I am a professional Milliner and award winning Historical Costume specialist, with an abundance of knowledge in Period Costuming and breakdown. My work has a strong focus on Historical accuracy when required, but my design approach is also innovative and modern where called for.  

I began my Millinery training in 2010, Inspired and mentored by award winning Elizabeth Parker. I later took my studies to the world of Historical Costume for Stage and Screen, gaining a BA Hons Degree with Honours in the First Class in 2021. During this time I underwent further training with CMS at Pinewood Studios, covering Costume Design Essentials, Breakdown, Fitting Etiquette, Pattern Cutting and Standby. I then returned to them as a Costume Breakdown Assistant for Emma Walker on their HNC programme. 

I pursued experience within theatre, assisting Costume Supervisor Janet Hull on the 2019 Shakespeare Rose Productions for Blenheim Palace, attaining vital workroom, fitting, supervision and sourcing expertise.

1. Seamstress

   Cindy's Alterations · Sep 2019 - Aug 2021

   Alterations of any kind, wedding dresses, casual clothing, upholstery and ball gowns. We would turn our hand to any kind of request from the general public to hotels, small clothing businesses and wedding dress retailers. During the pandemic, we did a large range of mask making for small businesses with varying design criteria.

2. Supervisors Assistant Work Ex

   Shakespeare Rose Lunch Box Productions · Jun 2019 - Sep 2019

   Work placement Assisting the Costume Supervisor and designer of the Blenheim performances at Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre produced by Lunchbox productions, including work room days. I assisted in all elements. Beginning with fittings, this production was a re-run so we met the new cast, and fitted the existing costumes. I recorded amendments to be made, items that needed to be sourced and purchased and organised the costume rails. I then began making the alterations on the costumes in the workroom with a team of costume specialists. I left the site on days to source and purchase shoes and prop accessories which I then took to the rehearsal village for prep and run throughs. The workroom was in York and the production was in Oxford, so on the final day, I organised the complete costume collection into transport, all in secured trunks. I itemised and gathered all of the required equipment that would be required to go from the workroom and helped to load it in a safe and secure way.

3. Assistant, Breakdown tuition, Work ex

   Creative Media Skills · Oct 2019 - Nov 2019

   Assistant to Emma Walker at CMS Pinewood Studios – Costume Breakdown. After attending the summer costume courses at CMS, I was asked back to assist Emma Walker on the HNC programme. I prepped the room for a class of 20 for breakdown classes. Having just attended a similar course and Emma joining for her first class, I was able to give my own input to help the agenda. I helped with the room set up, assisting the students with the activities they were set and suggested and planned some tasks including colour matching with dye techniques, sketchbook recording and grading swatches.

4. Entertainments Host

   Sealife Sanctuary - Merlin · May 2018 - Jan 2019

   • Deliver talks and feeds for Asian Short Clawed Otters, Humboldt Penguins, Loggerhead Turtles, Sharks and Seals. During the peak season I would deliver talks to the highest standards, with accuracy and personality for crowds in excess of 100 people. Time management was key, I would make the announcement for the talk, Deliver the talk, feed and answer questions within a 30 minute time slot before the next display. • Attend off site presentations and fairs to educate the public on marine conservation and entice them to visit the attraction. • I hosted private Tours for the Scarborough Hospitality association and The National Trust Directors. I also Liaised with a local business to bring in a celebrity figure for marketing of the attraction. • Experience Host for events such as Breakfast with Seals, birthday parties and seasonal children’s experiences, for instance Halloween trails and Santa’s Grotto. • Accurately recording animal feeds and behaviours using Excel.

5. Events Coordinator

   Best Western Hotels and Resorts · Oct 2016 - Jun 2018

   • Manage and head a portfolio of corporate and leisure events held across all UK Best Western Hotels. • Act as a lead contact for agencies and private clients for all aspects of the event planning. From initiating quotations to contracting. • Source appropriate venues and negotiate rates for each clients specific needs. • Follow up on potential business and use further negotiation with the venue and client to win it. • Provide essential, professional customer service to the client and hotel for a seamless process. • Organise and complete each event booking with accuracy within the Gratis, venue directory system, whether the event goes ahead or not in line with record keeping expectations.

1. Work well series

   ScreenSkills Learning Series · Nov 2022 - Nov 2023

   ScreenSkills Funded

2. Coronavirus basic awareness on production training

   ScreenSkills Test · Nov 2022

   ScreenSkills Funded

3. How to find work in the screen industries

   ScreenSkills Learning · Nov 2022

   ScreenSkills Funded

4. Introduction to mental health awareness at work

   ScreenSkills Learning · Nov 2022

   ScreenSkills Funded

5. Addressing unconscious bias: basic awareness in the workplace

   ScreenSkills Test · Nov 2021

   ScreenSkills Funded

6. Coronavirus basic awareness on production training

   ScreenSkills Test · Nov 2021

   ScreenSkills Funded

7. Tackling harassment and bullying at work

   ScreenSkills Learning · Nov 2021

   ScreenSkills Funded

8. Why ScreenSkills Trainee Finder could be the programme for you

   ScreenSkills · Oct 2021

   ScreenSkills Funded

9. BA Hons Degree with Honours in the First Class BA Hons Historical Costume Design for Stage and Screen

   Hull University · Sep 2018 - May 2021

   BA Hons Degree focussing on Historical Costume. Looking at both Design and Construction. Each year, I completed a menswear, ladies wear and props and millinery project from the design process, through to the realisation and construction of the actual costume. This included fabric sourcing, design technique exploration through multiple medias, for example collage, line drawing and digital drawing programmes. During the pandemic, the second year of this course was largely at home. This taught me so much more than I expected from the course. Battling a very small home workspace, change in modules and online tuition. I learned how to adapt to change and quickly find solutions to projects where the perfectly ideal route was no longer available. The final year was much the same in the way of module structure, but there was a large written element with a final Dissertation and the organisation of an end of year show and fundraising initiative.

10. CMS Certificate Costume for Film

    Creative Media Skills Pinewood Studios · Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

     Costume Design Essentials with Jane Clive  Fitting Etiquette with Jane Clive  Costume Standby with Isabelle Fraser  Costume Breakdown with Jane Clive  Pattern Cutting with Sharon McCormack

11. NCFE Mental Health Awareness, Safeguarding and Dignity

    NCFE Level 2 · Jan 2018 - Mar 2018

• Introduction to mental health awareness at work

  Screenskills Learning
  Issued 28 Nov 2022

• Tackling harassment and bullying at work

  Screenskills Learning
  Issued 21 Nov 2021