Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Turning a 400-year-old painting into a ballgown!
Costume designer Alexandra Sorenson (@_alexandra.louise_) turned one of the hardest fits of 1640 into wearable art.
Stitch by stitch, she transformed the portrait's dramatic silhouette, towering feathers, and shimmering satin into pure historical drip.
"With my work I simultaneously reinterpret not only the clothing worn, but the confidence in Stilte's gaze and posture that Verspronck depicts in his work," Sorenson says.
Lore drop: When this portrait was painted, only unmarried men could wear an outfit this bold in the subject's role. Knowing he was about to get married, he commissioned the portrait so this legendary look could live rent-free in history.
Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck,
"Andries Stilte as a Standard Bearer," 1640, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in., Patrons' Permanent Fund
West Building, Main Floor, Gallery M46
#art #design #explorepage
Turning a 400-year-old painting into a ballgown!
Costume designer Alexandra Sorenson (@_alexandra.louise_) turned one of the hardest fits of 1640 into wearable art.
Stitch by stitch, she transformed the portrait's dramatic silhouette, towering feathers, and shimmering satin into pure historical drip.
"With my work I simultaneously reinterpret not only the clothing worn, but the confidence in Stilte's gaze and posture that Verspronck depicts in his work," Sorenson says.
Lore drop: When this portrait was painted, only unmarried men could wear an outfit this bold in the subject's role. Knowing he was about to get married, he commissioned the portrait so this legendary look could live rent-free in history.
Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck,
"Andries Stilte as a Standard Bearer," 1640, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in., Patrons' Permanent Fund
West Building, Main Floor, Gallery M46
#art #design #explorepage
