#television costumes
Monthly “Dress a Day” Challenges for the Rest of the Year
The original “One Dress a Day/Week” challenge will end on June 30. I’ve really been enjoying this project, though, and I’d like to keep going! I have given some thought to some more monthly challenges to finish out the year, and I’m pleased to announce the theme challenges I’m setting for myself. Here’s what I have planned, along with the tags I plan to use:
Monochrome July: Best costumes from black-and-white movies. Real-life color unknown or irrelevant.
Multicolored August: Moving to the other extreme, this month will feature an explosion of color. Too many colors to fit into any single-color theme month.
The Men of September: From business suits to wizard’s robes, let’s give the men’s costumes some love!
Black-and-White October: Not to be confused with Monochrome July, this is for the costumes based around the specific and very classic combination of black and white. (One reason why I waited until today to make this announcement was because I wanted to see if I could get through the month of white and the month of black without using any black-and-white outfits!)
Not-a-Dress November: Pantsuits. Pajamas. Bathing suits. Really amazing hats. This month is for all those great costumes that aren’t actually dresses.
Anything Goes December: Just what it says. Could include runners-up, afterthoughts, clothes worn by stars “as themselves,” cases where I’m not quite sure how to classify the color, and generally anything else that just doesn’t fit into one of the other categories.
Anyone who wants to is, of course, welcome to join me for one or more of these month-long challenges. I’m looking forward to it!
One Dress a Week Challenge
April: Black
Shadow and Bone / Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov
For the transition from the month of black into the month of gold and silver, we have this spectacular embroidered long coat, known as a kefta in the setting. (Seriously, if you’re a fan of embroidery porn, this is the show for you.) The coat itself is made of some sort of heavy textured fabric, with what looks to be a plush edging. The embroidered rays of light in gold and silver signify Alina’s unique ability as the Sun Summoner. The belt buckle features the double eagle of Ravka.
It’s hard to get a good look at the whole garment, but it comes down to her ankles and seems to have slits at the sides for ease in walking. I like her hair ornament too.
One Dress a Week Challenge
June: Grey
The Norman Conquests / Penelope Keith as Sarah
I mean, it’s the 1970s, so that’s an automatic penalty in my book–but as 1970s dresses go, this one is actually kind of interesting. The long-stemmed, stylized flowers (poppies?) give it a sort of “Japanese print” aesthetic. The visible bra line is unfortunate, though!
One Dress a Week Challenge
June: Grey
Shadow and Bone / Daisy Head as Genya Safin
I love Genya’s kefta, but I debated where to put it. It’s sometimes described as white, but it looked too dark to fit in with the other white dresses. I considered silver, but it wasn’t very shiny, so I finally settled on grey.
Genya’s kefta is unique not only because she is a Tailor (a rare ability) but also because she is a member of the palace staff rather than attached to the army like most other grisha. It doesn’t follow the usual color scheme, and it also appears to be shorter and lighter-weight than the ones worn in the field; compare Alina’s black kefta, which is ankle-length. The belt buckle seems to have an image of the Ravkan double eagle, like Alina’s.
One Dress a Week Challenge
May: Gold & Silver
Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries / Geraldine Hakewill as Peregrine Fisher
Peregrine wears this dress to a New Year’s Eve party. It may be inspired by the famous Paco Rabanne silver dress from Two for the Road, although it has a different neckline and the decor is slightly more elaborate. The top part has beads mixed with sparse sequins, and the sequins get thicker going down the skirt. This creates a subtle effect in which the bottom half of the dress looks darker, but also shinier. See below for a comparison.
For accessories, Peregrine wears a gold openwork bracelet and ring, earrings that seem meant to match the dress (but I can’t quite tell what they’re made of), gold nail polish, and gold high-heeled sandals with laced straps. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good screencap showing the sandals.
One Dress a Week Challenge
May: Gold & Silver
Batman (Batman 66) / Eartha Kitt as Catwoman
This is a deep cut, and to be honest, the dress itself is nothing special … but it made me chuckle, so I wanted to include it! Catwoman steals the famed “golden fleece” dress from Queen Bess of Belgravia (pictured below) because she’s angry at being left off Gotham City’s “best dressed list” while Batgirl, of all people, made the cut.
Before rewatching this episode, I had not seen Batman 66 since I was approximately ten years old. While I knew it was lighthearted, I never fully appreciated exactly how silly it was before seeing it as an adult. Eartha Kitt was having positively indecent amounts of fun with all the dastardly plans and cat puns. And Batman proclaiming solemnly, “Catwoman is evil, but she is attractive” made my day.
Oh, and the dress: it’s made of some fairly stiff material in a “fairytale princess” sort of shape. It does fit pretty well, at least! There’s a bit of rickrack at the sleeves and hem. Catwoman accessorizes with her trademark black mask, plus a fan and a necklace of gold medallions.
One Dress a Week Challenge
May: Gold & Silver
Leverage (“The Girls’ Night Out Job”) / Beth Riesgraf as Parker
Parker wears this gold minidress with matching pumps to a formal event (after stealing someone’s dry cleaning because she needed fancy clothes on short notice). For such a simple silhouette, the construction of the dress is surprisingly intricate. You can see the seams down the sides and darts in the back to make it more form-fitting, plus ruching in two directions in the front and multiple straps across the back. The complicated arrangement of straps might also be a plus for her, as it would remind her of her climbing harness!
As a bonus, Tara and Sophie also appear in their dresses in a couple of shots.
One Dress a Week Challenge
May: Gold & Silver
The Scarlet Pimpernel / Jane Seymour as Marguerite St. Just Blakeney
I thought at first that this gown was styled a little too early, but after doing a little research, I think it’s spot on. The story is set in 1792, which was about the last gasp of the “classic” 18th-century style before waistlines started creeping upward. Already, the panniers have disappeared, and the hairstyles are more wide than tall.
Costume design is credited to Phyllis Dalton. I doubt she had a huge budget, but this dress looks appropriately lavish for the wife of a nobleman to wear to a ball. The gold lace around the neckline is a particularly nice touch, as it appears in all the close-up shots.
The decorated underskirt only shows briefly when she’s walking or moving, but I managed to get a couple of screencaps where it’s visible.
One Dress a Week Challenge
May: Gold & Silver
Magic City / Elena Satine as Judi Silver
I haven’t seen this series, but according to the description, it’s set in Miami starting in 1959. This character looks to be a bombshell type, and the simple sheath dress covered in sequins is certainly eye-catching, even without the diamond necklace.
The popular image of 1950s fashion is of flared skirts, but the stripped-down sheath look existed alongside that style for much of the decade. The contrast is even a plot point in Bells Are Ringing, with the dress that was the subject of my very first “Dress a Week” post, here.
Miss Fisher’s first outfit of “Framed for Murder” (Season 2, Episode 9) is a suitably vibrant daywear look made up of a statement lime green and lilac coat, complete with a floral blouse and dark skirt and matching green cloche.
Phryne’s stunning floor length travelling coat has a pink velvet exterior and a chartreuse satin lining. The satin appears at her exaggerated gauntlet style cuffs, with fabric covered buttons matching the velvet exterior. It also has a tall folded, standing collar and low notches below her chest.
Her trademark fabulous hat was created specifically to match her coat. The chartreuse felt hood was sourced in the US, then decorated with a pink velvet hat band as well as black and white guinea hen feathers, dyed pink emu feathers, and shaped white feathers. A gold filigree piece is also tucked into the fascinator.
Underneath she wears a chiffon floral blouse with purple flowers and green leaves that complement the coat. The blouse itself has a v-neck and two tiered diamond shaped accents along the front, as well as a white camisole underneath. She pairs this with a mid-calf length dark plum skirt seen previously in “Murder à la Mode” (2x05).
Her accessories consist of her classic onyx teardrop earrings, white nylons, and navy heels with a single strap crossing over her foot.
Season 2, Episode 9 - “Framed for Murder”
Screencaps from here, promotional photos from the official Facebook (x,x) and Servus TV, hat photo from the official Pinterest.
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The eighth and final outfit of “The Blood of Juana the Mad” (Season 2, Episode 8) is a fetching gold embossed velvet bolero over a green silk camisole, worn with black pants and silver heels.
Phryne’s luxurious green camisole is made of silk and has a straight neckline, with two small straps going over her shoulders. A stunning contrast with black, this camisole has been worn five times so far across both seasons, each time with either the gold and black velvet bolero with long ties around her waist (1x02,1x07, and here) or the black sweater made of a variety of crocheted patterns (1x10and2x02).
She pairs this with her trusty black silk-faille wide leg pants and her glittering silver heels from the first episode, and accessorizes with a starburst diamond brooch (the one Jane gives back at the end of 1x02), a three-layered diamond bracelet, and long oval diamond earrings.
Season 2, Episode 8 - “The Blood of Juana the Mad”
Screencaps from here, collage by me, and Costume Exhibition photo from the official Pinterest.
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The seventh outfit of “The Blood of Juana the Mad” (Season 2, Episode 8) is a reappearance of her black crochet cardigan over a black shirt and pants worn briefly while she and Jack are deciphering the code hidden in the manuscript.
Her long-sleeved black cardigan is made of a variety of lace and rosette patterns, with a single button loop on the right side. It has wide sleeves, with solid knit bands along the hem and continuing up along the neckline. This is the third use of this sweater, appearing in 2x05 and also earlier in this episode when she welcomes Beatrice into her home.
Phryne wears a black sleeveless blouse with a sloping v-neck underneath, paired with her classic black silk faille wide-leg pants. This blouse can be seen previously in both 1x13 and 2x03 before showing up here.
She accessorizes with her long teardrop amber earrings, suspended below matching round beads at the post. One of her favorite bits of jewelry, we can see these earrings a number of times in the series, including 1x08, twicein 2x06, and earlier in 2x08.
Season 2, Episode 8 - “The Blood of Juana the Mad”
Screencaps from here,earring photo from the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Facebook, photo compilation by me.
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The first outfit of “The Blood of Juana the Mad” (Season 2, Episode 8) features the reappearance of her lovely textured wool coat, leopard print cloche, white blouse and pants, and her black and white heels.
Phryne’s gorgeous honeycomb coat has a dramatic white fur collar on the v-neck, and is fastened with three large mother-of-pearl buttons. With a slight flare to the skirt and straight sleeves, it’s a lovely statement piece for daywear. While this is its first appearance in season two, this coat was worn six times in season one; 1x01,1x03,1x04,1x05,1x07, and 1x09.
Underneath her coat, we can see her white blouse with loose matching tie around her neck, seen twicein2x07. It has a gentle rounded neckline and she wears it tied just above her collarbone. She pairs it with her classic white silk faille pants, and finishes the look with black leather gloves and matching leather handbag.
Miss Fisher accessorizes with her frosted teardrop earrings, black and white heels, and a fabulous leopard print cloche decorated with cream and black feathers. The base for the cloche was sourced from an American company, while the black-lined cream feathers, held on with a black fabric frog fastener, were from a millinery supplier from London.
Season 2, Episode 8 - “The Blood of Juana the Mad”
Screencaps from here, promotional photos from the official Facebook (x,x) and various sources (x,x,x), hat photos from the official Pinterest(x,x) and Loran’s World.
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