Flowers in the Attic: The Origin (2022) has surprisingly great costumes! No, not surprising because of talented costume designer Nic Ede, but because this is a V.C. Andrews novel adaptation. For those who aren’t familiar, V.C. Andrews wrote a ton of super trashy, usually incest-focused young adult novels written in the 1970s-80s. If you were like me, you read many of them before you realized they were awful — depressing stories about abused girls in LUDICROUS plots. I’m not sure what exactly got me to watch this, except hey, I like trash! Color me shocked to discover some quality costume designs, from both a historical and character perspective.
The story is a prequel to the famous book Flowers in the Attic, which has been adapted twice I believe. This miniseries takes two prequel books and turns it into one continuous story. Now, I’m not even going to review the plot. There are parts I liked, and parts that made NO sense from a character perspective (as in, “why is this character okay with this super weird and creepy development that just happened? Wouldn’t a reasonable person run like hell?” but also sorry, I don’t believe in the 4th quarter arc of the main character). I’m tempted to call them all out! But you get what you sign up for here.
That being said, the acting, script, etc., is strong, with performances by Jemima Rooper as the main character, Olivia; Max Irons as her awful husband Malcolm; and Hannah Dodd as their daughter Corrine, among many others.
Instead, let’s dive right into the costumes, shall we? As I mentioned, they were designed by Nic Ede (Wilde, Bright Young Things, Hysteria, The White Queen — and yes, Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot). Sadly I haven’t found any press interviewing him for his thoughts on the series, but a little birdy told me we may be able to score an interview with him, so look forward to that possibility! It’s obvious that Ede did his research, as so many of the costumes look PERFECT for the period.
The series spans the late 1910s, late 1930s, early and late 1940s, and 1950s, with a little blip to c. 1900 — I think. I did get a little confused on the timeline near the middle. I had thought we were still in the late 1930s, but then there was a reference to World War II having ended (without it being mentioned in the plot previously, which was surprisingly given the family had two military-age sons). So, go with me here! Let’s look at these different periods and see how well Ede’s costume designs channeled the period — and the plot/character — although I am limited by the images I can find online.
The 1910s in Flowers in the Attic: The Origins
I think this period’s costumes are what impressed me most, because they perfectly capture that transition from 1918 to 1920. Let’s start with Olivia, well-to-do secretary who marries a wealthy man. So her costumes should be practical but up to date:
Alicia is a very young and pregnant trophy wife. Her costumes need to be younger and fresher (while accounting for her pregnancy):
Kate Mulgrew plays the housekeeper, Mrs. Steiner:
Now the guys:
The 1930s in Flowers in the Attic: The Origins
We then jump forward. Olivia and Malcolm have had several children, particularly darling Corinne:
Mrs. Steiner is still around:
The 1940s in Flowers in the Attic: The Origins
Story-wise, I got confused on the timeline here. But given the fashion changes, we must be in the 1940s … or 1950s. Because a lot of this looks 1950s. Except the series is supposed to end in 1957, and everyone ages a lot/has children that grow by then. So I’m guessing 1940s.
Olivia’s life is crap, so she wears a lot of dark:
Corinne wears a lot of super cute day dresses that read more 1950s than 1940s to me, so maybe we’re just post-World War II?
Yes, I’ve mostly lost the thread on the men, but look how nicely brother Joel’s clothes suit the period:
c. 1900 in Flowers in the Attic: the Origin
And now, out of order because that’s how it happens story-wise — Corinne wears her grandmother’s c. 1900 ball gown for her debutante ball. AND I LOVED IT.
The 1950s in Flowers in the Attic: the Origins
And finally, a bit of the late 1950s! Corinne:
Olivia embraces the drama:
I hope this reviews inspires you to perhaps watch Flowers in the Attic: The Origin … if you can stand the trash!
What are your thoughts on the historical accuracy of the costumes in Flowers in the Attic: The Origin?
That knit sweater! I love it, and if I thought it was knitted, I would be studying how to copy it. I don’t think it is knitted, though. I’d be interested to know if anybody has any idea what the method was – a combination of crochet and macrame perhaps?
Agree not knitted. It could be reproduced with crochet, I think, and with Irish Crochet for the bulky ornaments that evoke macrame.
Thank you, Mona!
You can also look up ‘filet crochet’ which was really popular back then. Iva Rose has plenty of repro patterns but you can probably find some for free too.
Nice to see Jemima Rooper getting some love! I saw her on Broadway 10 years ago in One Man, Two Guvnors with James Corden. I have never laughed so hard in my life. :)
I saw that, because my mother was watching. Hated the story, I’m not into oppression porn, I kept telling Olivia to just stick a dagger into her hateful hubby. But the costumes were lovely.
Yes, I am now inspired to watch this film based on this post. These costumes look gorgeous!!!!!
Thanks for covering the costumes. I was interested when I saw the ad but once I looked up the source material plots I was pretty horrified, so I am glad to see the costumes without having to watch the story. The earlier stuff I quite like – it can go a bit baggy/sacky approaching 1920 but lots of pretty details. :-)
Are they evoking early Mary Pickford hair?
Since Alicia is supposed to be “a very young and pregnant trophy wife,” this definitely could be, since Pickford was solidly associated with the early silent film archetype of “the sweet young maiden” and even played children far into adulthood.
However, Pickford generally had longer than shoulder-length hair in distinct long sausage curls– they were her defining feature, since she was first known to audiences as “The Girl with the Golden Curls” before she broke through and achieved name billing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Pickford_cph.3c17995u.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Pickford_1916.jpg
While a lot of actresses doing similar ingenue roles in pre-1920 silent films copied the Pickford curls outright, there were a number of them that had less-defined curl to the hair and somewhat shorter lengths.
Unfortunately, a lot of the pre-1920 images I’ve found are just not quite as short as what’s shown in the miniseries, and it’s hard to tell if they depict a contemporary hairstyle or an attempt at a “period” look.
And it should also be noted that in addition to bobbed hair on young girls being fairly common, a number of women did bob their hair prior to 1920– largely eccentrics and women doing it for practicality.
The French singer/actress Polaire– sort of the Lady Gaga of her day– was known in the 1910s for her thick cropped mane, her incredibly tight-laced “16 inch” waist, and nose rings:
https://alchetron.com/cdn/polaire-3b33323e-d994-4217-8172-3e3612ce292-resize-750.jpeg
https://alchetron.com/cdn/polaire-78681137-dc13-48c4-a58e-d4c9b9a911b-resize-750.jpeg
while in Greenwich Village, the artist Clara Tice claimed to have been the first to adopt this hairstyle, as early as 1908 (photo is said to be 1916):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Tice#/media/File:Clara_Tice_and_her_dog.jpg
However, the look didn’t really catch on as a popular style before 1920, possibly due to the influence of dancer Irene Castle– who sported “the Castle bob” in 1915– combined with women volunteer laborers during WWI who cut their hair for sake of convenience.
But as early as 1920, you get a very similar style to what Alicia’s wearing on popular actress Betty Compson:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Betty_Compson#/media/File:Betty_Compson_-_Feb_1920_Shadowland.jpg
OTOH, given that the other hairstyles framecapped from later periods seem kind of half-assed to me– like most 20th century period pieces, they suffer from a kind of loose sloppiness you don’t see in actual period images– I seriously doubt they really put a lot of effort or research into this look.
Oooooh, I read so much V C Andrews trash when I was in jr high!
This looks pretty interesting. I may try to watch it if only for the clothes.
Seeing the 40s section reminded me…will y’all be doing a fashion review of the new A League of Their Own series streaming on Amazon Prime?
It’s really good so far!
The daughter’s hair reads more 1940’s, IMO. Maybe it’s supposed to be the late 1930s?
I think Alicia’s hairstyle was based on this:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/11822017763331577/?nic_v3=1a5Cxlzmh
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/176836722856118563/?nic_v3=1a5Cxlzmh
Obviously to rejuvenate the actress.
You ought to review the first two Flowers in the attic films. They’re set in the 1950’s.