Costume Designer: Nic Kipar

Brief: Aloof and cold Alien Empress within a Sci-Fi context, costume to reflect the Empress' sense of superiority

Inspiration: Byzantium and later Byzantine style. For example: 6th century Empress Theodora mosaic (left) and 10th century icon (right)

Realisation: Robe simple black tube with gold lame bands, lined with heavy felt and hem weighted with curtain tape to reduce movement of garment. Pallium made from synthetic buckram covered in gold fabric-backed PVC, machine quilted geometrical design, embellished with glass cabochons, pearls and gold nuggets. Ski-mask hood fashioned from spandex, weighted braids fixed to hood. Half-circle black veil with machine embroidery.

Empress' Crown

Inspiration: Early 11th century German/Italian 'Reichskrone' (Imperial crown of the Holt Roman Empire) and late 11th century Hungarian St Stevens crown (Holy Crown of Hungary)

Realisation: Octagonal cardboard shape gold painted and stiffened with Mod Podge. Triple-headed eagle motif painted on four plates. Pearls, glass cabochons, gold nuggets and jewellery findings glued on, and pendant chains added.

Empress' shoes

Inspiration: 8th century Byzantine shoes (left), Holy Roman Emperor's coronation shoes, shoe shape last altered in 17th century, material dated 12th century.

Realisation: Velvet slippers embellished with pearls, beads,glass cabochons and facetted stones.

Costume designer: Nic Kipar

Brief: Costume to visualise Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina literary fairy tale

Inspiration: Stereotypical idea of Fairy Tale costumes set in imaginary Late Middle Ages/Gothic period. Deliberate choice of inaccurate and fashion-influenced 19th century/early 20th century costume history illustrations

Realisation: Prince: Silk tunic under short Houppelande (heavy tapestry fabric, fake fur embellishments), velvet hat with liripipe, black leather gauntlets. Thumbelina: doll dressed in linen shift with machine gold embroidery, brocade-lined velvet robe and gold embellished headdress. (Commercial pattern for doll)

Costume designer: Nic Kipar

Brief: Costume for a summer night's garden party, which echoed the vegetation

Inspiration: A Midsummer Night's Dream illustrations

Realisation: Commercial costume pattern for satin dress, embellished with green pearls. Fake ivy and feather butterflies with jewellery findings and stones to adorn wings and crown.