Peregrina Vestis Scaenica Historica by Kimberly Phipps-Nichol

Peregrina Vestis Scaenica Historica by Kimberly Phipps-Nichol is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Praemium A' Design Award Ferreum in Designatio Vestitus Scaenici Competition Category.

FerrumDesignatio Vestitus Scaenici· 2026

Peregrina Vestis Scaenica Historica

by Kimberly Phipps-Nichol

Client: Kimberly Phipps-Nichol, RoKi Design

Praemium A' Design Award Ferreum Winner in Designatio Vestitus Scaenici Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Peregrina Vestis Scaenica Historica

Peregrina est vestis scaenica muliebris ex aetate anni MCM, cum ornamentis et subucula Edwardiana exhibita. Vestimenta ex materiis rursus adhibitis, renovatis, antiquis atque aetati congruentibus confecta sunt, inter quas gossypium, cannabis, sericum, linum, lana, stramentum, pluma et ferramenta metallica numerantur. Forma exemplaris simplex est, artes reddens quas a sartrice domestica circa annum MCM exspectari solebat. Partes praecipuae vestis versatiles sunt, ita ut una copia partium plures habitus praebeat. Ferramenta occulta vel duplici usui apta, inter quae globuli atque hami cum oculis, partes inter se ordinatas tenent et pondus textilium gravium sustinent.

The Recognition

About the Praemium A' Design Award Ferreum

Peregrina Vestis Scaenica Historica victor est Praemii A' Design Award Ferreum, honoris amplissimi formis bonis dati, quae postulatis professionalibus et industrialibus ab creationibus bene formatis exspectatis satisfaciunt. Victores Ferrei magnam peritiam, altam specializationem, intellectum periti et facultatem creandi auctorum suorum ostendunt. Exspectatur Peregrina Vestis Scaenica Historica creationem multum aestimatam, admiratam et carissimam, practicam et novam fore. Haec forma Ferreo victa optimas industriae consuetudines integrat et proprietates technicas idoneas, cum scientia et talento coniunctas, habet. Peregrina Vestis Scaenica Historica ob diligentiam suam honoratur et ad vitae qualitatem emendandam formatum est, ut mundum meliorem reddere iuvet.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Peregrina is a 1900 era ladies stage costume with accessories and an Edwardian slip made from repurposed, upcycled, antique and era appropriate materials. The pattern for the suit is simple to reflect the level of design and construction capability that would have been expected of a home sewist circa 1900. What is truly innovative about this suit is that it is reversible. This flexibility provides a series of outfits from just one setup, in a nod to the tailor mades of the time.
Dimensions & Packaging: Suit fits a US women size 4, and dimensions vary due to wrap style.
Bust up to 105 cm
Waist up to 76 cm
Hips up to 115 cm
Submission Materials Contents include Cotton, Hemp, Silk, Linen, Wool, Straw, Feather, and Metal Hardware.
Tags: Costume, Stage wear, Theater wear, Historic costume, Suffragette, Travel, Wearable art, Traditional craft culture, Creative design, Historic reenactment
Production Technology: Research, pattern drafting, mockups and production took over 500 hours. Only era available contemporary fabrics were used where antique materials could not be sourced. Antique hardware and silk were used where feasible. While a basic sewing machine was used for main construction, only straight and zig zag stitches were employed to maintain era consistency. Most of the suit and all mockups were made from repurposed drapes saved from a now closed natural fibers boutique.
Design Challenge: There were two main challenges for this costume. First was sourcing antique and era-appropriate materials on a very small budget. Second was making the main costume components completely reversible while still preserving modesty and a correct silhouette. The reversibility required mockups with significant trial and error to ensure true era appropriate design and construction.
Research: Historical references for design, construction, fabric patterns, colors and fibers include photos of 1900 era ancestors, plus online and print resources. Online resources included US Census Bulletin of era available fibers, as well as database searches of museums with era relevant clothing archives. Print Resources included reference books published by museums with era relevant clothing archives, along with numerous fashion and dressmaker magazines from the years 1900 through 1910.
Inspiration: Created in response to a call for a 1900 era historic costume for actors portraying suffragettes and women traveling across North America. The suit was inspired by inherited heirlooms and documents of a true free spirited Muse who embodied the independent characters to be depicted. The Muse had traveled extensively in this time and is a distant relative of the designer. The name is a nod to the family maritime roots and boat name at that time, Peregrinator, hence the nautical details.
Project Duration: The project started in June 2024 in Houston, Texas and finished in January 2025 in Houston, Texas.
Operation Flow: The reversible components use hardware that is either dual purpose or hidden to ensure a sleek form. Buttons at inner and outer skirt waist sides are both used as closures and shirtwaist connection to support the skirt. This keeps individual pieces from shifting out of alignment while elegantly transferring and distributing the weight of heavy materials. Hooks and eyes ensure critical components retain points of contact important for appearance and flow while moving on stage.
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Andy Phan, Main, 2026
Image #2: Photographer Andy Phan, Optional 1, 2026
Image #3: Photographer Andy Phan, Optional 2, 2026
Image #4: Photographer Andy Phan, Optional 3, 2026
Image #5: Photographer Andy Phan, Optional 4, 2026