A Proposed Methodology for the Digital Reconstruction of Nonextant Garments
Alexis Pecknay
Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
About this Item
- Title
- A Proposed Methodology for the Digital Reconstruction of Nonextant Garments
- Contributor Names
-
Pecknay, Alexis (Author)
-
Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice (Degree granting institution)
-
Davidson, Hilary (Thesis advisor)
- Date
- 2026
- Degree Information
- M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York 2026
- Department: Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Advisors: Hilary Davidson
- Committee members: Brooke Carlson
- Abstract
- This qualifying paper begins by defining "practice-led research" and establishing how historical dress reconstruction fits into this definition. Dress reconstruction is neither experiential archaeology nor is it experimental archaeology. Rather, the purpose of the reconstruction - engagement, technical analysis, or preservation - determines the methods. It is necessary that specialists are involved in the reconstruction process to ensure all components are well-researched. For nonextant reconstructions, pictorial and documentary evidence are necessary.The benefits and disadvantages of both physical and digital reconstructions are explored. Digital reconstruction is determined to be a better method for nonextant garment reconstruction given its adaptability and flexibility in regards to material and patterning experimentation. Utilizing Jane Malcolm-Davies' dress reconstruction methodology as a framework, a new methodology is proposed. With this new digital dress reconstruction methodology, six categories of reconstructions emerge: evidence-informed reconstruction of an extant garment, evidence-informed reconstruction of a nonextant garment, replication of a fantastical depiction, reconstruction of an imagined garment, fantastical interpretation of an extant garment, and fantastical interpretation of a nonextant garment. Four case studies involving digital dress reconstructions of medieval and early modern nonextant garments dated between 1475-1615 are analyzed. They are then labeled as either an evidence-informed reconstruction of a nonextant garment, replication of a fantastical depiction, reconstruction of an imagined garment, or a fantastical interpretation of a nonextant garment.
- Keyword
- Fashion
- Design
- Art history
- 3D scanning
- Computer aided-design
- Digital reconstruction
- Medieval dress
- Nonextant garments
- Practice-led research
- Rights
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
- In Copyright
- The copyright for this work is held by its author/creator(s). Usage of this material beyond what is permitted by copyright law must first be cleared with the rights-holder(s). This work has been made available online by the Fashion Institute of Technology Gladys Marcus Library strictly for research and educational purposes. If you are the copyright holder for this work and have any objections to this work being made available online, please notify us immediately at [email protected].
- This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.
- Identifier
- FIT Repository ID: etd_001071
- URN: ISBN:9798252432267
- Related Materials
- Also available from ProQuest
- Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 87-12
- Masters Abstracts International
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Citation
Pecknay, A. (2026). A Proposed Methodology for the Digital Reconstruction of Nonextant Garments [Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York]. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/676710
Pecknay, Alexis. A Proposed Methodology for the Digital Reconstruction of Nonextant Garments. 2026. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, Master's thesis. FIT Institutional Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/676710
Pecknay, Alexis. "A Proposed Methodology for the Digital Reconstruction of Nonextant Garments." Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2026. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/676710