Batmangirl and Robinette

I should catch up on things that happened forever ago, but which I failed to post about. So here's something delightfully silly for you - my too cool sister Julia took me to see the latest Batman movie at the midnight premier at my favorite theater. You see things I've sewn all the time, but this time I got to borrow Julia's super cool super hero super Robin outfit. I have no idea how she ended up being such a good seamstress, but her stuff is great. She debuted a brand-new batman outfit, but lent me her old Robin dress so we could match. Too cute! Plus, we got tasty victory popcorn. It was great. Also, she was a better blogger than me, so if you want to get her side of the story (she even already used the best pictures, making my post a little pointless), check it out here.

 

 

 

A Hazard of Hearts

I like to watch television while I do homework, and I've been doing a lot of homework. So allow me to make a movie recommendation to you! A Hazard of Hearts is absolutely hilarious. It is very much a regency romance novel turned into a movie. It begins with a nice old man losing his fortunes, his mansion, and even his daughter in a terrible gambling debt to an evil man. Lord Vulcan (who seems like a bad boy, but obviously has to turn out to be perfect and heroic anyway) wins the girl and the house away from the villain, but then finds himself unexpectedly stuck with them. With no intention of actually marrying her, he sends her off to his mother, who turns out to be Evil with a capital E. It is unspeakably ridiculous. Oh, and the ingenue of the story is a very young Helena Bonham Carter, and the evil mother is a somewhat older Diana Rigg. Not to give too much away, but for me the highlight of the movie is when she gets abducted, and a sweet highwayman saves the day and takes her home. I did mention that this was ridiculous, yes? Well if you're bored, go watch it right now!

See, I told you so!

Yes, indeed I did.

Is he a devious man? Or is he a dashing hero who enjoys casually leaning against mantelpieces? Give you one guess.

No guesses here. This guy is s sleaze ball!

The face of tragedy! Oh no!

Maybe I spend all my money on gambling, liquor, and smuggling! Or maybe I just have a really large turban budget.

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the turban thing.

Definitely the turbans.

Brave's Queen Elinor Stole Ellen Terry's Macbeth Dress

So, let's be honest. This post is for my friend Raven (who has a new blog, actually), who studied abroad in Scotland and is excited about the upcoming Disney movie Brave. To be fair, Disney movies are a lot of fun. But I noticed something about the Queen's dress in Brave... It looks familiar. Do you see it

That's it! It looks like a total rip-off of the Macbeth costume worn by Ellen Terry. This beetle encrusted dress has undergone some recent conservation work and is looking really spiffy. Also, she was painted in it by Sargent, and he is one of my favorites. Do you see the similarities now? Or am I crazy?

Ellen Terry as Macbeth, 1888

The painting by Sargent... WOW

The Dress

And again

Conservation work! Beetle bodies! Cool!

Ballet Hussars

In Swan Lake, Prince Siegfried is supposed to get married. In fact, there is a very Cinderella-ish ball with bunches of princesses, and he is supposed to choose one. In the Tchaikovsky ballet, one of these princesses is Hungarian, and there is a Hungarian song during the ball for her accompanying Hungarians to dance to. There is a film of the American Ballet Theater dancing Swan Lake in 2005. The costumes generally are beautiful and fascinating, but the coolest costuming moment for me was the Hungarian dance. Look! They are Hussars! Admittedly, they are odd ballet Hussars, but enough of the elements are recognizible anyway.
You may already know that I have a bit of a thing for red shoes, and red dance shoes particularly. I wear little red dance boots on a very regular basis. So imagine my adoration of these fabulous red Hessian dance boots! With tassels and everything! Then, of course, there is all that decorative knot work on the pants, and impressive braid on the dolman, and even a peliesse (although I admit that the fabric choice is very odd for a Hussar). I don't know who costumed this show, but I absolutely adore it, especially the ballet Hussars!
I think I am developing a fairly serious obsession for Swan Lake and for Hussars. Both at once... this is too much! Add in my undeniable obsession for red dance shoes and... oh my!

Hat of Grapes

I have finally gotten around to watching Downton Abbey. I've heard incredible things about the hats, so I was watching for them. In fact, there was not one hat that I adored or that particularly inspired me, but I do love the variety and quantity of them. One hat that struck me in particular is this one, not because I think it is pretty (or even un-stupid), but because it reminds me very much of an original in the Met costume collection. See for yourself.

Fire in Lionel Digby's Storehouse

I have a confession to make. I have not yet watched Downton Abbey (although I do intend to). I also have not seen The King's Speech. But I have just discovered a terrible horrible thing. Apparently the warehouse where the gorgeous clothing for these, and other, productions was destroyed in an arson attack. This is so miserable. Read an article about the tragedy here.

Nikolai Rostov's Hussar Uniform (War and Peace, 2007)

I have developed a serious thing for Hussar uniforms. Totally spiffy and dripping with gold braid, these just look so cool! The problem, of course, is that I can look at a woman's dress in a movie and evaluate its historical accuracy, but with uniforms I have no idea. In fact, if anyone has good sources for information I'd love to know. I am sure there are people out there who really really know their stuff when it comes to uniforms. From a totally ignorant but aesthetically appreciative point of view, I have been particularly admiring Nikolai Rostov in the 2005 War and Peace. Wow.

First he wears he puts on a shirt and pants (with braces). Look how high up those pants go.
Notice that he wears a black neckcloth with his uniform (and a really spiffy collar on that white shirt). That is the kind of thing I would never have anticipated. I wonder if it is actually accurate. For that matter, I wonder what this whole uniform is based on.
Now there's the dolman, his actual jacket. Look at the braid! Check out the buttons! And it has a cute little tail in the back.
Over that, a pelisse. You can see that when he is on campaign in the cold (Russia in winter), he wears the pelisse over his dolman and closes it. But in a much more spiffy and rakish fashion, he usually wears it slung over his left shoulder. I love it!
Then there are the accessories, of course. I have no idea what's going on with the sash, but I wish I did. The hat is... wow. With the scales and the tassel and the rosette... I love it! And he has a little satchel (apparently you call it a reticule... I'm having trouble with all the overlap in women's clothing and men's uniform terms: reticule, dolman, pelisse!). So spiffy!
And of course, I might prefer it in red. I'm not at all sure! Look at those boots, though. Beautiful gold tassles on Hessian boots. Does anyone know where to get Hessian boots?

The 1812 Overcoat in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice

The costumer on the 1995 Pride and Prejudice was so cool. This coat shows up on a minor character briefly (when Elizabeth first visits Lady Catherine de Burgh, and then you also see one arm as Jane and Mr. Bingley get into their carriage at the very end). But doesn't it look familiar? Though it does have only 4 cape layers, not 5. Still, very classy.Forgive the poor quality pictures. I am hopeless with computers, and this is such a obscure thing that I could only get pictures by taking screencaps myself, so they are less than perfect.