The Box of Delights by John Masefield

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Prior to the highly recognised fantasy novels of J.R.R.Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling, Masefield wrote The Midnight Folk (1927) and The Box of Delights (1935).

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I have created my designs for a stage production. This is fantasy; folklore, a play of magic and time travel with witches, flying cars, talking animals and an orphan boy. 

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This adaptation is set post WW2 when the nation was in a period of austerity. Although the war was over, materials were limited, rationing continued and even hem lengths were controlled. Women had converted men’s old woollen tailored suits into fashionable women’s wear. Wool and silk had been requisitioned for uniforms and parachutes.

I have incorporated this into my designs with recycled sari silk and off cuts of woollen fabric. In the mid 1940s material was created with bold printing and embroidery as other embellishments were not available.