Shakespearean Fashion

I noticed a trailer for a new film version of "Romeo & Juliet", and it got me thinking about fashion in Shakespeare films. Many of them go for a late medieval/ early renaissance look, but some drift further afield. I've decided to focus on a few fashionable examples.

The first one we'll look at is the 1936 version of "Romeo & Juliet". I have never seen this film all the way through, though I've seen clips. I think it's best known for the age of its actors - Norma Shearer at 34 years old, and Leslie Howard at 43 were both far too old to be playing Romeo & Juliet. John Barrymore plays Mercutio (I bet he's brilliant!) and he was even older than Leslie Howard!

The interesting thing about the costuming is that while going for a medievally look, it also looks very 1930s. There's a glittery, swoopy look to the costumes that places them firmly in the 1930s. They are lovely, though.

She may have been too old for Juliet, but she does look lovely! 

A close-up of the gown Norma is wearing in the above picture.

A long view of Leslie Howard's costume, and the dress pictured above.

Leslie Howard's ornate costume.

The next film I wanted to look at is the 1967 "Taming of the Shrew". These costumes are fabulous, and have a sort-of Albrecht Durer sumptuousness about them. Like my previous comment, I'm sure these costumes were influenced by the 1960s, but they are colourful and creative and I love them!

What is Richard Burton wearing?

This is STUNNING!

Elizabeth Taylor's costumes accentuate her buxomness perfectly!

The next two films stray from the Tudor/ Elizabethan period by quite a lot. The first of these, 'Much ado about Nothing' from 1993 is my first example. I'm not exactly sure what time period they're going for, but it's not Elizabethan by any means! It's very light and lovely, and perfect for a romp. Romp is the first word that comes to my mind whenever I think of this film.

Emma Thompson's white cotton gown is perfect for the warm, Italian setting.

All the women wear these simple, white dresses.

The interesting attire of the soldiers. Are those leather trousers? I'm not sure!

The last film in this study of Shakespearian fashion is the 1996 'Twelfth Night'. Judging by the costuming, its vaguely turn-of-the-century. This isn't my favourite period of costume history, but I love the style of the costuming in this film.

Sorry, it's hard to tell the full costumes from these close-ups, but I wasn't able to find really great pictures. 

Detail of my favourite gown that Helena Bonham-Carter wears. It has a glorious medieval-ish feeling to it, in a Victorian sort of way. 

The men's costumes are very dark & plain, but I love the crazy hats the soldiers are wearing!

Another lovely gown, though not as nice as the turquoise one.

A full-length view of the pink dress.

Random Red Carpet

These top two are my favorites! Mila Kunis looks absolutely stunning in this timeless, champagne colored dress!

No surprise Lucy Liu made it to my top two. I sometimes hate cut-out's, but they are perfect here in this little black dress! I love how the skirt isn't too short, since the neckline is a little revealing.

I miss Oscar season so much that I decided to look up some recent red carpet looks to see what I'd find. For the most part, there's nothing too extraordinary. But I did manage to find some gems, and I'm going to share them with you now.

I love how simple this dress is here on Saorise Ronan. It's really all about the color, and this deep red is  gorgeous!

Though I think I prefer this dress on the less-busty model (sorry Alice Eve, but you still look great), I still love the graphic lines and the lovely gold.

Emma Stone is even more adorable here in this flirty, lacy number. I love it!

I'm not generally a Jessica Alba fan, but I love the crazy graphics on this dress! Especially on the top. And the fit on her is perfect!

OK, I know some of you are going to think I'm crazy, but there's just something about this outfit. I think it's the tie at the waist, and the overall unconventional-ness about the whole ensemble. (I think this is actress Rebecca Hall.)

Helen Mirren always looks amazing, doesn't she? I love this color!

Joey King here on the left did a great job of choosing something that bridges the gap between young and grown up. I love the soft ruffles, the sheer neckline and the black belt! And her hair is fantastic too! If she's not a fan of the 20's, then her stylist is.

I love this dress worn by Cobie Smulders! The colors are wonderful and I love the graphic lines and angles! 

I loved this dress (or I suppose it's separates) worn by Zoe Saldana! The color, the material, the long skirt length! But I think my favorite thing is the straps in the back. And though the dress worn by Alice Eve isn't my #1, she still looks wonderful! Flowers can often be unforgiving, but their placement here is fantastic.

And, as Oscar season always has it's fashion flops, I decided to show you a few of the terrible ensembles I've happened across.

Oh Gwyneth Paltrow! I don't see how you could have looked in any mirror and thought that this looked good!

The truth is, I don't necessarily hate this dress, but I hate it when it's on Eva Mendes. It doesn't suit her at all. The colors, style, lace, it's all wrong on her!

Oh Selena Gomez! I know she's trying to grow up, but to me this ensemble is a terrible mix of grown up and young. It looks like an outfit my little girl would design for her Barbie.

Abigail Breslin's outfit here is fine (if a little dramatic), but don't get me started on Halle Berry! Nothing about this ensemble is good. Starting with the weird, strappy heels, moving up to the asymmetrical leather skirt, chain belt and slouchy top. This outfit is way too young for her, though I don't think it would even look good on a 16 year old either. And I'm just gonna say it, GROW YOUR HAIR OUT ALREADY!

Gwyneth #2. Perhaps not as bad as the first. If the sides of this dress weren't sheer, I think I might actually like this. But there is so much sheer! It's not like a little tease! It's like, we're all just waiting for her to trip and bare it all! Bad choice!

This is Rachel Korine. She was in Spring Breakers with Selena Gomez. I'm not sure I have any response to this dress, except to say Eeeeeeew!

I would love to hear your feedback. I know that red carpet fashion always invites a lot of debate and differing opinions. Feel free to rip me to shreds. That's part of the fun, defending your favorites (or standing by your opinions about your least favorite).

Corsets are all about fashion!

Edwardian corset. The typical hour-glass look associated with corsets.

I've always been fascinated by corsets (or stays as they were called in the olden-days). They have a bad reputation, but I will be bold and say not all of them are bad! When I was about fifteen years old I visited my sister Heather in upstate New York where she worked at a living history museum. She was working on stays and an early 19th century dress to wear at this museum. I remember the first time I wore some of these stays made for this period. It was such a unique experience, and I'll never forget that rag-doll feeling I had when I took them off - I wondered how I'd ever hold myself up without them!

I'm fascinated by many eras in fashion history, and often think how nice it must have been in the medieval times before they wore corsets. More comfortable, certainly! As far as I know, corsets first creep into fashion around the late 15th century. And from then on out, it's been difficult to get rid of them. Some of them are quite plain, but I think for the most part they are very decorative and beautiful, which is intriguing, since, for the most part, they were worn beneath clothing and not seen.

Um, no thanks! 16th century metal stays - I think not!

This is more like it! Stays from the 1590s

18th century stays

Some modern made stays from an 18th century pattern. Check out the website:
http://rococoatelier.blogspot.co.uk

Stays from the early 1800s. Notice the high bust and the straight waist & hips.

Corset from the late 1860s.  A very different shape! 

Corset from the 1890s

Camille Clifford, an actress and model for the famous Gibson Girl drawings! Apparently she had an 18 inch waist - a poster-child for the corset!

Corsets are also seen in many, many films, contributing to the fashion and look of the films. I'm highlighting just a few that stand out to me.                                                                                

Dawn French, sporting an uncovered corset in the series "Lark Rise to Candleford". On wearing a corset, she said, "There is something delicious about wearing corsets, something rather nice about being pulled rigidly into position by them,  even if they do seem to push part of one's body into the most remarkable places." 

The famous corset-tightening scene from "Gone With the Wind"

Helena Bonham Carter sporting an uncovered corset as well. In her younger days she was dubbed the "Corset Queen" because of all the period films she was in. 

The days of corsets are not over yet! Besides the lingerie aspect of them, they are worn as fashion-pieces in their own right - and like the examples above, usually on the outside for everyone to admire! I'll start with a famous example & end with a couple more tame ones!

We can't forget the infamous corset Madonna sported! 

A fairly traditional looking corset. This and the corset below are just two examples of many that are available to buy online.

A steampunk corset.

Black and White and Dramatic All Over

Carole Lombard is stunning in this heavenly lighting!

Absolutely nothing captures drama and emotion quite like black and white. I am not trying to knock color, as I am a huge fan of all movies, no matter their race, creed or color (I am very liberal that way). But I believe that a little something was lost when movies changed from two tone to Technicolor.

I love the softness of this picture of the angelic Lillian Gish! I really don't think this effect can be achieved in color.

The shadows and fur perfectly capture Marlene Dietrich's sultry persona!

When movies started, not only were they black and white, but they were silent as well. Luckily, they were able to portray a lot of emotion through the actors dramatic and histrionic capabilities. But I also believe that the black and white medium (combined with fantastic lighting) helped them with their overall communication to the audience. And I truly don't believe they would have had the same results if they had been working in color.

Bette Davis could be both virtuous and villainous. I love how fresh and young she was captured here! 

Jean Harlow was the quintessential vamp. The dark shadows and dramatic pose are very appropriate for her.

I am always impressed when modern filmmakers use black and white (though, unfortunately, it happens very infrequently). I am always so saddened when I hear that many people refuse to watch black and white movies! (Oh the treasures they are missing out on!) But it is nice to see that it is at least alive and well in magazines and editorials! 

Some of the best lighting and cinematography I've ever seen!

Black and white definitely made this movie more dramatic.

Now, I know this isn't a movie blog, but as I said, I am addressing black and white as a medium here, be it a still or a moving picture. So, may I present to you some wonderful pictures that are twice as lovely and twice as sultry because they were taken in black and white. For the sake of brevity, I couldn't use all of the wonderful pictures I found. But I tried to pick some of my favorites from a number of different time periods.

Myrna Loy, one of my favorites! This picture wouldn't be nearly as dramatic and mysterious in color.

What's that you say? I already used a picture of her? Too bad! Look how awesome her cheek bones are!

Greer Garson was so beautiful! I love how there are shadows of her eyelashes!

One advantage of black and white is that it can really make the eyes pop. Though I imagine it probably helped that Joan Crawford had amazing eyes!

Lauren Bacall was definitely stunning in color as well, but I think this medium perfectly captures her sultry mysteriousness.

In my opinion, black and white can amplify so much. And not just drama. Textures and angles are created and it almost becomes more art than photograph. Here are a few stunning modern pictures that completely support my claim:

Again, shadows can do so much in black and white. I love the angles it creates here with Kiera Knightly.

Could Kate Winslet look more gorgeous?

This is one of my very favorites from the lot! The shadows, the angles, the eyes and the hat! Like I needed another reason to adore Emily Blunt!

Just one example of a modern, black and white editorial. Notice the wonderful shadows and textures that are created .