The Recreation of a 1950s Avondale Mills Textile Design & the Making of a Mid-Century Wrap Skirt by Greta Plattry
Anthony Prentice
Class of 2026
This project examines the recreation of a 1950s textile design for a mid-century wrap skirt by Greta Plattry through pattern drafting, fabric printing, and garment construction, informed by fashion-historical methods. The skirt and a coordinating sunsuit appear in a period advertisement; however, only the sunsuit is held in The Fashion Archive, making the skirt a speculative reconstruction grounded in visual and material analysis.
The textile design, originally created by University of Alabama alumna J. Diane Bostick for Avondale Mills in Alabama, was captured with an iPhone 14 camera to support analysis and digital reconstruction. AI platforms, including Gemini and ChatGPT, assisted in replicating the visual structure, with refinements made in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. The color measurements were taken with a Nix Pro spectrophotometer and input into Adobe Photoshop.
The textile was printed commercially on cotton poplin by Spoonflower, and the skirt pattern was drafted and constructed from the reproduced fabric, translating the historic design into a three-dimensional object of dress.
This study positions reconstruction as a form of scholarly inquiry, asking how a lost garment can be re-imagined through the convergence of archival research, digital technology, and construction practice. Focusing on a mid-century wrap skirt designed by Greta Plattry and advertised in the May 1957 issue of Harper's Bazaar, alongside a surviving sunsuit in The Fashion Archive, the project explores absence as a productive space within fashion history.
The Model
The model in the center of the advertisement is Barbara Mullen – the misfit model of the 1950s.
Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar, May 1957
J. Diane Bostick donated the sunsuit, sunshirt, and dress to The Fashion Archive.
Central to this investigation is a printed cotton design by UA alumna J. Diane Bostick for Avondale Mills, a company integral to southern textile production in the twentieth century. By revisiting this design, the project situates Plattry’s work within broader networks of regional manufacturing, women’s professional labor, and mass-market fashion circulation. The study considers how textile design functioned not merely as surface decoration but as a structuring element that shaped garment form, movement, and consumer appeal.
Avondale Mills
Founded in 1897 by future Alabama Governor Braxton Bragg Comer, Avondale Mills was more than just a textile giant—it was a pioneer of “paternalistic” industrialism. For over a century, the company operated a massive network of mills and self-contained “mill villages” across the South, providing workers with housing, schools, and healthcare.
Processing nearly 20% of Alabama’s cotton at its peak, Avondale Mills was a true economic titan that employed thousands across the South. Although the company shuttered in 2006, its legacy endures in the vibrant, revitalized Birmingham neighborhood that originally grew around its historic looms.
J. Diane Bostick
J. Diane Bostick was a visionary leader in the Southern textile industry, serving as the Vice President of Creative Design for Avondale Mills. A University of Alabama alumna, she traveled the globe to bring international fashion trends and innovative fabric structures to the company’s production lines. Her expertise in woven fabrics helped define Avondale’s aesthetic for decades, ensuring the Alabama-based titan remained a competitive force in both apparel and home furnishings until the industry’s decline.
Methodologically, the research bridges fashion history and studio practice. Digital imaging, color, analysis, and AI-assisted pattern interpretation operate alongside close examination of construction techniques and period drafting logic. Platforms such as Gemini and ChatGPT are treated not as substitutes for expertise but as analytical tools that extend visual comparison and iterative design testing. The resulting garment becomes both object and argument – a material hypothesis that makes visible the interpretive decisions embedded in reconstruction.
COLOR MEASUREMENTS
Color data from the original textile was collected using a Nix Pro spectrophotometer and its companion mobile app. This process ensured precise, objective color matching rather than relying on visual estimation. The recorded values were used to establish an accurate digital color palette.
IMAGE CAPTURE & DOCUMENTATION
The textile design was photographed using an iPhone 14 to create a high-resolution visual reference. Multiple images were taken to capture detail, scale, and pattern repeat. These images served as the foundation for digital reconstruction.
DIGITAL PATTERN RECONSTRUCTION
AI platforms, including Gemini and ChatGPT, were used to interpret and rebuild the textile’s repeat pattern and structure. The generated outputs were evaluated against the original imagery for accuracy. Adjustments were made to refine motif placement and overall composition.
DESIGN REFINEMENT
The reconstructed pattern was further refined in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Edges, repeats, and alignment were corrected to ensure seamless pattern continuity. Color values from the spectrophotometer were applied to maintain fidelity to the original textile.
TEXTILE PRINTING
The finalized digital textile design was printed on cotton poplin through Spoonflower. Material selection was based on its similarity to mid-century fabric characteristics. The printed yardage was evaluated for color accuracy and print quality.
PATTERN DRAFTING
A skirt pattern was developed based on visual analysis of the period advertisement. Proportions, silhouette, and construction details were inferred and translated into a working pattern. The draft was tested and adjusted for fit and accuracy.
GARMENT CONSTRUCTION
A skirt pattern was developed based on visual analysis of the period advertisement. Proportions, silhouette, and construction details were inferred and translated into a working pattern. The draft was tested and adjusted for fit and accuracy.
Rather than treating the missing skirt as a limitation, the research approaches it as an opportunity to interrogate the relationship between image and object, textile and silhouette, and industry and designer in postwar American ready-to-wear.
