Costume Sketches for The Young Victoria (2009)

I love period dramas and I love costumes in them! In fact, I love to gaze and admire the costumes so much that sometimes I don’t even care for the film itself; if the costumes are an eye-candy, I will probably enjoy the film as well. Aesthetic is everything. So, maybe I am not the best judge of a particular film itself, but I think it doesn’t take a genius to see that the costumes for the film “The Young Victoria” (2009) are gorgeous! The costume designer Sandy Powell won an Oscar for the costumes she designed for this film and today I wanted to share some of her, seems to be, watercolour sketches which look so vibrant and playful, and more free-flowing and sketchy than a Victorian era fashion plate would be. The film follows Victoria, played by Emily Blunt, from the times she was a Princess Victoria, through her coronation, falling in love with Albert, their marriage and ends with the birth of her first child, daughter Victoria in 1840. The time period is short, covering the 1830s and 1840, but fashion-wise subtle changes can definitely be felt, from puffy 1830s sleeves to simpler 1840s styles which I love very much.

Here is what Powell says about the process of finding inspiration and research for the costumes: “There are a lot of royal portraits of Victoria and the family, so obviously, we started with that. And written material, including her own diaries. She was very specific about her clothing and would describe in great detail what she was wearing and what she did that day, so that was very useful. And after that, I went to Kensington Palace, where there is a museum, and also some of her original pieces of clothing are archived there. We had access to look at those.” And also she emphasised the point of how simple the 1840s fashion actually is: “With the women’s clothes, I don’t think that they are complex. I think they’re quite simple for this period. The most important thing is the undergarment. A woman will have a corset and petticoats on, and that creates the silhouette — the base on top of which the dresses will go. The dresses themselves are very light. They’re made of fine fabrics– silk, mostly — and they just pop over the top of the underwear that’s already created your foundation. So in a way, once an actor has her underwear on, it becomes a question of putting another dress over it.” You can read the entire interview here. Ahhh, to be clad in those long silk gowns, with flowers in my hair, wander the lonely and cold corridors of my palace, only in a dream!

Percy Bysshe Shelley – Love’s Philosophy

‘The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of Heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle –
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high Heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea –
What are all these kissings worth
If thou kiss not me?’

My Inspirations for February II

In February I’ve really been inspired by two artists; Kees van Dongen and Kandinsky, and other things such as Manic Street Preachers (anniversary!), peacocks, films such as The Young Victoria and The Invisible Woman. Japanese sakura trees, beautiful gardens and temples were also very inspiration, perhaps due to this late winter days when I long for flowers and spring the most.

I’ve also read The Lord of the Rings I and II this month, and I’ve started reading the third part.

Inspiration – The Young Victoria

Photos found here.

Best costumed movies

This is my list of the nine most memorable costumed movies. If I had put the tenth movie on the list it would be a mere flattery for I am very critical when it comes to costumes in movies. However, these movies proved to have amazing costumes worthy of being on the list.

1. Jane Eyre (2011.)

I love the gothic and gloomy atmosphere of the movie, and costumes give the same impression. 1840s are my favourite decade of Victorian fashion so you must not be surprised that I relished looking at these somber coloured dresses, nice hairstyles and pretty bonnets.

2. Gone with the wind (1939.)

Gone with the wind is a classic I’ve watched numerous times and I don’t really need to say why I love the costumes, just look at those frilled silk dresses in vivid colours, Southern belles in crinolines. Surprisingly for old-Hollywood movies, costumes are not too theatrical.

3. Marie Antoinette (2006.)

This movie is an eye candy, and though the screenplay is not particularly interesting or accurate, dresses are indeed lavishing. They’re not over-the-top or overly decorated, and you can see how the fashion changes throughout Marie Antoinette’s years at Versailles.

4. Sense and sensibility (1995.)

Although I’m not crazy about Regency fashion, I love the movie, the book, the characters and everything about it and costumes remind me of Directoire 1790s fashion which I am fond of because it looks like a transition between what would Marie Antoinette wear and Regency fashion.

5. Les adieux a la rein (2012.)

When a watched this movies I felt like I’m watching something what really happened on 14. July 1789, it’s so accurate and interesting and everything is seen through Sidonie’s eyes. Though Duchess de Polignac wears an awful green dress which is unforgivable, all the other costumes are really beautiful and realistic.

6. Wuthering Heights (1992.)

This is by far the best adaptation of Wuthering Heights; Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche are perfect in roles of Heathcliff and Cathy, the costumes are accurate and you can really see the difference what Cathy wears at home compared to more elegant dresses she wears at Thrushcross Grange.

7. Young Victoria (2009.)

In this movies it’s interesting to see what the Queen would be wearing in her early years of reign (it also shown the transition from 1830s to 1840s fashion) because she was once young too.

8. The Duchess (2008.)

This movie is not my particular favourite when it comes to screenplay, but the costumes are very nice indeed. It’s interesting to see the differences of Marie Antoinette’s and Georgiana’s wardrobe.

9. Sweeney Todd (2007)

And finally Sweeney Todd; the movie I was in love with for years. All the costumes are so dark, gothic and so Tim Burton, but they don’t follow any specific decade of Victorian fashion. Though many of the dresses resemble 1840s style (another plus).

Of course, this is just my opinion, I’m sure there are many other nicely costumed movies such as Barry Lyndon and Marie Antoinette (1938).