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Farmer's Daughter, worn by Sunny Cho: red gingham bodice and pale blue check skirt.

Soft Goods

Farmer's Daughter

An 1800s-inspired dress made from two men's button-down shirts, bedsheets and a tablecloth, whose skirt unbuttons into a picnic blanket. With a short film.

Category
Soft Goods
Year
2026
Role
Designer, director and cinematographer
Course
RISD Apparel
Tools
Pattern making, Sewing, Film
Materials
Two men's button-down shirts, Bedsheets, A tablecloth, Lace trim

The idea

Constructed from two extra-large men's button-down shirts, bedsheets, and a tablecloth, this 1800s-inspired dress explores transformation and identity through material reuse. The skirt can be unbuttoned and used as a picnic blanket, turning everyday textiles into a story about labor, femininity and rural nostalgia.

Sketches for the dress: the 1800s silhouette, layered skirt, and the skirt rolled up, rolled down, and spread as a blanket.

The dress

On the form, skirt draped.
The bodice with the skirt unbuttoned.
Back view showing the buttoned skirt panels.
The skirt released to full length.

The film

Farmer's Daughter, an experimental short film documenting the garment as it becomes a picnic blanket, set against a rural backdrop. Director and cinematographer: Amelia McGovern. Model: Sunny Cho. Sound on. 1:43.

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