The costume vault

The Other Boleyn Girl is a feature film directed by Justin Chadwick that premiered back in 2008. It's based on a novel by Philippa Gregory and it's a movie about the two Boleyn sisters: Mary and Anne, whom both became the mistress of the infamous Henry VIII. It’s the story of a sibling rivalry that plays out during one of the key moments of the history of England; Henry’s break with the Catholic Church. The Boleyns are an impoverished English noble family that wants to climb the social ladder of the Tudor Court. For that, they will push their daughters into the King’s bed. First Mary, and then Anne. But, whilst Mary is a sweet and tender girl who does only what her father asks of her, Anne, ambitious and cunning, goes the extra mile. She goes behind her sister’s back and starts courting the king. She then decides to refuse the King, who at this point is madly in love with her, unless he marries her. The problem, of course, lies in the fact that he's already marrie...

After this long break, I will continue this series of posts with this next dress. This is the dress that I call the "Coruscant Pre-Senate Gown" because she wears it in a very brief scene right before she makes her appearance in the Coruscant Senate. This is not one of the most well-known dress, but it’s a beautiful piece of design, so I thought it was worth the effort. The dress consists of a crimped mauve under-gown under a stiff, turquoise dress with intricate patterns, and over this; a light gray robe held together with a wide, embroidered sash. The sleeves of the robe are wide and somewhat stiff, with curling needlework along the sides. A fan-like headdress adorns her hairstyle, which is finished off with antique lace, pearl beadings and glass filaments. Just like with the “senate” gown, the influences behind this design are really simple and easy to identify. The dress is based on the traditional Japanese kimono. And the headpiece is a mix betwee...

A few days ago I happened to be looking through the immense collection of dresses in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's web site and I crossed paths with two beautiful dresses, both belonging to the well-known House of Worth. And I just thought that they deserved a post of their own. House of Worth is a French house of high fashion that specialized in Haute Couture, ready-to-wear clothes and perfumes. It was created around 1858 by Charles Frederick Worth and it continued to operate under the direction of his sons (and their sons in turn) until 1956 when it finally closed. The House of Worth brand was revived in 1999. When it first opened as a dressmaking shop, in 1858, it was soon recognized by royalty and became a great success, gaining a huge reputation. At his shop, Charles Frederick Worth would show his creations on live models, and the clients would choose and order what they liked. This method is actually the origin of Haute Couture. Both then and now, Worth’s gowns ar...

Let’s continue with the thorough examination of the designs of Padme Amidala’s dresses. This second post in the series will be dedicated to the also terribly famous “senate” gown from “The Phantom Menace”. She wears this dress during her plea at the senate in Coruscant, and it has grown to become a terribly well-known gown. This gown has several layers to it. The base layer is a bright orange silk dress, with a high collar decorated with ornate gold stitchwork and beads. Over this, she wears a dark red overdress with orange hems decorated with gold brocade. This overdress has big sleeves and its embroider with rosettes. Above this, she wears a dark and thick faux fur cloak with shoulder pads that make her look twice her size. Although what really made this dress iconic, is the headdress that accompanied it. Amidala's hair was dressed in a wide arc centered by a golden headpiece with golden hairbands to keep her hair's shape. This arc was decorated with dangling ...