Iron Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design · 2025
See Our Moonlight Revels Garments
by Joyce Li
- A' Design Award 2025 Iron Winner in Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Joyce Li
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 50,787
- Verification code FCF1A2190C · Verify this award
About See Our Moonlight Revels Garments
See Our Moonlight Revels is a stage costume that reimagines Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream as a 1920s flapper. The two-piece set consists of a blouse and palazzo pants, made of iridescent silk chiffon over a polyester satin body. Stripes of ruffles are cut individually, adorned with seed beads and hand sewn to the pants. When the wearer stands still, cascading panels conceal the inseam and the pants resemble a dress. In motion, the panels open and allow full freedom for dance. The costume reflects both the strength and the grace of the character.
Joyce Li's See Our Moonlight Revels Garments participates within contemporary fashion's ongoing meditation upon historical glamour periods, particularly the sophisticated elegance of interwar evening wear, while translating such temporal references through distinctly twenty-first century material innovation and construction philosophy that honors heritage without replicating it. The ensemble demonstrates accomplished command of textile behavior and material conversation, where the designer orchestrates a sophisticated dialogue between opposing qualities: the substantial weight and dimensional richness of metallic embroidery work across the bodice region contrasts beautifully with the weightless transparency of flutter sleeves that introduce movement potential and atmospheric softness, while the voluminous wide-leg trousers navigate between structured tailoring that maintains clean silhouette definition and fluid drape that allows luxurious fabric abundance to cascade and pool with balletic grace. The chromatic restraint displayed throughout the color palette, anchored in deep midnight blue tonalities that evoke nocturnal skies and punctuated strategically with golden metallic accents suggesting celestial bodies or luminous botanical forms, achieves remarkable sophistication through unity rather than variety, allowing subtle tonal shifts within the blue range to create visual interest while maintaining cohesive elegance. The embroidery work itself merits particular attention, as the branching organic patterns traced in metallic thread across the bodice region demonstrate both technical precision in execution and conceptual richness in their evocation of natural growth systems, suggesting vines, branches, or perhaps stellar constellations mapped onto textile surfaces, this decorative dimension transforming functional garment into narrative object that carries layers of cultural and aesthetic association. The styling choices amplify the garment's temporal conversation, with the model's finger-waved coiffure and dramatic makeup referencing early twentieth-century beauty ideals while the overall presentation through contemporary photography conventions creates productive tension between historical reverence and present-moment innovation, suggesting that fashion design operates not through linear progression but through continuous circular dialogue with aesthetic legacies. The work invites consideration of how garments function as temporal vessels, carrying forward craft traditions, silhouette languages, and material sensibilities from earlier glamour eras while adapting such elements to contemporary bodies, contexts, and cultural conversations, and how evening wear in particular maintains its special category as occasion-appropriate attire that permits greater theatrical elaboration and material luxury than daily dress, preserving spaces within modern wardrobes for garments that celebrate rather than merely serve, that transform wearers into performers of elegance and carriers of aesthetic history into present moments.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- See Our Moonlight Revels reimagines and modernizes Titania. It allows us to explore who she is and who she might be in a modern context. Bringing her into the 20th century highlights how her personality remains relatable to contemporary women. Her ability to embrace both romance and femininity while standing firm in her beliefs serves as a powerful reminder that assertiveness does not diminish one’s appeal, just as love and gentleness do not equate to weakness or insignificance.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 1 look, total of 2 pieces in US size 4.
- Tags
- costume design, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Play, Women Empowerment, Movement, Hand Embellished, Flapper, Roaring 20's
- Production Technology
- This two piece set, blouse and palazzo pants are made in iridescent silk chiffon overlay polyester satin body. Stripes of ruffles are individually cut and adorned with seed beads then hand sewn to palazzo pants. When in movement, the panels on the pants fly open, portraying a hopelessly in love fairy queen spinning and dancing and the little gold beads appear just as many little fairies accompanying the love sick queen. The lightness of silk chiffon render Titania's graceful and sentimental charm.
- Design Challenge
- During the design process, the biggest challenge was creatively infusing my personal touch and perspective while ensuring historical accuracy to the 1920s. In my research, I was meticulous in distinguishing authentic 1920s trends from modern reinterpretations or reimaginings of classic styles. Within the constraints of maintaining a plausible flapper look, I conducted extensive research, drawing from vintage Vogue illustrations, photographs, digital museum archives, books, and articles that explored the spirit, lifestyle, and fashion of flappers. With all this in mind, I then had to capture the charm and essence of Titania, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and seamlessly translate her character into a 1920s flapper aesthetic.
- Project Duration
- The set was produced in Vancouver, Canada.
- Operation Flow
- When standing still, the wide leg pants with cascade panels conceal the inseam of the palazzo pants giving the illusion of a dress. As soon as movements begin, the pant legs are revealed, giving the performer full mobility to dance. The hand sewn beads flicker and shine under stage light, adding dimension and texture. In addition, the costume presents two contrasting personalities when the wearer is motionless v.s. in action. This helps render Titania's subtle emotional shift thought out the play.
- Research
- The research began with a close analysis of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act II, Scene I, focusing on Titania’s portrayal and any descriptions of her in the text. I then explored 1920s flappers through Vogue illustrations, photographs, digital fashion archives, and articles on flapper fashion to reimagine a modern Titania.The outfit is crafted from silk chiffon, which flows gracefully with movement, enhancing its ethereal quality. Flutter sleeves evoke the delicate impression of fairy wings, adding to the character’s whimsical and elegant essence.
- Inspiration
- See Our Moonlight Revels reimagines Titania, fairy queen from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as a 1920s flapper. The flapper movement, a defining step toward women's liberation, parallels Titania’s strong-willed and assertive nature.
In Act II, Scene I, Titania’s argument with Oberon unveils both her rebellious spirit and unwavering maternal devotion. "Set your hearts at rest. The fairy land buys not the child of me," she declares. Her duality—commanding yet nurturing—perfectly reflects a time when flappers defied societal norms.
In 1920's wearing pants remained a rarity—reserved mostly for revolutionaries. A woman in trousers was a quiet act of defiance, a symbol of freedom and progress. With this in mind, I designed palazzo pants that appear as a skirt when still but reveal their structure in motion. This design mirrors Titania’s duality and the evolving role of women. - Image Credits
- Photographer: Liz Dungate
Model: Lizbell Agency
Hair: Eros Liu
Make Up: Oz Zandiyeh