
You asked for it, so here’s an occasional open thread to bitch about anything tangentially related to history, costume, movies, or TV shows! Or whatever else is on your mind right now. Note that URLs are automatically held for moderation, but most anything else goes as long as you’re not bitchier than we are!
Frock Flicks is making a donation for December to Fair Fight, the organization founded by Stacey Abrams to promote fair elections in Georgia and around the United States.
We made it through 2020! Holy crap, that was a slog. Unfortunately, the worst of things isn’t over yet, but let’s just lean into the symbolic warm fuzziness of the calendar turning for the moment. Plus, we get some end-of-year gifts with shows like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Bridgerton coming this month.
How are you finishing this longest of years?
I have been enjoying the great Youtube offerings on fashion & dress history. Bernadette Banner, Abby Cox, Morgan Donner, Priorattire, Nikki Leeam, Jean Stephens (amazing tutorials on historical hair), Museum at FIT and other costubers. Also love the Time Team episodes.
Ooh Fran! I had not heard of those. Grazie from the Berkshires!
I love many of these as well!
Karolina Zebrowska is another Costube stalwart. She’s a deadpan Pole, and usually very funny.
Karolina is the best!
I get a kick out of Sewstine as well. Dat Sleepy Hollow sharpie dress of hardcore.
Costube has been a blessed change in this dark year,and Frockflicks has always been there.
Tried to learn sewing and not just ogling at period art,attempted to recreate the red jama from Bikaner at VA Museum.Ended up with an horribly puckered mumu.Could have spent my last three months in making something simple like an apron.
Oh no! Sewing is definitely something that takes practice — I learned when I was a kid from my mom & grandmom, but I feel like I’m always learning, 4 decades later. I screw up a lot in the process.
You definitely should have started with a simpler project. That red jama looks like a real challenge.
Time to line up every version of A Christmas Carol I can find. This is such a bittersweet time of year anyway, and this year especially so.
I am revisiting the posts about Outlander because I am finally watching it!
Hah, nice binge-watch, at least the first 2 seasons, IMO :)
Prescient that you should post the gif of Muppet Christmas! Just watched a vlog that gushed on how incredibly accurate and painstaking the costuming is for that movie, both for human and muppet actors. F’instance, Rizzo’s hand-smocked work overshirt right there. Even the smocking pattern is period- and use-accurate.
Yes! That was Abby Cox’s Sunday vlog on Youtube!
Yup, we have a post here about the costumes in Muppets Christmas Carol – it’s our fave!
I’m finally reading the Rose of Versailles manga. I get why it’s so beloved, especially Oscar.
On the other side of the French coin, I’m also reading Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette wore to the Revolution. It’s an old favorite of mine, though I continue to sigh at MA’s poor public relations instincts.
Really enjoyed Queen of Fashion. If you like MA fiction, you should try The Secret Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carrolly Erickson. It’s total nonsense, of course, but a great read. :)
Just finished S4 of The Crown. I know it’s after your timeline cut-off date, but I loved how they made the 1980s clothes look actually appropriate. I was born in ’85, so all the 80s nostalgia parties I’ve been to have been really OTT crimped hair and leotards and legwarmers, even though that can’t be how 90% of people dressed 90% of the time. (Kind of like how the 1920s wasn’t actually all about the fringed miniskirts!)
I’ve enjoyed the costumes on The Crown too, but have been very disappointed by the jewelry–esp for the Queen. She hardly ever wears a brooch and the tiara replicas are laughable, like cardboard and glitter.
In November I binge-watched a bunch of Korean dramas, and two of my favorites were The Royal Tailor and Mr. Sunshine. Lots of beautiful hanbok in both and some really nice early 20th century fashions in the second.
I just enjoyed the Winona Rider/Susan Sarandon version of Little Women, perfect for a pre-Christmas Sunday afternoon couch cozy with my cat as I recover from a cold. I thought the costumes and hair were spot on and Christian Bale is easy on the eyes. Gah, why can’t I watch that story without crying….
On YouTube I have been enjoying Bernadette Banner’s costume videos; very informative and enjoyable with a touch of snark.
Penny Dreadful, City of Angels is the next series I will be watching. I’ve heard good things about it, and I enjoyed the first one, though some of it was a little bit odd and too gory for me.
Please, please, PLEASE say that Frock Flicks will be reviewing the costumes of Jingle Jangle!!!
https://gph.is/g/46nKpXq
You’re right, we really do need to! I’ll make sure it happens :)
Thank you! Y’all are the best! I think you will really enjoy it. :)
On the subject of people who need to have a movie made about them – how about the last queen of Madagascar? See https://vintagefashionguild.org/blog/the-last-queen-of-madagascar-kerry-taylor-auctions-december-8-2020/
Never heard of her before or even that Madagascar had a queen once. There’s just a small snipped about her niece, but it breaks my heart.
People I won’t ask you to watch or review it because I know some of you really hate Flaubert’s novel but these Madame Bovarys from the 1970’s really intrigue me:
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/italian-actress-carla-gravina-playing-gustave-flauberts-news-photo/471326856
This link is the best image I could get from the 1978 i wanted to know when it passed
If you’re intrigued enough it’s on YouTube
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu0zNOEc6tI1pvmmeIE4m3FypalAxnpPx
And that’s this 1974 that intrigues me even more:
https://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/news-photo/nicole-courcel-and-andr%C3%A9-dussolier-in-madam-bovary-drama-news-photo/495686494
https://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/news-photo/outdoor-claude-giraud-and-nicole-courcel-in-pierre-news-photo/495136450
Someone from the principal cast died recently so the first part is on YouTube
By the way I really wanted to recommend some polish series for you I find them very beautiful here’s an example with a VPN you can watch all
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://vod.tvp.pl/website/modrzejewska,39056401&ved=2ahUKEwiD7MOK7M3tAhX3HLkGHT7XALUQFjATegQILBAC&usg=AOvVaw2P2Ajix2hyKHIDf1zyDYp2