AN art student created a dramatic dress inspired by her mother’s childhood travels.

Laura Ralph, 17, from Woodstock, designed and created the piece for her final A-Level art coursework on the subject ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, in July last year.

The Marlborough School pupil said: “I had already done an identity project about myself and I didn’t want to do it on me again.

“I decided to do it on my mum because she’s had a really interesting childhood.”

Her mother Tessa Hall was a diplomat’s daughter and travelled widely while she grew up, spending time in Egypt, Kenya, Sweden, Spain and Yugoslavia as well as England.

Laura said: “I used lots of different techniques and represented different countries by their shapes and by using hot colours because she lived in some pretty hot places.

“I found a lot of stuff out about my mum that I didn’t know before when I was making it, which was really fun.”

She is hoping to go on to study an art foundation course at Oxford Brookes University and has an interview soon.

She said at the moment fashion seemed like the most obvious career choice but said that could change.

Her art teacher, Emma Jackson, said: “I think it’s brilliant.

“She is an outstanding student and this is her final piece. It is a really imaginative and creative concept and a really interesting piece.”