Recent Publications
Personal Profile
This page presents the academic publications of Elise Maynard, a costume historian and PhD candidate at the University of Bristol. Her research explores the intersections of performance, design, and cultural history, with a particular focus on ballet costume and the work of designer Julia Trevelyan Oman. Drawing on a background in professional costume making, Elise integrates practical knowledge with scholarly inquiry, using material culture to examine how design choices shape the meaning and impact of performance. Her publications reflect interests in nostalgia, feminist theory, and archival practices, offering insights into how costume design contributes to cultural memory and historical interpretation.
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Publications
2025
(Upcoming)
A reflection on Pattern draping on a c.1880 Dressmakers Dummy
Recreative Reflections
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Bloomsbury Fashion Library
This project explores the embodied connection between historical and contemporary makers by using a 19th-century French dressmaker’s mannequin to recreate a fashion plate from Journal des Dames et des Demoiselles (c.1880). The mannequin, shaped to reflect the fashionable silhouette of the time and bearing original construction features, offers insight into period dressmaking techniques. Through the process of draping and reconstruction, this study examines how fashion plates were interpreted by dressmakers of the era, aiming to deepen understanding of historical making practices and the experiential knowledge embedded in them.
2025
Reconstructing Identity: Depictions of the Personality and Home of John Aubrey in Patrick Garland’s Play Brief Lives
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Question Journal 10
Theatre design often involves reconstructing identity, particularly in performances centred on a single historical figure. Julia Trevelyan Oman explored this concept in her 1967 collaboration with Patrick Garland on Brief Lives, a one-man play about John Aubrey. Oman's set used over 2,500 carefully sourced props to reflect Aubrey’s identity as a collector and storyteller, creating a richly detailed, immersive environment. Described by Garland as a “Jacobean kitchen sink,” the design aimed to resurrect Aubrey’s legacy through a reconstructed home. This paper examines how Oman’s detail-driven naturalism built historical identity through set design and contributed to the production’s critical acclaim.
2024
Fantasy through naturalism: Julia Trevelyan Oman and The Nutcracker
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Studies in Costume and Performance 9.1
The Royal Ballet’s 1984 production of The Nutcracker, designed by Julia Trevelyan Oman, is one of the most recognizable and commercially successful versions of the ballet. Oman, known for her detailed and historically informed naturalism, used meticulous research to create immersive theatrical worlds. This production exemplifies her distinctive approach, blending historical realism with imaginative fantasy. Although the designs are widely praised, Oman’s contributions are often overlooked. This article examines her design process and its role in shaping the enduring success of one of London’s most profitable ballets.