Poetry

Pop-Up Event: Worth 200 Poetry Callout

This year the Old Town Hall Pop-Up Events is joining the Worth 200 celebrations in the town of Bourne to celebrate the bicentenary of Charles Frederick Worth, 
known globally as “the Father of Haute Couture”.

From his early days in Bourne, where he grew up at Wake House on North Street, 
Charles left aged 12 to be apprenticed in London at a department store.
From there he made his way, aged 21, to Paris and then began his inspirational journey to opening his own fashion house, creating elements of the fashion industry that we recognise today,
from labels in his garments to the use of moving catwalk models.
Charles was a disruptor, an innovator and a shrewd businessman; he became the iconic designer who dressed European royalty and was couturier to the Million Dollar Duchesses from America.

GENERAL ENTRY

We invite poetry inspired by the life and works of Charles Worth, created from the following prompts:

Innovation and Fashion

– Write a poem from the perspective of a dress sewn in the House of Worth, observing the world as it moves from seamstress to salon.

– Imagine you are a live model at Worth’s salon. Describe the experience, the garments, and the onlookers through your senses.

– Compose an ode to the bustle or hoop skirt, two of Worth’s most iconic inventions. How did they change the way people moved and felt in their bodies.

Personal Journey

– Explore Worth’s journey from humble beginnings in Lincolnshire to the heights of Parisian society. Use imagery of travel, transformation, and ambition.

– Write a letter-poem from Charles Worth to his wife Marie Vernet, reflecting on their partnership in life and business.

Historical and Social Context

– Set your poem during a grand ball at the court of Empress Eugénie. What do the dresses, the music, and the whispers say about the era?

– Imagine the seamstresses behind the scenes at House of Worth. What stories do their hands tell as they stitch luxury for others?

Legacy and Influence

– Write a poem as if you are a modern designer, meeting the spirit of Worth in your atelier. What advice does he give you?

– Use a line from a 19th-century fashion magazine as your poem’s first line, then let the poem unfold into the present.

Sensory and Material Prompts

– List five fabrics, colours or embellishments associated with Worth’s designs. Use at least three in your poem to evoke texture, form and mood.

– Write a poem inspired by a historic portrait that might have influenced Worth’s work-describe the clothing, the sitter, and the imagined story behind the painting.

UNDER-16s ENTRY

Create poetry inspired by the fashion designer from Bourne, Charles Worth, with help from the following prompts:

– Write a Patchwork Poem
made up of clothing brand taglines, headlines from fashion magazines or maybe quotes from your favourite social media influencer

– Write a poem about your favourite piece of clothing.
Where did it come from, how does it make you feel when you wear it, does it belong to someone else?

– Write a poem about someone famous and what they wear.
Do they wear a uniform, designer clothes, a stage costume, a sports kit?
Are they on tv or social media today, or are they a figure from history? What messages do their clothes send to the world?

For inspiration and help with these poetic prompts, our thanks go to Dr Sarah Parker, Senior Lecturer in English, Loughborough University and Dr Richard O’Brien, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, Northumbria University.

Please submit your poem by email to info@bournetownhall.org.uk with your name and location details indicating if you would be willing to have your poem displayed and/or if you would perform your poem at an event on:
Sunday 12th October 2025 at the Red Hall, South Street, Bourne as part of the Worth 200 celebrations

For under-16 entries, please state your age 
and note that a responsible adult would also need to attend the poetry event.