Jeff Wall Project

Costume design: Joanna Johnston.

Canadian Photographer Jeff Wall commissioned this dress for a photograph. The setting is year 1915, a young girl is sitting in the back of a Ford T. While being driven home from a secret rendezvous with her lover on the beach, the friend of the lover looks at her. As she is pouring sand from her shoe he thinks she must be the most amazing hourglass in the world.
The appeal from Jeff Wall was that this costume in it’s entirety had to be created as true to it’s period as possible. This meant that the dress was made according to the exact style of the time. Dress and shoes had recreated 1915 fashion labels put into them, and all embroidery motifs were lifted from or inspired by embroideries of this era.
To be part of this project was an absolute luxury. It is not often you have all the time desired to really indulge in discussing, sampling and getting even the smallest details right. Together with Costume Designers Joanna Johnston, John Bright and Dress Maker Jill Kelbie I enjoyed being part of a project that so obviously sought to give room for and motivate the best work from everyone.