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Burning Question: What's wrong with Belle's gown?

Since the first promotional pictures of Disney's new Live-Action remake of Beauty and the Beast hit the internet, there has been a lot of discussion around Belle's iconic ball gown. And, even months after its release in cinemas, there still continues to be a lot of buzz around it. Why? Mainly, because a lot of people feel that it is just doesn't look that good. The thing is, Belle's animated yellow ball gown is, at this point, an iconic staple of animated cinema. Everybody knows it and everybody loves it. And, as a result, everybody can see the new one and say "this is not the costume I know". Therefore, everyone can compare it down to the smallest detail and see that it just doesn't quite look right. Today, my goal will be to try and dissect the design in order to answer the burning question everyone has been asking themselves: what's so wrong with the "new" dress? Or, to put it bluntly, why is it so incredibly underwhelming?
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Q&A Time!

I've wanted to do this for a pretty long time but never quite found the moment or actually believed anyone would submit a single question. Alas, I finally decided it was time, so today I bring to you, dear readers, the Costume Vault's very first Q&A! First and foremost, thanks to all of you who submitted questions! Also, and more importantly, thank you for submitting such thoughtful questions. I was totally expecting silly questions for shits and giggles (nothing wrong with those, I absolutely love them) but actually got very thought out and interesting questions. You're amazing! Secondly but no less relevant, I apologize for the delay in publishing the answers to your very lovely questions. I'm a terribly slow writer who also happens to have very little time to write lately. It's a killer combination. With that said, here we go! What do you look for in a costume design? By Anonymous What I mainly look for in a film costume design is for it to tell me a story. I

Thank you for coming to my TED TALK: It's a Fine Line

For those who don't know, pop music is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I enjoy it immensely. Judge me if you dare. And as the pop aficionado that I am, I've been fascinated by the importance of costume and fashion in the pop world when it comes to constructing an artist's aesthetic and charging it with meaning (consciously or unconsciously). Like, really obsessed. As everything I'm obsessed with tends to end up dissected here in this blog, I thought it would be fun to step out of my usual box and go down this rabbit hole and play around for a bit. That is why today, for the first time ever, I'm going to be turning my analytical eye away from movies and direct it to the way pop stars use clothing to create and project their own personal ethos and worldview, as artists, to the world. Keep in mind that this is new ground for me. Please don’t hate me, but I like to shake things up from time to time. Also, this will need a lot of disclaimers, so let's get the rea

Why Oh Why? Peaky Blinders and the mystery of Grace's Crappy Hair

There are many unanswered questions out there. Many, many mysteries that will never be unraveled. But amongst those, the one that keeps me up at night is why was Grace's hair so crappy during the first season of Peaky Blinders ? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Peaky Blinders . I'm human, believe it or not. I've watched all its five seasons (twice) and I'm impatiently waiting for its sixth season with bated breath. And I can vouch for it: it's a quality show. Good storytelling, good acting, great photography... and for the most part, great character design both in costume design and hair and makeup. That's why I'm still baffled by the decision of having Grace's character sporting what amounts to limp California Beach Waves for the whole of the first season.  Because, while it is true that the first season had a considerably lower budget than its following installments, a shitty approach to historical accuracy wasn't the general tone for the