I recently picked up a used DVD of the recent BBC production The Way We Live Now. I wasn’t at all sure whether I’d like it, but I just finished watching and I highly recommend it! While it’s not a Pride & Prejudice-type happy ending for all, the story has enough threads to satisfy most. Best of all, most of the costuming is actually quite well done!

The series is set in the early 1870s, and you get to see lots of clothing worn by society and the nouveau riche, as well as glimpses of more lower-class clothing. The only real problem costume-wise (and acting-wise, but we won’t get into that) is Miranda Otto’s role as Mrs. Hurtle. She’s supposed to be a Texan vamp, but WHEW did they put her in some weird clothing! Other than the fact that she’s got a bustle, most of her clothing looks early 20th century. Strange low necks covered by high collar sheer underbodices complete the weird look. We won’t even go into her accent (odd, given how good Otto is in the Two Towers)…

I really liked the costumes worn by Marie Melmotte, the daughter of the nouveau riche Augustus Melmotte. They’ve got her in these loud plaids and overly puffy sleeves. In contrast, the costumes worn by aristocratic Georgiana Longestaffe are just gorgeously elegant.

The costume designer, Andrea Galer, (who also worked on Withnail and I, Mansfield Park, and Firelight, among others) has her own website that features her clothing lines — check out her main site, or look specifically at her costumes from The Way We Live Now.