Synopsis
This is Tudor Rose, a fall, couture collection that has an elegant style with a drop of something extra. This collection is inspired by Six, which is a British musical that does a modern retelling of the stories of the six queens that married King Henry the VIII; Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherin Parr. Through the use of the lyrics to the songs, each garment is inspired by one of the queens. The aim is to show the power and strength these women had, while dealing with the struggle of being King Henry VIII’s husband.
The first design is inspired by Catherine of Aragon. Catherine song has a dance break in it, so I wanted her dress to have a flow to it that would move nicely. Her relationship with religion is referenced several times throughout not just her song, but the musical. For an accessory I added a halo crown to reference her religion and her fight to stay queen.
The second design is inspired by Anne Boleyn. One of the lines to Anne’s song was “Ooh, don't be bitter Ooh, 'cause I'm fitter” and was sung as her talking to Catherine of Aragon. Accompany that with the line “Us two wanted to get X-rated" and you get kind of this sultry, sexy vibe. So, I gave her a cropped corset with the famous (olive) green sleeves attached to them. Since Anne’s big impact was her wedding, which lead to England separating from the catholic church her skirt is inspired by a wedding dress. To top it all off I gave her a choker to stand for her beheading. If you look at her portrait you can see her wearing a necklace with the letter ‘B’ on it.
The third design is inspired by Jane Seymour. Jane’s song is a slower song, about how she wishes she had more time to be with the family she was making. I designed a maternity dress since she died after giving birth to her son. The dress is tattered at the end to show her being torn away from her child.
The fourth design is inspired by Anna of Cleves. Anne’s song is a party song. Anna’s outfit was truly inspired by her song, with many of the details coming from her lyrics, from the fur to the gold chains to the crown on her head.
Lastly, the fifth design is inspired by Catherine Parr. Catherine wanted to be known for the work that she did outside of her marriage. She didn’t want to be a part of the competition. So, inspired by her advocacy, and to make her different from the rest, I gave her a rendition of suit.
The demographic for this line is women between the ages of 28 and 38. The buyers will have an interest in musicals and have a love of gaining new experiences. They are the people who follow the trends but love to give them their own little twist. They probably also shop at Vivienne Westwood and Viktor & Rolf. Each garment will cost between $40,000 to $60,000.
