Fashion in Film: Little Dorrit

The 2008 adaptation of Little Dorrit is one of my favorite Charles Dickens adaptations of all time (tied with Bleak House). One of the really interesting parts of the series is the contrast between Amy Dorrit, the title character, and her sister Fanny. Meek, sweet, responsible Amy couldn't be more different from her flamboyant, outspoken, domineering sister. These differences are reflected in her costumes.

Warning, this analysis contains spoilers for Little Dorrit. Tread with caution!

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Little Dorrit is a rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story, and at the beginning of the series, we see the Dorrit family decidedly in the rag category. For the majority of the series, Amy wears the same striped purple dress with an apron pinned onto the front.

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The book and film are set in the late 1820's. Though Amy's dress shown above is by no means fashionable, the natural waistline and full sleeves show the time period well. 

When she's outside her home at the Marshalsea debtor's prison, Amy pairs this dress with a simple cape and a dated straw bonnet.

I don't believe her bangs are too period accurate, but they show the character's sweetness and shyness well.

Fanny isn't too involved in her sister's life near the beginning of the story, so we don't see her too often. The few times she does appear, she's wearing clothes with bright colors and ornate details, and bold makeup that fits her occupation as a showgirl.

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I think it's interesting that the first outfit we see Fanny wearing is very detailed and showy, but made out of some sort of worn imitation velvet. 

Amy and Fanny's lives change dramatically when it's discovered that the Dorrit family is actually entitled to a large sum of money. Of course, Fanny and Edward (Amy and Fanny's brother, played by Arthur Darvill of Doctor Who fame) move back in, and the entire family sets off for Italy.

Of course, the Dorrit family spares no expense when buying their new wardrobe, and both girls wear gowns that feature expensive material, fashionable construction, and intricate detail.

When the two sisters actually start wearing more than one outfit, it becomes evident that both of them wear certain colors very often. Amy wears a purple gown in every scene but one (when she's wearing black in mourning for her father), and Fanny tends to wear a lot of green (although not exclusively). 

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I think it's interesting that her dress has an empire waistline. It shows that some empire-waist dresses were still popular by the end of the 1820's.

Though they have a significantly larger amount of money by this point in the series, Amy and Fanny's personalities show through in their clothing in much the same way as when they were poor. Amy still prefers to keep her wardrobe very simple, with minimal details on her gowns.

Her dress is a very light shade of purple, but purple nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Fanny throws caution to the wind, and her sense of style is only heightened by wealth. Her style becomes a strange mix of the past and present; though she wears dresses with fashionably voluminous sleeves and tons of decoration, and her hair has the distinctive, wacky loops that hint towards the 1830's, she continues to sport her showgirl makeup. Of course, makeup really wasn't socially acceptable until the 1920's, so I think this says something interesting about Fanny's character. More on that later.

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Let's play a game of compare and contrast with Amy and Fanny. Take a look at this photo below.

I see you creeping back there, Arthur Darvill.

First, we see that both Amy and Fanny are wearing their customary colors, purple and green. Their gowns are very similar in cut, with the natural waist line, structured bodice, and puffy sleeves of the late 1820's. Both of them wear simple necklaces and fingerless lace gloves. And that's pretty much where the similarities end. Amy's dress is a simple satin with a buckle on the waistband, whereas Fanny's gown is decked out in lace trim.

The hair is another interesting point of contrast. Of course, my eye is immediately drawn to Fanny's peacock feather extravaganza (very 1830's), but Amy's tiny attempts at hair loops are also very interesting. She's trying to follow the fashion, but is very timid about it. Meanwhile, Fanny is pulling out all the stops (which might say something about each girl's attitude towards their new lifestyle). Another interesting point about the hair is the part that frames each girl's face. Fanny's hair is severely pulled back from her face, with one curl intentionally plastered to her temple. Amy's hair is more natural, with lighter curls framing her face and neck.

Not to draw attention to anything inappropriate, but Fanny's neckline is significantly lower than Amy's, which was actually rather unfashionable for the time. Necklines on evening dresses really didn't get that low until the early 1840's, over ten years later. This paired with Fanny's makeup tells me that Fanny still yearns for her showgirl days. Although she claims to want to leave the past behind her, her wardrobe tells a different tale.

All good things must come to an end, the Dorrits' wealth included. When Mr. Merdle (the Bernie Madoff of the 19th century) commits suicide because of his unraveling financial scam, the Dorrits lose all of their investments and are sent back to poverty. Well, Amy is. Fanny has escaped the clutches of financial insecurity by marrying Edmund Sparkler, Mr. Merdle's flamboyant stepson.

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In the picture above, Fanny is in mourning, both for her father (who died while the Dorrits were still wealthy) and her father-in-law. That doesn't seem to phase her, because we still see her in bright makeup, jewels, and with her crazy, fabulous hair loops perfectly intact.

Amy stays with her sister and the in-laws for a while, but understandably grows weary of it. When she goes to help a friend (or more than a friend? Perhaps, it's too lengthy to explain here, the story has a... Dickensian amount of characters and plot lines) who has found himself in the Marshalsea, she is most likely in half mourning, and so her purple-wearing tendencies are justified.

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Amy's choice of clothing here is very simple. Her dress is dark, structured, and tailored well, and her sleeves are almost unfashionably slim. She's back to wearing her hair with straight bangs, and her bonnet simply matches the dress, with no more fuss required. Though it's very basic, this costume feels very strong to me, and it's more mature than the girlish things Amy's worn up until this point. It shows her character change well. She goes from a young, shy seamstress who is nicknamed "Little Dorrit," to a determined woman who has seen her share of sorrows and has the courage to soldier on.

Another interesting point for comparison and contrast is that both sisters get married at different points in the series: Fanny (as mentioned above) to Edmund Sparkler, and Amy to... someone else. I'll keep one spoiler unspoiled for you.

I would like to call attention to Edmund's face.

Although we don't see much of Fanny's dress in this brief shot, it is pretty clear that her personality is just as present on her wedding day as it is in every other scene. Makeup? Check. Expensive details? Check (in the form of the gold embroidery trim). Low neckline? Check. Jewels? Check. Enormous pillow-sleeves? Check. The only thing that's missing is a crazy hairdo, which is replaced by a starburst tiara. Also, I have to say, I'm in love with the way she draped her veil over her massive sleeves.

Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why is Fanny wearing white? Queen Victoria hasn't gotten married at this point, and Queen Victoria started the tradition of white bridal gowns." Well, the short answer is that this (semi) anachronism pops up in a lot of period films. Modern audiences want to see brides wearing white. It's just our thing. However, Her Majesty wasn't the first bride in the universe to wear white. She did popularize it, but many ladies' magazines prior to the Victorian Era advised brides to wear white because of its connotations with purity. In Fanny's case, that's pretty ironic.

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Amy's wedding look is much more typical of the average pre-Victorian bride. Like most women of the time, Amy is simply wearing the best dress she owns, which appears to be the purple evening gown from before. She pairs it with her lace gloves, a lace veil, and plenty of flowers (purple, of course) in her hand and hair.

The way Amy wears her hair is really interesting to me. She's got this totally off-the-wall curly side ponytail thing going on, and still manages to work in her trademark bangs. This looks like it's more of a character development thing and less of an actual historical hairstyle. To me, it shows how Amy has blossomed as a woman, (partially loose hair, flowers) but still retains her old sweetness (bangs).

Amy and Fanny couldn't be more different, and that's masterfully shown in the series. I heartily recommend Masterpiece Classic's adaptation of Little Dorrit. Trust me, I haven't spoiled even a fraction of the massive, beautiful story. See you next week.

Fashion in Film: Julian Fellowes' Titanic

Over the past few nights, I've been watching the Julian Fellowes Titanic miniseries. Well, without spoiling anything, I'll just say that I'll never be happy again.

Through my flood of tears, I happened to notice that there were some lovely costumes in the series. All classes of women are represented in the story, so the variety of costumes is simply astounding. I'm super excited to analyze them.

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Since the variety of costumes is so vast, it's really hard to know how to tackle them, and I certainly won't be able to cover them all in one post (the four episode series has 89 prominent characters, folks). I think the best way to look at this is in broad chronological chunks. Bear with me, and I think it will all sort out.

The first time we see a significant number of female characters together (other than a rather shady jail scene at the very beginning) is when the first and second class families gather for dinner and dancing on the first night of the voyage. As is tradition, the travelers don't change for dinner on the first night, so in this scene, we get a good look at some Edwardian traveling clothes.

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The ladies' traveling dresses are dark and sturdy, and not nearly as extravagant as the evening gowns we'll see later on. However, even these plain frocks meant for automobiles and trains are decked out in fantastic detail and beautiful draping typical of the pre-war 1910's.

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The hats in this series are, in a word, stunning. The sheer mass of them paired with the amount of flowers, feathers, and other decoration stuck on top had me starry eyed.

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A little later on, we get to see some true-blue Edwardian evening wear. That means gorgeous cuts and colors, lovely fabrics, and of course, tons of sparkle.

Source. I think it's interesting that her hair tends more towards the Gibson Girl style here.

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Of course, there are way more characters than just the upper class ladies. One of my favorite characters, Annie Desmond (played by future Doctor Who companion Jenna-Louise Coleman), is among the staff of the Titanic. Obviously, her maid's uniform isn't much to write home about, but she's still a firecracker.

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One character with a really interesting wardrobe is Mary Maloney, an Irish mother of four in steerage. Though the story is set in the 1910's, Mary's hair and clothes are more old-fashioned. She sports a Gibson Girl hairstyle and 1900's shirtwaists, which is perhaps indicative of her lower class.

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I love her gorgeous shirtwaist, but it does seem a little outdated, especially for a younger woman like Mary.

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We all know the moment is coming. The unsinkable ship hits an iceberg, and the nightmare begins. It's important to note that in these scenes, all of the women are wearing bulky life jackets over their costumes. Since these jackets obscure the costumes (and since promotional images of the costumes sans-jackets are available), I'm going to be analyzing the costumes without the necessary, but unattractive flotation devices.

Here they are, just for reference. Modeled by a rather familiar face to Julian Fellowes fans.

As you can see in the image above, the majority of female characters go to bed before the disaster takes place, only to be woken in the middle of the night and told that the ship is sinking. Most of the ladies, such as Georgiana Grex, seen below, stay in their nightgowns and robes. However, some of the older, upper class passengers (such as Georgiana's parents) take the time to change into tuxedos and jewels before running for their lives. It's an interesting juxtaposition to see ladies wearing giant hats and jewelry along with their life vests. I think this nods to the true events of the Titanic sinking; many of the passengers originally underestimated the danger of the situation.

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Two other characters we've glanced at before reappear in braids, nightgowns, and bathrobes.

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The interesting thing about watching this series (beyond nerds like me ogling the costumes) is that you know how it ends. We all know the story of the devastating loss of lives that night in the Atlantic. Pre-equipped with that knowledge, the viewer is then presented with a superb cast of characters that is wonderfully acted and large enough to fill a passenger liner. One simple question drives the story from there: out of this enormous pool of characters that we've come to care about over the course of four short episodes, who lives and who dies? It's an ending that's surprising, moving, and that is a perfect homage to the tragedy that took place 100 years ago.

Titanic is available on Netflix Instant View (!!!), for those of you who have it, and is also available on DVD on Amazon. See you all next week.

Fashion in Film: Roman Holiday

This week, I've chosen to take a look at the three costumes worn by Princess Ann in Roman Holiday. This is by far my favorite Audrey Hepburn film, with princesses, adventure, and humor, all set against the beautiful backdrop of Rome. Not to mention fabulous 1950's fashion. Let's take a look.

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The costumes in the film were designed by the legendary Edith Head, and the first costume she designed for princess Ann is a white gown with a full skirt and an off the shoulder neckline. Several royal orders are pinned to the bodice, and a sash is tied from her right shoulder to a bow at the hip.

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Check out the detail on the bodice of the dress. The tiara and necklace are stunning, as well.

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This gown is a perfect example of the "New Look" that surfaced at the end of the 1940's, with a full skirt and a tight bodice. One thing that sticks out to me about this gown is that it is white. Of course, the connotations between a luxurious white gown and brides were as firmly fixed in the minds of the 20th century audience as they are today. I can't help but wonder if this is some subtle reference to the state we find Ann in as the film opens: duty-bound (or "married," as it were) to her country and her work. I think the various royal orders she wears corroborate this as well.

The second costume we see is very basic compared to the opulent gown of the opening scene, but it also shows Ann's character change in a definite way. When Ann runs away from the palace, she dons a white button-down blouse, white gloves, and a belted skirt.

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Without changing her clothes, Ann manages to completely transform her look. Her blouse sleeves are rolled up, the collar is buttoned down and her white necktie is changed out for a colorful kerchief, and she picks up a pair of very Roman sandals from a street vendor. And of course, an iconic hair cut finishes the look.

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You can see the sandals better here.

This incredible transformation shows Ann's mounting independence, and her fancy-free sense of adventure as the film progresses.

The film has a bittersweet ending; Ann ultimately decides to leave the life and the man she loves and return to her royal duties. The last scene of the film takes place at a press conference in which Princess Ann wears a full-skirted lace dress with a v-collar and voluminous elbow length sleeves.

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Once again we see that her dress is white. In comparison with the darkly-clad ladies flanking her, Ann looks very feminine and youthful, even overdressed. Perhaps this shows how she's returned to her station as figurehead, being the face of her country.

Other interesting elements of her outfit are her hat and pearl choker.

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The hat and necklace are both very high-fashion pieces of the era, in contrast with her second outfit, which has a thrown-together feel to it. I think this shows how she's put her carefree holiday in Rome behind her and has willingly returned to the controlled environment of royal duties.

That wraps up week two of the Fashion in Film series! I'm really enjoying it thus far, especially the opportunity to delve into the costumes of my favorite Audrey Hepburn film. See you next week!

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Bonus Round: Check out another great costume analysis of Roman Holiday here.

Fashion in Film: The Young Victoria

Good morning and happy Wednesday! To kick off the new Fashion in Film blog series, I've chosen to analyze the costumes worn by Queen Victoria in "The Young Victoria." Let's jump right in!

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The costumes in the film were designed by Sandy Powell, who also worked on films such as Hugo, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Tempest. She says that near the beginning of the film, she wanted to give Victoria a more youthful look, since she's still under the control of her domineering mother. This shows in her pale yellow, flower-decked gown she wears for the king's birthday. The light fabric, lacy details, bow at the waist, flowers on the bodice and headpiece, and the general details of late 1830's formal wear all mimic a young girl's party dress.

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The majority of Victoria's costumes for the first half of the film (even including the time between her coronation and marriage) reflect this almost childish aesthetic.

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So cute. :)

There are two costumes in "The Young Victoria" which are based on actual garments: Victoria's coronation robe and her wedding dress.

Powell has said that the coronation robe was the hardest garment in the movie to create. The original robe is intricately embroidered, and in order to replicate that, the Wardrobe department screen printed the design onto a fabric that they custom-dyed.

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Victoria's coronation garb does not particularly exemplify the fashions of the late 1830's. The ornate, luxurious details are timeless and nod to the long line of the monarchs of Great Britain. In addition, the v-waist, elbow length sleeves, and ornate over skirt that reveals a simple dress underneath suggests (at least to me) the mid to late 18th century, a time when the monarchs of the House of Hanover were at their prime (Victoria was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover, so this allusion may have been intentional. Or maybe it's just me. I haven't the foggiest).

The second costume in "The Young Victoria" that is a replica of an actual garment is Victoria's wedding gown.

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The wedding gown is an excellent, simple example of early 1840's fashion, with a low, pointed waist, bell-shaped skirt, and puffed sleeves.

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This museum display of Victoria's real wedding dress is almost exactly like the one in the film. One difference is the lace on the bottom of movie-Victoria's dress, which isn't on the real one. But looking at this photograph below, it seems as though the dress was either two pieces (with one plain skirt and one lace skirt worn with the same bodice), or Victoria was wearing a lace overskirt.

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One noticeable difference between Victoria's real gown and the gown in the film is the cluster of flowers at the bodice, which is replaced with a simple brooch in the movie. This portrait may have been the basis for this change, using an identical brooch in place of the flowers.

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Even though Victoria became Queen of England before she married Prince Albert, she really didn't gain independence from her mother until after her marriage. After this point in the film, Victoria's gowns become slimmer, more fitted, and more mature. The pale, muted colors she wore while under the control of her mother flourish into vibrant, bold hues. It's interesting to see how the change from 1830's fashion (youthful, overly decorated, fluffy, and pale) to 1840's fashion (simple, structural, striking, and mature) mirror Victoria's character journey.

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The last costume Victoria wears in the film is a vibrant blue gown with lace trim and a low 1840's waistline. She pairs this with a striking tiara and what looks like the same brooch worn with her wedding dress.

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The bold color and slim structure of the dress definitely reflect Victoria's strength of character, but to me, the lace accents also remind me of what she was when the film began and the journey she's made from the child ruled by a 19th century tiger mom to the strong, intelligent Queen of Great Britain.

So that wraps up our first Fashion in Film analysis! I definitely enjoyed putting this together. Join me next week as I dig into another fabulous lady's wardrobe.

Bonus round: Check out this article to see how actress Emily Blunt felt about wearing all of these gorgeous gowns.

Thanks to clothesonfilm.com and costumersguide.com for your lovely analysis, info, and pictures.