Thanks to Angela Cleary for another great article.
May is approaching and one can feel the excitement build across the island as the day of the Madeira’s famous Flower Parade draws near! Final arrangements are being made including last-minute rehearsals and the all-important costume fittings.
A key element to this amazing event is the dazzling array of costumes brought to life by talented dressmakers, some of whom have been making Flower Parade costumes for decades. One of these is Teresa, an experienced seamstress who has been making elaborate Flower Parade costumes for more than 28 years.
Teresa in her workroom.
I visit Teresa in her small second floor workroom overlooking bustling central Funchal.
I am immediately faced with a vision of vibrant coloured fabrics reflecting the bright sunshine streaming through the slatted shutters which framed the window. Billowing tulle, shiny silks, vibrant satins and rich organza, voluminous underskirts and stiffening for bodices, all compete for space in this riotous, kaleidoscopic Aladdin’s cave!
Materials in all colours.
Teresa smiles at my amazement and laughs:
“Yes, I have all colours of the rainbow here!” She explains:
“The choice of material is very important and reflects the theme. Each group must be coordinated, so the material is the same and so is the colour palette, but there is variation in the costume designs according to age or performance.”
Teresa has regular clients who come to her each year with their elaborate costume designs colourfully drawn on paper. Teresa carefully annotates each design including which fabric to use and how much material she calculates will be needed for each part of the costume. Incredibly, Teresa does not require a pattern to work from!
Annotated Design, Completed Costume.
It is amazing to witness how a one-dimensional design on paper, through the skill and artistic talent of an experienced seamstress, can come to life without the use of AI, computers or even a basic pattern! This is true genius!
I ask Teresa which costumes she finds most challenging. She laughs:
“Some of the children’s costumes have wings and some of the hats can be time-consuming because they may involve adding either fresh or silk flowers.”
Floral Hat.
However, her years of experience mean that Teresa has the skill and expertise to tackle even the most ornate costume!
Sunflower Costume.
I ask her how many costumes she makes and how long it takes:
“Some years I make more than 60 costumes which can take over 6 weeks to complete. Sometimes I work more than 12 hours a day to ensure the costumes are completed on time!”
This all sounds like incredibly hard work but Teresa laughs:
“Every year it’s a different theme and I really enjoy the challenge!”