Digital replicas of historical skirts

Abstract

Digitisation of historical costumes is an actual multidisciplinary area of research that uses science-based methods of reconstruction in virtual reality. The main aim of this study was to create a method for generating numerical replicas of skirts of the late 1850?s and the1860s. We applied two-dimensional and three-dimensional software to parameterise all the elements of the skirts and recreate them layer by layer. Computer modelling allowed us to gain insight into the interrelation between the parameters of cage crinolines, skirt construction and the behaviour of textile materials on the crinoline’s surface. A replica of a historical costume was generated and the similarity between the historical prototype and its replica was proved. The application of computer graphics tools for the reconstruction of the visible and invisible elements of historical costumes can advance their scientific study. The reconstructions can be an effective instrument for teaching, enriching museum collections and producing online presentations.