Fashion Historian & Historical Costume Maker
Under the Greenwood Tree — “Keeley Hawes stars in this enchanting adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s pastoral romance set in the mid-19th century. Under The Greenwood Tree was the first of Hardy’s great Wessex novels. Part love story, part comedy, the tale evokes the richness of village life tinged with melancholy for a rural world that Hardy saw fast disappearing.”
This Sunday on PBS! I’m hoping it’s going to be in the vein of Austen/Wives & Daughters… We’ll see!
Some interesting exhibits with good web presences:
A Perfect Fit: The Garment Industry and American Jewry, 1860-1960 at Yeshiva University Museum, New York City. (On now, closing soon?). There’s an exhibit catalog available.
The Age of Nudity at the Kent State University Museum, Ohio. March 9, 2006 – Jan. 7, 2007. I am loving the transition gowns, and check out these late 1790s transitional stays!
Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790-1840 again at Kent State. The exhibit is closed, but some great pictures online, like: oooooo, the embroidery!, the sleeves!. A catalog is available.
All those pics will go into the next Real Women’s Clothing update, whenever I get around to that.
Most important! The Buccaneers is finally coming to DVD! (Insert hallelujah-type music here, thanks to Chantel for the heads up). What am I talking about? See the Victorian movie reviews page.
Also important: Elizabeth I (the Helen Mirren miniseries) is coming to HBO on 4/22 and 4/24 (two episodes). I’ve seen the first half of part one and can vouch that it is great.
Less important: new review of The Libertine on the 17th century movie review page.
…that’s TOO good to just go on the Upcoming Movies page:
1. Us Americans are getting to see the new production of Bleak House, Jan. 22 – Feb. 26, 2006 on Masterpiece Theatre (I always love that it’s theatRE);
2. BBC has commissioned Andrew Davies (BBC Pride & Prejudice writer among many others) to do a new miniseries version of Sense and Sensibility;
3. ITV is planning new versions of Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion — Davies is working on the Northanger Abbey script. 2 & 3 are of course only planned, which doesn’t make anything official, but we suckers-for-period-anything can hope.
Okay, I’m sorry, it just has to be done. I know not everyone is feeling the love for Nineteenth-Century Fashion in Detail but I sooooooooooooo am. If you care to participate, here we go:
Pg. 16, 1885-86 riding jacket: wow, the braiding is outstanding. It looks like it’s continuous all the way down the jacket. Love the pleats at the back hem — I wish we could see them in person.
Pg. 20, 1817-20 lilac walking dress: the piping on this is just so amazing. But even more I am loving the passementerie appliques. Notice the binding on the inside of the collar seam — again, that’s something I would think of as a flaw in my own sewing, but here it is!
pg. 24, 1895 jacket bodice: the velvet! I love that they put the dart into the velvet/trim/thingie.
pg. 26, 1885 brown/orange dress: I am so loving this color scheme — I have 4 yards of a lightweight floral jacquard that is a very similar color. I love the built-in jacket effect, esp. how it’s cut shorter than the “vest.” Again, check out the box pleats at the back hem!
pg 50, yellow striped 1827-29 evening dress: this is SO not me, but I love it.
pg. 52, 1840s evening dress made of 1770s fabric: note wonkiness in the cartridge pleats! If I could find fabric like this…
pg. 64, 1890-93 worth candy cane bodice: WOW. I would sell family members for that fabric.
pg. 84, 1855-60 fan-front bodice: look! It’s pleated, not gathered!
pg. 86, 1865 wedding dress: I WANT. I think it’s mostly the silk duchesse satin that keeps hitting me over the head. Love the huge box pleats at the skirt waistband.
pg. 178, 1855-57 promenade dress: I LOVE the notted fringe.
pg. 200, 1885 day dress: I love the contrast between the bold print and the simple style.