Fashion in Film: Sabrina

Well, this is very late, isn't it? I hope you're having a lovely week. I'm starting my Christmas preparations earlier than ever this year, so life has been a little nuts, but we keep calm and carry on. Anyway, enough chatting, on with the show.

The other day, I was feeling a little down, and so to cheer up, I compiled a mental list of my favorite romantic comedies. Of course, the movies that immediately came to mind were the Meg Ryan rom-coms of the 1990's. When I asked my much-classier mom, she replied with Sabrina. This opened the floodgates in my mind to an era where films were glamorous, gentlemen were dapper, ladies were classy, and fashion was fabulous.

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Sabrina was made in 1954, and the wardrobe has 1950's written all over it. It's a little difficult to pin down one specific costume designer for this film, especially because there isn't one credited. And there isn't one credited because no costumes were actually designed for this film. According to this excellent costume analysis, Edith Head was originally supposed to design the costumes, but Audrey Hepburn asked to wear some actual Paris couture to fit Sabrina's story. She met with Balenciaga, who was too busy to see her, and in turn sent her to Givenchy. Givenchy was also too busy to design costumes, since he was working on a collection at the time. Audrey, being the amazing fashionista that she was, selected and styled her own outfits from Givenchy's line. In a manner of speaking, it really did take a village to get the costumes for the film together.

In the beginning of the film, Sabrina wears simple, childlike outfits.

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As we can see here, Sabrina is wearing a printed dress with a long sleeved, high-necked black top underneath. Her hair is worn in a ponytail with a bow on top. Obviously, this costume is meant to give off a shy, youthful vibe. The thing that interests and slightly confuses me about this costume is that though it's intended to be dowdy and young, it still really fits and flatters Hepburn's figure. This is typical of Sabrina's pre-Paris outfits: they're sweet, demure, and young, and yet she still manages to look amazing in them. Maybe this is to show how Sabrina is ready to grow up. Maybe it's just because Audrey Hepburn would look good in a brown paper bag.

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After a life-changing trip to Paris, Sabrina returns to her childhood home with a new outlook on life and a new style.

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Sabrina's sleek peplum suit, black heels, and white hat are super sophisticated. Not to mention the iconic Audrey Hepburn pixie cut. This is where the fun really starts with the costumes. We get a taste of everything, from the full-skirted "New Look" dresses of the early 1950's to the polished straight lines of what we'll see later in the decade. But of course, the Sabrina outfit that takes the case is the gorgeous black and white ballgown. You know the one I'm talking about.

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This dress seems to encompass everything that was great about 1950's evening wear. We've got a strapless neckline, amazing embroidery, and a beautiful full skirt. The skirt is what's really interesting about this ensemble, it appears to be a straight ankle-length skirt with a removable, fuller skirt at the back. The high-low effect that this brings is what makes this dress special.

Among all of the beautiful, put together outfits, there's one that particularly stands out, and that's the casual outfit Sabrina wears while boating with Linus.

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This is the polar opposite of every post-Paris outfit Sabrina's worn. The plaid shirt, white shorts, and bare feet are a far cry from her put-together suits and ballgowns. There are still some hints of style to it, though, like the shirt being tied to be more tailored, her amazing hair, and some pretty fantastic earrings.

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Another pretty famous costume from this film is the little black dress worn in some promotional images and near the end of the movie. Sabrina pairs it with a fun sparkly hat and black gloves.

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This dress was reproduced and emulated by many designers in the 1950's, as well as by modern Hollywood enthusiasts. It's so simple and classic, and the hat adds a little bit of whimsy. I think it shows Sabrina's maturity mixed with her still-present spirit.

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That wraps up Fashion in Film for this week. Before I wander off into the sunset, I've got a question I want to run by you. I've been thinking of moving my blog series updates to Monday. I'm so busy during the week these days that giving myself some time over the weekend to work might boost my productivity. Let me know, times are a'changing!

Titanic: The Musical

Ever since I did a costume analysis of Julian Fellowes' Titanic miniseries, I've had a spot of Titanic fever. I don't know what it is, but something about the tragedy is at once haunting and fascinating. Maybe it's the thousands of emotional stories that came from that one night. Maybe it's the comparison in classes; the decadence with which some lived and the poverty of others. Maybe it's the clothes. You know I'm a sucker for the clothes.

Whatever the reason, I was very excited when I discovered that there's actually a musical that tells the story of passengers aboard the doomed ship. I poked around on YouTube, hoping to find some clips of the show, and happened across this full video of the 2006 Australian production. I watched five minutes of it here and there and managed to get through the whole thing. Several hours and buckets of tears later, I'm ready to tell you all about it.

This review is spoiler-free.

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The first thing you need to know about this show is that it isn't an adaptation of James Cameron's Titanic film. In fact, as I found out as I researched it, the show premiered in 1997, a few months before the film did (and picked up five Tonys, I might add). In plot, it more closely resembles the Julian Fellowes series, in that it follows the stories of several different characters through strung-together vignettes. Characters from all social classes are represented, from the American millionares and British aristocracy in first class to the Irish immigrants and coal-covered stokers in steerage. All of the characters in the show are based off of real people to some extent, with ship designer Thomas Andrews, owner J. Bruce Ismay, and captain Edward Smith all playing pivotal roles in the plot. Some characters, like spunky Irish lass Kate McGowan, are compilations of multiple passengers' stories.

One of the very first things that made an impression on me as I watched was the set. It's beautiful in its simplicity; for the majority of the show, we have nothing but a starry backdrop and a suspended walkway to show the chilly nights on deck. A few other set pieces fly in and out to show the docks, the first class dining room, and other scenes on the ship. Another interesting feature is the time and date that's occasionally projected onto the set to keep the audience updated on the timeline of the show. An eerie, but captivating effect takes place after the ship hits the iceberg at the end of the first act (spoiler!). The entire set is put on a tilt, which gets steeper as the story progresses and the Titanic sinks deeper into the water.

Unfortunately, not many photos of the set are available online. Here's a shot of a dock scene.

I feel like I should pause a moment and tell you a bit about the costumes. It's only fair, considering the fact that this is mainly a costume blog. The costumes were historically accurate and fit the characters who wore them, but they were also very unobtrusive to the story, which I appreciated. From what I've seen, a lot of other productions go a little crazy with the costumes (the costumes for the American characters get especially wacky. Thanks, guys), which really feels unfitting for such a somber story. However, this production did have a little fun with their millinery, but honestly, would it be a 1910's costume drama without it? The lower class ladies wore shirtwaists, plain skirts, and jackets. Upper class ladies had glittering gowns and tailored traveling suits.

One of the very few photos that shows the costumes in detail. It still isn't great, but at least the lighting is pretty.

The score is yet another high point of this show. It's beautifully written, and wonderfully performed by the cast I watched. There isn't a bad voice in the cast (and that's coming from me as a picky theatre-goer/YouTube-watcher), and the musicians in the pit handle the soaring orchestration perfectly. With such talented singers and musicians, every single number in the musical is a showstopper. That might be one of my only complaints about the show. Since every number is so emotional, the story does tend to get heavy at times, with no moments of levity (with the exception of some funny lines of dialogue and the song "The Latest Rag" which incorporates period-accurate ragtime music and a lively dance sequence) to break up the drama.  "Still" is a particularly moving duet about the lasting love between real-life couple Isidor and Ida Straus, who were married for more than forty years and refused to be separated during the disaster.

As I mentioned before, this cast is absolutely superb, and not just musically. There are some beautifully acted scenes, particularly in the captain's bridge, where a few men are completely aware of the fact that they are responsible for thousands of lives. I didn't realize until after I finished watching the video that this production was Australian. Although some of their Irish and American accents could use a little work (particularly second class American Alice Beane, whose over-energetic fawning over the first class passengers becomes a little grating on the ears), their British accents are superb. An honorable mention goes to the actor playing crew member Mr. Murdoch, who has a flawless Scottish brogue (or at least it sounds flawless to these American ears).

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When I did my costume analysis for the Julian Fellowes series, I talked about how the most riveting part of the story was finding out who lives and who dies. The same holds true for this show. Some of the 30+ characters are more lovable than others, but all of them are interesting, and the show does a good job of balancing the multiple plotlines to give each one the development it needs. The only thing that bothered me about the script was the oft-repeated line "it's a new world out there." At least five different characters who have no relation to one another say this in several independent cases. We get it. The Titanic was a huge step forward in technological progress.

One of my favorite characters was the relatively small role of Harold Bride, the radioman on the Titanic. His song "The Night Was Alive," wasn't my favorite in the show (mainly because it was layered with "The Proposal," and Harold singing about his love for his job while another man was singing about his love for his sweetheart was downright awkward), but the beautiful lyrics and occasional verse sung in Morse code were really interesting.

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There are so many more lovely moments in this show that I'd love to tell you about, but I really shouldn't. You just have to experience it for yourself. Titanic: The Musical is so emotional, and the story is so gripping. The events of that fateful night are told in a respectful, historically accurate, and creative way. It's a dream come true for history nerds. Watch it on YouTube here.

And now for some legal stuff.

I don't own Titanic: the Musical. If I did, I would bribe the producers to cast me in the show, after which I would run around in a giant, feather-and-flower-covered hat. I'm also not making any profit from this blog post. If you have any reason to believe that the YouTube video I've promoted on this blog posted by the user MusicalFrance is pirated or illegal in any way, let me know, and I'll remove the content.

See you tomorrow for Fashion in Film!

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.

Steady Progress- the 1950's

The year is 1950. Five years ago, World War Two ended, and the USA got a new president, Harry Truman, after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In two years, England will have a new monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. As the Cold War begins, the world is slowly starting to recover from World War Two, and fashion is no exception. Haute couture has made a comeback, and progress is back in motion.

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The women of the early 1950's were still enamored with the "New Look" of the late 1940's. Day dresses and evening dresses alike had structured bodices with tiny waists and full skirts.

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This silhouette remained popular for the entire 1950's. Slimmer, suit-like dresses also became popular for day wear in the early-mid decade.

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Collars became a focal point for day wear (and on some evening gowns), with the Peter Pan collar becoming very popular.

A 1950's blouse with a Peter Pan collar.

An evening gown that plays with the concept of the accentuated collar.

A popular trait of evening gowns was the ballerina-length skirt, a skirt with a hem right above the ankle.

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Chiffon and silk were both popular textiles of the time, and decoration, details, and experimentation was back in full force. After the sleek silhouettes of the 1920's and 30's and the austerity of the 1940's, fashion was celebrating unabashed girliness again.

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By the end of the decade, silhouettes slimmed a little, and the boat neckline became popular.

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Hair in the early and mid 1950's was usually worn short and curly. As the end of the decade approached and the mod fashion became popular, the iconic beehives and bouffants came into style.

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Hats were worn less and less frequently by both men and women. The hats that were worn were small and perched on top of the curled coiffures. Often hats came with birdcage veils.

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The 1950's were an exciting time, filled with progress in technology, film (the Golden Age of Hollywood), music, and yes, fashion. It really brings home to me just how much things have changed not only in the 160 years from 1790 to 1950, but in the past 16 weeks in which I've been blogging about these amazing years (not counting that one week where I didn't do a post, we don't talk about that week). To find out more about my passion for historical clothing has been incredible. I've also learned more about the history of the world than I ever though possible, just through researching what went into the clothes people wore. It's truly a blessing to have been through this leg of the Decade Wednesday journey.

Though my 1790-1950 goal has been met, the weekly post element of Sprigged Muslin is far from over. I'm so excited to continue to blog as I learn, and share this amazing world of historical fripperies with you. Stay tuned, lovely things are coming this way.