Jenny La Fleur

I spent my evening watching Downton Abbey - oh the costume porn!

For those out there like me who that don't have TV channels (or missed the original airing) PBS.com is posting full episodes for a limited time. Episode 1&2 expire on Feb 22.

The costumes are fabulous but then again early 19-teens fashions are amoung my favorites. It's great to see so many day/informal outfits from the period. So far my favorite is a darling black & white striped blouse Lady Mary wears in the second episode (which I can't find any pis of merh). The story is more engaging than I thought it would be too - full of upstairs and downstairs drama, as one would expect from the screenwriter of Gosford Park. The grounds of Highclere Castle and the cinematography are really lovely too. The opening sequence is not to be missed! This is a very high budget venture you can tell - yummy!

I feel bad - I've been so on the go this week I have not been commenting on your posts lately. Do forgive me, I'll try to play catch up soon...

I just finished watching the BBC North & South - oh wow! I totally should not have spent my evening watching tv but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in one of England's cotton mill cities of the 1850s it was interesting to see the industrial revolution in the UK (compared to the reading and traveling I've done on the US version). I even started to think I might need an 1850s frock one day, something I've sworn i would never want. I'm sorry it took me so long to see this now as I foresee it becoming a favorite. If you loved the 1995 A&E Pride and Prejudice make it a point to watch North & South, you'll love it too! (yes B this means you!)

I finally got around to watching The Buccaneers the other day too. There was some pretty heavy bustle-frock drooling involved but overall I hated it. I don't enjoy stories that center around unhappy marriages, adultery, VDs and other sorted plot lines. Why to most Victorian novels/dramas have to be so depressing? Anyway, lovely to watch but not one I'll be renting again in the future (except to watch a particular frock perhaps).

Oh for those acquainted with but not friended with my sis cracked_code - let the celebrating begin!!!!!

Oh I just saw the trailer for this - now I can't wait to see it! Looks like we are going to go out the weekend it opens with some friends from church - fun, fun!

Amazing Grace

I am ashamed; I haven’t yet posted anything about my trip to Winterthur and the Fashion and Film exhibit! I have sat down to do it a few times this week and managed to get distracted by other things. Bad Jenny!

Our day was wonderful! It ended up just being B and I but that was fun. A sister day - yay! I was a bit skeptical about making it a day trip but not having the means to stay overnight that was our plan. It turned out just fine, about 3 hours each way but we had plenty of time to have a relaxing day and still see all we wanted to. We even stopped for a sit down meal and a bit of Twelfth Night shopping on the way home. :> B and I talked, giggled and sang to my Christmas CDs the whole way. Fun! The drive was pretty and simple, we managed to avoid all the traffic and were only delayed by B’s small speeding ticket. :P

( Winterthur: house & grounds )

( the frocks )

If you have the opportunity to go see the exhibit do it – it was well worth the day. My only complaint was the price, a bit pricey if you ask me. To do the exhibit and the house was $20 and from Va we paid about $15 in tolls plus gas. I hate toll roads I really do. Still I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!

PS Many thanks to padawansguide for collecting images from the exhibit (where pics were allowed) in one place. Also many thanks to those who shared their pics with Maggie and us all!! It was a bummer not be able to photographs myself but knowing I could come home and find some anyway was wonderful!

I've been so bad about updating this LJ lately - and replying to your entries. I read them, really I do, I just haven’t had the time to reply lately. In my defense I've been out of town a crazy amount and this week I've been feeling under the weather. Lots of headaches and general ickiness. I have a busy weekend ahead of me so I've been taking it easy the past few days in the thought that if I baby myself a bit I'll feel up to the weekend activities. So far all I feel like is behind in everything. Oh well. :P

All the vegging about and watching Duchess of Duke Street has lead to getting quite a bit of quilting though on the petticoat. It's looking so good! This morning I switched focus and marked out the bottom lines so I can get the bottom finished off. I thought it would be easier to measure the length that way. I was going to wait until I'd sewn the panels together to hem it but I think I won't now. I think the idea of two complete panels sewn together in case I ever want to take them apart for another purpose. Whatever that purpose may be. *evil grin*

Looks like I will be waiting to see MA until next weekend (so all spoilers behind cuts if you please!). bauhausfrau and some of her friends are going in costume next Saturday so I'll go with them. Should be fun, the weekend before Halloween no less. :>

I'm going to wear my green ball gown with BIG hair. :> I need to add some more trimming (I think I'll make it a fake "zone front") and something at the sleeves. A new (and properly fancy) petticoat would be fun but I don't know that I will have time for that.

I decided to dress after all. Actually there were four of us dressed but I didn’t get any pics – silly Jenny! Actually it only occurred to me to take some pics right before I undressed and went to bed. I thought this outfit was too cute not to preserve for posterity, even if it was 4am and I'd left my hat in the car. It was comfy too, although it felt strange to be wearing my underpinnings on the outside! :> Fun but strange. I especially enjoyed not having to worry about everything being accurate. I reveled in my unperiod hair and jewelry. I am SO not a thread Nazi! *giggle*

As far as PotC2 went, I was disappointed. ( more on that subject )


I’m taking a break from the Erté dress right now. Everything is cut except for the belt - can’t remember how wide I wanted to make it. :P I’ve basted the bodice and it’s lining together using the temp spray adhesive demode_kvc mentioned a while ago. So far it’s working like a charm. Anything that helps silk to behave in a more friendly manner is a good thing, right?!! :>

Hey elizabethsdress (and anyone else who loves 20s fashions) - I just saw a movie that I think you would like. It's called Star! and is a little known Julie Andrews musical - I hadn’t even heard of before B spotted it at the library. It's based on the life of stage star Gertrude Lawrence and spans from 1916-1940.

The designer actually did his research and did a very good job of it too, especially the late teens and twenties frocks - including some adorable Erte inspired things. Very nicely done indeed. The behind the scenes stuff said that Julie wore something like 125 costumes in the film - only one of which was made in duplicate because they were so expensive to produce.

Anyway check it out.
Or avoid it if you don't want any more 1920s addiction incentive.
Or if you've already seen it, ignore this.

*smile*

padawansguide was so kind as to post a link to the first trailer of the new Marie Antionette movie today. Looks pretty good so far, although why is Antionette running everywhere? :P

Quicktime trailer

I also discovered an interesting tidbit today that I didn't know - the costume designer for Marie Antionette is Milena Canonero, the costume designer of "Affair of the Necklace". It bodes well, n'est pas? :>

I did it. I broke down and bought the Titanic EE. The 3 discs rather than 4 discs for the US release still ticks me off but I held off buying the stupid film until an extended version was released. It seems silly to not get it after all. At least I won’t have to get the DVD out of the library when I want some screen captures. :>

There is alot more on the EE than I thought at first. There isn’t much costuming fodder, some fun tidbits here and there but nothing spectacular. There are shots of vintage gowns used on screen and a lot lots of behind the scenes views of the extra’s costumes which is fun. There is a very good look at the Swim Dress prototype as Kate models it in a fitting that is fun. I like the finial version better though. There are also a few “new” costume reference shots in the still gallery (at least I hadn’t seen them before) including one of the Tea Dress with it’s original hat and one of the kimono. The image quality isn’t great but fun none-the-less.

Deborah Scott is part of the cast & crew commentary as well. My favorite tidbit was that the Jump Dress (or Suicide Dress as she referred to it) design inspiration came from some vintage scraps of circular beading. The gown grew from that element. I thought that was interesting. :>

In other news… well sort of…
I’ve decided to wear my Tea Dress for Halloween – gee I wonder why I’m in the mood to wear that costume? *wicked grin* I’m in charge of the Cake Walk at the church’s Harvest Party again this year so I’m silly to want to wear a restrictive corset but what can I say, I’m a glutton for punishment. :>

I have decided to add some new trimming to it. The gown is a bit plain… too plain for 1912 really. I never had the time to finish it properly and it’s bugging me now. I don’t have a plan per say but I’ve pulled a few trims and laces from the stash and we’ll see what I come up with between now and Monday.

I should also start work on my green wool cloak this weekend. I’m attending an outdoor event at Gunston Hall so I need it next Saturday. As far as B’s pirate costume goes I’m putting it on hold until her Thanksgiving break. It’s just too hard to work on when she is not home for fittings. :

My trip to G Streets turned out to be a bust. I picked up the twill tape I needed but my real quest for hat supplies was unfulfilled. I was also hoping to find a buckle similar but larger than the small diamond ones I bought last time but had no luck there either. Oh well.

I did manage to pick up Jefferson in Paris on my way home though. I ordered it from my local Borders in a weak moment last week and it came in today. I felt the need of 18th century costume inspiration and since I’d heard nothing but lovely things about the clothing in JIP it seemed a good choice.

I just finished watching it (the DVD player is working again, for now anyway) and thoroughly enjoyed the costumes. The story was okay, if thought provoking. There was one scene (a very bawdy street show insulting Antoinette) I could have done without but overall the content was dealt with tastefully, much more so than I feared from some of the reviews I’d read. As tastefully as un-tasteful subjects can be dealt with I guess. Then again Jefferson is not high on my list of favorites so I felt the portrayal of him perhaps a little too sympathetic and glossed over at times if anything. :>

The Marie Antoinette was spot on though and (typical of Merchant Ivory) the production did an excellent job of showing the period. The costumes were amazing… I didn’t know where to look everything was lovely. The hats!!! I have lots of new ideas for my hat now to say the least. I will have to do some serious screen capturing this weekend!