Costume, hat and choker designed by Una Collins and worn by Avis Bunnage (1923-1990) as the Music Hall Singer in Oh What a Lovely War, Theatre Royal Stratford East, 19 March 1963

Black sleeveless dress decorated with sequins and with a ‘fish-tail’ style train. The ground fabric of the dress is embellished with interlinked curing lines of sequins. These cover the bodice, skirt and train of the dress.

The bodice of the dress fits closely to the body and fastens at the centre back with a long vertical zip (81cms in length). It is sleeveless but with wide shoulder straps. These straps are decorated with hanging strands of beads at the bottom edge (creating a sleeve effect at the upper arm).

The bust is defined with two contrasting cream wool discs, both decorated with intersecting lines of black beads and sequins. A floating panel of black net, densely embellished with black beads and sequins, also sits around the bustline. This extends into a deeper point at the centre front and curves up and round to the left and right, sitting above the bust.

The skirt fits tightly to the body from waist to knee and then flares out into a wide fish-tail skirt. These is a small vertical slit at the centre front and the interior is lined with cream polyester.

The bodice is not lined, but is stiffened with 7 channels of boning and feature an integral black nylon “corset”. This corset moulds the wearers body from bust to rib cage. It is stiffened with 7 channels of boing and thick bands of wire around the bustline and thick bands of elastic border the top and bottom edge. It fastens at the rear with 4 pairs of metal hooks and eyes (an additional set of hooks positioned parallel to these indicates that the fit of the dress has been adjusted at some point). The foam padding previously present at the bustline has since broken down.

Given by Theatre Royal, Stratford East

This costume was worn by Avis Bunnage (1923-1990) as the Music Hall Singer who sang 'I'll Make a Man of You' in the satirical show Oh What a Lovely War, devised by Joan Littlewood (1914-2002) and the company of her Theatre Workshop and first performed at the Theatre Royal Stratford East on 19 March 1963. It transferred to Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End on 20 June 1963, when Avis Bunnage joined the company.

'I'll Make a Man of You' was an original World War I recruiting song, with lyrics by Arthur Wimperis and music by Herman Finck. It was written in 1914 and sung in music halls and even in pantomime in an effort to get men to join the armed forces at a time before conscription. The singer declares, suggestively, that she is only interested in soldiers and sailors and is happy to date a different military man every day, 'But on Saturday I'm willing, if you'll only take the shilling, To make a man of any one of you.'

S.310:1 to 3-2019