Pennod 10 Cwpwrdd Dillad

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-Tonight, a trip to Pen Llyn...

-..to see Nicola Pilkington's

-unusual wardrobe.

-Marc Rees will show us his small

-but interesting wardrobe in Cardiff.

-First, we meet former singer

-Olwen Davies in Aberystwyth.

-Welcome to Cwpwrdd Dillad.

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-# DELIBES: FLOWER DUET #

-This is a duvet cover,

-from Brixton Market.

-Come on, girls! Lovely duvet covers!

-I bought it

-and turned it into a trouser suit.

-I still like it.

-I made it many moons ago.

-I wear it when I'm at the seaside

-and people compliment me on it.

-It's colourful, isn't it?

-Colour is very evident...

-..when you enter

-Olwen Davies's home, in Penparcau.

-The house is full of clothes

-made and collected by Olwen...

-..during her fascinating and varied

-80-year lifetime.

-Your whole house

-is a walk-in wardrobe!

-It's certainly true of this room.

-Yes. All the rooms are like this!

-From time to time,

-I put the clothes in cupboards.

-I can't believe

-I have so many clothes.

-Every item brings back memories.

-They're like children to me.

-I look at articles and think...

-.."Oh! That's where I bought that"

-or "Oh! I wore that there."

-My clothes

-definitely bring back some memories.

-Olwen grew up in Wales

-and in London.

-She went on to study music and she

-became a singer and a translator.

-She divided her time

-between London and Rome.

-Olwen moved back to Wales

-to retire...

-..and she became

-a leading member of CND Cymru.

-When I was in Covent Garden...

-..I spotted this dressing gown in

-a gentlemen's outfitter in Victoria.

-There are red dragons on it

-and I loved it.

-When I moved back to Wales and

-started to go on peace protests...

-..I gave it a padded lining.

-It was the ideal coat to wear

-to London, Greenham Common...

-..and to pop to town on

-a shopping trip during the winter.

-There it is - the Welsh dragon.

-It's the colour of fire and

-your flame certainly burns brightly.

-Yes. When I do something,

-I do it with passion.

-I feel passionately

-about certain issues.

-I'm passionate

-about the peace movement...

-..and about the terrible things

-that go on, across the world.

-The arms trade - "We arm the

-dictators and bomb their people".

-We must do something.

-Children die of starvation

-and disease every day.

-It's wrong.

-We really must change things.

-You're passionate about world issues

-and you're passionate about clothes.

-You love your clothes, don't you?

-You love your clothes, don't you?

-

-Yes, I do.

-It's amazing what you can achieve,

-with a bit of creativity.

-The fabric is the important thing.

-If you have good fabric,

-you can create something unique.

-Nobody else has items

-like the ones in my wardrobe.

-I certainly don't think

-anyone has an outfit like this one.

-This was a present.

-I was in South Africa.

-I have a Wales Anti Apartheid shirt,

-of course.

-The hat and the scarf are the kinds

-of things they wear in South Africa.

-We taught them to sing...

-# Drop not bombs is our desire.

-We don't want a nuclear war #

-They taught us to sing a song

-in isiZulu.

-SHE SINGS IN ISIZULU

-It meant "You, woman,

-can become a Member of Parliament."

-This room

-is just one of your wardrobes.

-You have another roomful of clothes,

-don't you?

-Let's take a look at that room, too.

-First, let's flap our...

-what are they called?

-Ventalio.

-Oh, these come in handy in Rome.

-The dress you're wearing

-matches your blue eyes.

-You wore this

-to your birthday party, didn't you?

-How old were you?

-How old were you?

-

-I was 80 years old.

-I had my party at the Arts Centre.

-This was made by Bella,

-my dressmaker in Rome.

-I lived in Rome and I came back

-to England occasionally...

-..and I'd buy fabric in John Lewis.

-I took this material back to Rome,

-many years ago.

-This dress

-must be 40 or 45 years old.

-It's timeless.

-You wore more than one dress

-at your birthday party.

-You changed,

-at the end of the evening.

-Yes.

-I changed into this black dress.

-I crocheted the red collar.

-It adds a bit of life to the dress.

-I wear my jet necklace

-with this dress.

-I was in Whitby in 1949,

-appearing in 'Out of the Blue'.

-Whitby is famous for its jet.

-I earned around 15 a week.

-My husband earned something similar.

-I was determined

-to buy a Whitby jet necklace.

-I found that one.

-I think I paid

-something like 25 for it.

-I was in Whitby last year

-and I saw a similar necklace.

-If I bought it today,

-it would cost around 800.

-What a fantastic investment!

-Yes. The man in the shop told me

-it's hand-crafted and hand-carved.

-Nobody makes them, any more.

-Peacock! I'm a peacock!

-I'm beginning to believe you.

-People ask,

-"What are you going to wear?"

-"You do look nice."

-That's when the feathers come out.

-That's when the feathers come out.

-

-Yes, that's right.

-Let's hope Olwen Davies's

-colourful peacock feathers...

-..keep coming out

-for many years to come.

-Nicola Pilkington

-is only 18 years old...

-..but she has already developed

-her own, unique style.

-I love walking into a room and

-seeing people looking at my clothes.

-I'm different.

-Of all the wardrobes I've seen,

-this has to be the most unusual.

-What gave you the idea

-of storing things like this?

-When I had a normal wardrobe,

-I used to stuff everything in there.

-I had no room

-and I couldn't find anything.

-I pair colours together

-but I still couldn't find anything!

-This has made life easy.

-I'm surprised. Everything within

-a block of colour blends into one.

-I'm used to it and I recognise

-the different fabrics and textures.

-I know where everything is

-and I know what I've got.

-Black is an exception to that rule.

-Black is tricky.

-You have to pull everything out!

-I was a tomboy when I was young.

-I wasn't into fashion.

-My friends matched colours

-but I didn't.

-The school uniform we wore

-was really restrictive.

-I didn't want to look

-like everyone else.

-I like people to notice my clothes.

-I want to stand out.

-How would you describe your style?

-I never wear the same thing

-two days on the trot.

-Sometimes I wear something feminine

-and sometimes something grungy.

-It depends on how I feel or

-what sort of weather we're having.

-Colour has huge relevance, for me.

-Do you choose one colour

-or a combination of colours?

-Sometimes, I wear a single colour

-and sometimes I combine colours.

-I wear unusual colour combinations.

-You have four pairs of boots of the

-same design, in different colours.

-These trainers

-are all the same, too.

-Yes. If I find something comfortable

-I buy it in every available colour.

-It makes it easy because

-I know they fit and how they look.

-It's easy to adapt to different

-colours of the same design.

-I buy lots of things

-from charity shops.

-My trainers weren't very expensive.

-I like things like this.

-I bought it in a charity shop.

-I wear this as a top.

-You just wrap it around yourself?

-Yes - like this.

-Yes - like this.

-

-Let me try.

-Aren't you worried it'll fall down?

-No, I'm confident.

-I wear them all the time.

-I don't worry about it.

-I bought these Evisu jeans

-from a charity shop.

-They're brand new

-and they cost 3.50.

-They'd be around 100, in the shops.

-I cut things up, like that.

-It's easy.

-If I mess it up, who cares?

-They're cheap.

-This is lovely.

-This is lovely.

-

-I bought that in Iceland.

-My uncle lives there.

-He's an artist

-and I studied his work at college.

-I visited him

-and I went shopping, too!

-I bought lots of really unusual

-fabrics there, too.

-Texture is important to me.

-These materials

-are quite old-fashioned.

-This is a top.

-It's an interesting fabric.

-If you scrunch it up,

-the creases stay in the material.

-Great! There's no need to iron it.

-My friends think I'm nuts.

-They're used to it.

-We go out for a drink

-and I'm over-the-top.

-I know I'm over-the-top

-but I can't be normal.

-I needed something to wear

-to a New Year's Eve party...

-..so I bought this silver catsuit.

-It's hideous!

-It looked fine on the internet.

-You don't wear this

-to go down the pub?

-I want to but people stop me!

-Can you see yourself making a living

-from clothes and fashion?

-I'll do an arts foundation course

-in Bangor next year.

-The next step then is to study

-fashion design, in London.

-Fingers crossed,

-if I work hard enough.

-What will you include

-in your collection?

-Everything. I like all sorts

-of styles, as you can see.

-I like patterned fabrics

-and plain fabrics.

-I want to keep adding

-to my collection...

-..and pick up ideas wherever I go.

-If you come back in a few years,

-everything will have changed.

-I never stand still.

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-Things will change...

-..but the 1970s was the important

-decade for me, regarding clothes.

-Performer, Marc Rees,

-grew up during the 1970s.

-The experiences he had

-during that decade...

-..shaped his character, his home

-and his wardrobe.

-When did you form your

-special relationship with clothes?

-I had a special relationship

-with clothes, even as a young boy.

-I wanted to express myself

-by dressing up.

-I remember dressing up

-as Demis Roussos or Kate Bush...

-..and putting on performances

-for my family.

-That then rubbed off

-on my choice of day-to-day clothes.

-Has performing

-always been in your blood?

-Yes. Always.

-I've always used costumes

-for my performances.

-I create stage costumes.

-Much of your performance work

-is autobiographical.

-Is that reflected in your clothes?

-Is that reflected in your clothes?

-

-Yes, because my work is inspired

-by my home - the Swansea Valley.

-I go back to my parents' house,

-in Alltwen...

-..and look through the contents

-of the cupboards or the attic.

-I find clothes I wore as a child

-or a 1970s suit.

-Such discoveries

-inspire new pieces of work.

-You tell the truth, through clothes.

-Doesn't that make you vulnerable?

-Yes, of course, that's true.

-My work is all about identity

-and sexuality.

-That comes to the surface by wearing

-clothes and through nakedness.

-I do a lot of work either naked

-or wearing just a pair of pants.

-This is the spare bedroom

-and this is my wardrobe.

-It's small.

-There aren't many clothes in there.

-The first thing I'd like to show you

-is this special pair of pants.

-I wore them

-when I was eight years old.

-I don't think they fit me any more.

-I won't try them on!

-There's a poignant story

-linked to these.

-I was eight years old and I was

-getting changed, for a PE lesson.

-The girls were getting changed

-into their knickers and vests.

-I ended up in my pants

-and everyone started to laugh at me.

-The teacher started to laugh at me,

-really hysterically.

-She paraded me around the school,

-in my pants.

-She made me walk across the yard

-and into the classrooms.

-That was

-an extremely traumatic experience.

-I think that's why I now spend

-so much time performing in my pants.

-I perform a lot, either in my pants

-or completely naked.

-A lot of these items

-are linked to my childhood.

-I shave my head, these days...

-..but I tended to have curly hair,

-when I was young.

-When the curls started to grow,

-I was in a real panic.

-Didn't you like having curly hair?

-Didn't you like having curly hair?

-

-No, because curls are girly.

-I wanted to stop it happening.

-Believe it or not...

-..I used to wear a balaclava

-when I was in bed at night.

-I'll see if it still fits me.

-For weeks and months...

-..I slept with this balaclava

-on my head.

-There's another item

-linked to my childhood in here.

-I entered the Swansea Valley

-road race on 27th of April, 1982.

-I wanted to prove my masculinity...

-..so I trained in secret every night

-with Rhodri, my friend.

-I ended up winning the road race.

-This is the actual outfit I wore

-to run that race.

-I'll try it on,

-to see if it still fits me.

-A lot of the things I have still

-fit me, even if they're a bit tight.

-I was about 16 when I wore these.

-You see? They still fit me,

-just about.

-I take it you always wear

-this dress to do the housework?

-No, not always!

-There's a story behind this dress.

-I did a show called 'Iddo Ef'

-in the early 1990s.

-It was a piece based on the work

-of Ann Griffiths.

-This dress was created especially

-for the show.

-I'll tell you

-who inspired this dress.

-I remember

-watching the BAFTA ceremony.

-Nia Ceidiog was wearing a dress

-similar to this.

-It had a high neck and it was shaped

-like this, to show off her muscles.

-Nia Ceidiog inspired this dress.

-I take it this jacket

-has some significance?

-Yes.

-Listen and you'll hear it creak.

-Leather makes a special sound.

-This sound inspired my performance.

-I developed an idea,

-through the performance.

-I performed naked and

-I draped this jacket over my head.

-It takes place under the jacket.

-It was an image

-linked to ageing skin...

-..and our obsession with

-keeping our body young and healthy.

-I went to art college in Brighton

-during the 1980s.

-I decided to create an outfit

-to wear on my first day at college.

-Please remember

-this was back in the 1980s.

-This is the top.

-As you can see,

-it's made of towelling.

-Isn't it awful?

-There's also

-a pair of matching trousers in here.

-Oh, no!

-I wore the top and the trousers...

-..with Dr Martens boots

-and a biker's leather jacket.

-I thought it was great.

-From then on, the students called me

-"The little Welsh boy".

-One thing that strikes me

-is how much you enjoy your clothes.

-Yes. Clothes are important in

-my performing work and in my life.

-How would you sum up

-your relationship with your clothes?

-As you've discovered,

-my wardrobe is important to me.

-It spreads out and covers my work

-and my creative life.

-It's terribly important to me.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones