Eleanor Gibson · Costume maker
The person altering your wedding dress builds tulle for the Royal Ballet.
That is not a flourish. It is the same skill set. A wedding gown is corsetry, tulle and period womenswear construction — which is precisely what twelve years as a costume maker in film, television, the West End and the Royal Opera House is made of.
There is a distinction worth making. A costumier sources, supervises and dresses. A maker builds the garment from flat pattern upward — drafts it, cuts it, constructs it. Someone who builds bodices from scratch is not having a go at restructuring one.
What I specialise in
Period and contemporary womenswear construction, including ladies’ tailoring and some menswear tailoring technique. Corsetry. Tulle — up to and including tutus for the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and private commissions. Leather. Hand and machine embellishment, from lace appliqué to hand-rolled silk hems.
Trained at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London — BA (Hons) Costume for Performance.
The studio
A private home studio in Lewes, appointment only. Industrial machinery for structure — flawless seams through dense wool, leather and multi-layered bridal corsetry, where a domestic machine skips stitches. Professional pressing: steam irons, tailor’s hams and silk organza cloths, to shape a garment without crushing the fibre. And hand-finishing for everything that shows.
Every fitting is completely private. No shared changing rooms, no queue, no strip lighting. You will also be met by Cleo, a wire fox terrier, and Bonnie, a lurcher–deerhound, who consider themselves essential to the process. Dog-free fittings are arranged gladly — just say when you book.
A safe and inclusive space
Clothes are meant to fit your body; your body is never meant to fit the clothes.
Having clothes pinned and measured can be a vulnerable experience. The studio is a completely private, body-neutral and inclusive environment. There is zero judgment regarding size, shape, gender expression or natural weight fluctuation. Nothing is measured out loud, no number is commented on, and the tape goes back in the drawer.