Category: 15th century

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The White Queen – can we talk?

Have you seen the new BBC/Starz TV miniseries “The White Queen“?  If so, can we talk — about how bad the costumes and hair are?

This is an adaptation of some of Philippa Gregory’s books, and I’m sure they are just the most historically accurate things out there (I got halfway through the first book and then, as usual, got irritated with Gregory’s writing and lack of historical knowledge).  And yes, it’s yet another “We’re not trying to be slavishly historically accurate!” in terms of design/costumes/whatnot.  Fine.  Yawn.

First, let’s look at a few images of some of our key female characters:

Elizabeth Woodville via Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth Woodville via Wikimedia Commons
Anne Neville via Wikimedia Commons
Margaret of Anjou via Wikimedia Commons

Now, let’s talk about the series costumes & hair:

Many of the female characters (here, Anne Neville -- also Elizabeth Woodville does this too) wear elaborate braids that look like they've been slept in for three weeks. Sadly I can't find a good picture -- this is the closest -- but they're frizzy with hair sticking out everywhere. Huh?
Jacquetta (Elizabeth Woodville's mom) has some pretty cool hair though!
Some of the dresses are reasonably pretty and elegant, like this one on Elizabeth Woodville (who is a dead ringer for a young Trinny of Trinny & Susannah).
But then Elizabeth Woodville will spend multiple episodes in something really boring like this. Okay yes, you're showing her in her relaxed clothes, but still -- YAWN.
Isabelle Neville's (left) wardrobe was clearly raided from some high school theater department.
Margaret Beaufort wears a lot of simple, high necked clothes -- okay, makes sense for someone who is really pious. But they're all suspiciously Star Trek in their cut. And one of the few times she wore something with a lower neck, I swear I saw a bra strap.
I don't know what Margaret of Anjou is wearing here, but I know I hate it.
And on a side note, I know next to nothing about medieval armor, but all of the leads wander around with this one shoulder in armor, one not thing going on. It doesn't seem very functional to me.

 

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Finally! New Frock Flicks Podcast!

It’s taken a very long time, and this time it’s MY fault — but there’s finally a new episode of the Frock Flicks costume movie podcast!

This time we invite Francis to join us as we watch the first two episodes of Showtime’s The Borgias (season 2 is premiering soon, so it’s sort of topical!).  Listen as we geek out on shoes and eyeglasses, discuss historical body ideals, and bemoan the shy guys!

Warning: Not for the easily offended, totally sober, or honestly, anyone under 21. This one finally went over the top & we gave it an “explicit” tag in iTunes for frequent discussion of male body parts. Give us a break, there weren’t a ton of costumes to look at. Just pope-y stuff, so we kinda went south fast.

Grab a cocktail & go here:
http://www.trystancraft.com/frockflicks/frockflicks.xml

Or go here, click “View in iTunes,” & then click “Subscribe.”  Then you’ll get all our updates whenever you open iTunes & refresh your podstreams.

The time lag, for once, is my fault — I told Trystan I’d take over editing and uploading the podcasts, because I wanted to do more and get them posted quicker.  Well, when you hear Sarah inviting you all to the costume bloggers meetup at LAST year’s Costume College, you can know it was my lagger-y-ness to blame!

Let us know what you think!

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Illuminated Manuscripts on Wikimedia Commons

This could be old news to you, but maybe not!  I recently discovered that Wikimedia Commons has a specific category for illuminated manuscripts by century, which includes TONS of gorgeous manuscript illustrations from the 2nd through the 16th century — and these illustrations are a fabulous source for medieval costuming.

[Edited to add:  Might have been nice if I’d added the link to illuminated manuscripts by century in Wikimedia Commons!]

In particular, I am stunned by the gorgeousness of De Mulieribus Claris, which is from the late 15th or early 16th century.  Here’s a small sampling of images:

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Well Hi There!

Work has been busy, plus I’ve been watching lots of shlocky 1940s-set tv shows/movies (Bomb Girls, Land Girls, The War Bride, etc.) so I’ve been on a modern/vintage sewing kick!

In the meantime, I recommend reading this article from Humanities Magazine about the backstory of the Illuminating Fashion exhibition & book.  I’d be interested in knowing what medieval costumers think of the book — does it provide a lot of new information?

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Another Digital Exhibition: Royal Danish Costume

Kongedragter is an online exhibition that features one outfit for each Danish king or queen, from Frederick II (1559-1588) to Margarethe II (1972-present).  Unfortunately, Margarethe’s is the only female outfit included, but still… if you’re into men’s costumes, there’s some really nice stuff in there!

If you’re like me and don’t speak Danish, click on the photo of a king/queen from the top right thumbnails. Wait a second and the clock will turn into an image of an ensemble, which you can then zoom (magnifying glass), rotate! (loop-y arrow), and get info about (“I”).