
I recently covered Nosferatu (2024) and raved about the costumes, but I have a confession to make: I intentionally left out mention of one costume that stuck out like a sore thumb to such a degree that I wasn’t sure what to even do with it. If you’ve seen the film, you probably know the one I’m talking about. If not…
Yes, that is, in fact, a cold shoulder dress.

This is one of those things that drives me bonkers about historical films with really good costuming. It’s like slamming on the brakes and ripping you out of the entire mood of the film. I have no idea why costumers do this shit. Is it a flex? Do they think they’re making some kind of statement about the character? Is it the director’s fault? Who should take the blame? Just … WHY??
Another example of lulling you into a false sense of security and then dropping a what-the-frock moment into a scene is this French Hood from the yet-to-be-released-in-the-States Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Again, I raved about the costumes, and then…

Then again, the first installment also had issues with French Hoods:

I’ve even remarked about this phenomenon in the past, specifically about Raquel Welch’s peach dress from the otherwise immaculately costumed Three and Four Musketeers (1973):

But the peach dress wasn’t the only shitty dress in those films worn by Raquel Welch. It’s just so egregious that we tend to overlook the others:



So, I ask you … WHY?
If you have any ideas, drop ’em in the comments.
I am not remotely educated about the period that Nosferatu was set in, just lots of enthusiasm for historical dress, but that character for me was the weakest link in the film anyway but that dress was very strange indeed! I wouldn’t have been able to explain why it stood out to me. But the other thing about that character that bugged me was her terrible wig, it didn’t even really look like hair, and there was no scalp showing or anything. Whyyyyyy!?
Presumably, like the Persian carpet weavers of old, these otherwise excellent costume departments deliberately included one absolute howler in their otherwise-excellent ensemble for fear of offending God by challenging the perfection of His creation.
Or perhaps they just got bored and decided to make some mischief…
Or some of the “talent” want to stand out? They want to look different?
I mean, Arthur Freed moment, people:
“Don’t try to be different. Just be good. To be good is different enough.”
When I was a kid in the 60s/70s, there was a SoCal restaurant chain (mid-market) called The Jolly Roger that had faux Tudor timbers and ye olde timey decorating. I seem to remember their waitresses wearing uniforms something like the green number. Maybe Ron Talskey had a thing for a waitress in a JR location before he met Raquel. As for the cold shoulder look, it might be to see if anyone was paying attention???
But why tho?! I was so confused because I know the work of Linda Muir, who thrives for historical accuracy, so I am perplexed of how this dress made it to the screen. There must a historical reference or a misunderstanding of a fashion plate because this dress just doesn’t make sense but it does compel me though.
My scenario is that the sleeves originally went all the way up to the armseye …and the trim too… no cold shoulders… until they got on set and the actress insisted they make the changes, so the seam rippers where wielded. It was the one day the designer couldn’t be on the set and the director had a hangover and just didn’t want to fool with her. That’s my take 🫤
It’s like the story Anthony Powell relate about “Evil Under the Sun”. The one day he couldn’t be on the set they needed braces for James Mason so the on set crew grabbed a pair of clip-ones instead of using the many button-on braces available in wardrobe. And there they are in the final film.
I’ve heard tales for decades (almost since the films’ release) about the problems with Raquel demanding her own designer for her dresses.
With unsubtle musing that the moment in the closing scene of the first film in which she gets knocked down by the jousting dummy was not in the script but a bit of plausibly deniable revenge from the production crew.
Oh thank goodness saw and hated the film but thought thr costumes generally OK till the shiny gold cold shoulders
I would actually be willing to bet that the weird nosferatu dress is based on a real weird dress from that time and place. Muir is SO thorough and went over specifically German 1830s examples in-depth. I have a feeling the weird dress is based on a weird reality she found in some buried fashion plate or some such thing. It’s just too weird to not be based on reality, if you think about Muir’s general attention to detail