Heather Spurlock Veronica Stark Rachel Steinhorn Kat Stelzer Megan Stephens Anna Stevens Victoria Stewart Jessica Stone Anna Stonestrom Natasha Streit |
Lena Strid Sandra Stuart Hanna Svensk Linda Taggart Emily Taggart Lindsay Tallman Sofia Tanberg Lorna Tate Laurie Tavan Lynne Taylor Jennifer Thompson Karen Tully Gail Tyrrell Laura Ulak Tielke Uvin Kendra Van Cleave Nele van den Ende Elisabeth Van Every Glynnis Vance Jan-Peter Vogt Katherine Wade Jalea Ward Robert Waters Adam & Rosy Watts Carly Weggeland Molly Weiss Joanna West Jenny-Rose White Leslie White Mette Wikkelsø G W Wilkins Liz & Jo Windley-Poole Georgia Winter Vanessa Wood Cherie Woodard Rachel Worboys Gayle Zive0coruscater0 aggiebell alibaster alysun88 aminamithri asetneferankh aster_ivy auroradreamsuk bat_cheva blithespirit caligari calligrafiti catimenthe chandrakant chelleann77 cloakmaker crvcifix darth_teca dmwcarol drgntrainer elowenn2 elsebeth enigmania faerierhona feather802 femetal fiofiorina floatingshift grrr_arrrgg imblebee itsazoefish jeannegrrl johannaelisabet kaesha_nikovana kaos_sparrow kit_thekittykat lady_fox ladystrange5150 lhiannan1981 lirion liten_sak lydianmode lylassandra metalfatigue0 milkshakedream missmelissajane miz_anneliese molster moltenmoon muuranker naath nimoloth offbeatentrack paantha pinkchili psion67 purplefrog26 rapta ravynmaniac silverblade_kun simplelyric slythwolf soldiergrrrl squelchbaker tigerlofu uschi_sushi vashtiabukhalil wicked_luthy |