#1998 films

One Dress a Week Challenge

May: Gold & Silver

Elizabeth / Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I

Although this movie’s costumes were known for being loose interpretations of historical styles rather than painstakingly accurate, they did do quite a faithful recreation of Elizabeth’s actual coronation gown, right down to the tassels on the closure! The thing that is surprising is that it’s just one of her regular dresses that she wears to a dance earlier in the film. I looked up the date of Elizabeth I’s coronation, and it was two months after the death of Mary, so in real life she had ample time to have a new gown made for the occasion.

The dress looks far less grand without the accompanying ruff, jewelry, and ermine-edged cloak. In fact, I don’t think I even registered that it was the same garment on first viewing.

(EDIT:@theladyelizabeth mentioned on a reblog that IRL, Elizabeth wore Mary’s coronation gown, just altered to fit her. But in that case, she still would be unlikely to be wearing it to dances!)