PBS Masterpiece brings a reimagined version of John Galsworthy’s ‘Forsyte’ novels novels from the U.K. to U.S. viewers. This costume drama about the complicated lives of an upper-class family, The Forsytes (2025-), features costumes designed by Nic Ede. Check out our recaps of season one on Mondays after new episodes drop on PBS each Sunday.
Soames buys Irene jewelry because that’ll really make up for destroying her dream of having a fulfilling artistic career in the ballet.
Jolyon’s staying with the Coles for a night, just to give those characters something more to do. Yes, I like that the production includes people of color in general because Victorian Britain was not an all-white society. But the Black characters are really under-used in the story, with the Coles being completely in the background. And while Mrs. Barrington has more scenes, she’s also a pretty one-note character focused around her one plot-point. The main characters refer to the periphery Black characters’ lives, but we don’t see much of this.
Frances tries to put a brave face on her situation, but she’s surly AF with the family, and then has an uncomfortable meeting in the park with Lady Carteret. Pet peeve that maybe will end up as a Snark Week post — frock flicks tend to forget about outerwear, and only give shawls to old ladies, as shown here. Any woman would wear a shawl, cloak, capelet, dolman, or mantle when going outside, and ditto the men would all wear overcoats and hats (though I’ve discussed hats before). At least the ladies here all have hats and other accessories.
At the office, Jolyon Sr. yells at his son to shape up his marriage so he can retire and because there’s a big anniversary gala coming up.
At family cocktails, Soames doesn’t want Irene to have a good time with June and Philip, who watched her dance earlier. Since Irene’s just wearing one of her two evening gowns, so let’s look at Winifred’s new gown and one Emily’s worn before, but it’s striking in yellow and black.
They’re wearing more updated styles from the late 1880s with that “V” bodice design, like this:
Ann tells Jolyon they’re going to fix what his dad and uncle won’t. She also tells him to get a grip on his own affairs. Enjoy this hat closeup because it’s taken six episodes to finally use more varied ladies hat shapes!
Frances attends a garden party / charity event where Lady Carteret needles her again. But dayum if Frances isn’t victim-blaming the “fallen women” (aka Louisa).
As if to make up for the previous meeting and episodes full of running around coat-less, both Frances and Lady Carteret are wearing very typical fringed mantles.
Spot-on with this extant example:
Mrs. Barrington has a cute tilted hat, while extras wear actual proper flower-pot hats.
The garden party shows a nice variety of women’s wear, especially the hats. Could use some more outerwear, of course.
Soames commissions Philip to design a country house, and Phil knows just the place, Robin Hill.
Phil tells June that he’s got a job, so they can get married! June spills the news to Irene, even though Phil told her it was a secret. Then Irene complains to Phil. Goddamn game of telephone here.
Meanwhile, Jo not only visits Louise and the kids, he paints a mural of Venice inside their house. Oh just fuck already!
Phil purposefully makes his commission over Soames’ price range, so Irene’s free of that for now. But how much time has passed? I’m confused because it looked like this was all happened on the same day, but I guess Phil needed some time to create the designs? Onscreen, this was the next scene, and the only indication of it being another day is Irene wearing a different dress.
I think this kind of princess-seam dress is one of the most historically appropriate styles for Irene. She wears this dress in her very first scene, and I wish they’d given her a few more in this style. It can look simple, youthful, even artistic, and blend in with the period. The cut is the same as the gown on the left in this fashion plate, just without all the trimmings.
Millie Gibson, who plays Irene, said in the press pack:
“Before Irene married Soames, her costumes are elegant, beautiful, but very simple and subtle. It’s one of the reasons Soames is intrigued by her, because she doesn’t really try. Nic [Ede, costume designer] has incorporated that delicacy into her first few dresses.”
Frances asks to see Jolyon and proposes a compromise.
The camera pans over her dress slowly, like she’s going to seduce him.
I’m distracted by her gown’s fabric … is that same famous Scalamandre “strawberry” brocade as:
Because good job Nic Ede! He must have a secret stash or special connection because I don’t see the fabric for sale anymore on Scalamandre’s website.
Anyway, there’s some more boring office yelling. Soames has become increasingly asshole-ish over the course of two episodes, and Jolyon has gone from nicey-nice to drowning in his own self-interest. Both are repellant in their own special way.
Time for that gala!
June’s hair has gotten bigger and more like her mom’s, which is more 1870s than 1880s, but this production picks and chooses from around a 15-year span for all the costumes.
In the press pack, hair and make-up designer Magi Vaughan talked about how her team used over 30 wigs and hundreds of hair pieces for the series, but Frances had the biggest hair:
“The most complicated look we designed was for Frances Forsyte. There were scenes when Tuppence Middleton had over 20 hair pieces on her head which illustrated her standing and position in society.”
Jolyon tells Frances he’s leaving her and the biz and everything, saying “but I’ll always love you,” famous last words of cheaters everywhere. At least she gets a suitably biting last word in at him. All while wearing her trademark teal in a fussy formal gown.
I think it even has a train.
In the press pack, costume designer Nic Ed said of her costumes:
“Frances never loses the colour in her palette or her shape; she just becomes more armoured. By the time we see her in the last scene at the gala, she’s almost rigid in this costume, as if it’s holding her up. You can imagine she would fall to pieces if she took it off because the scene before is so heartfelt and so tragic. Yet she pulls herself together and presents herself in this brittle way to all her guests who have assembled for this party.”
That ruched-front style is seen in extant gowns and fashion plates of the period:
Irene has a panic attack because Soames decides to build the country house anyway. Phil consoles her. Just kiss already!
The costume designer said of Irene’s costumes:
“Her costumes reflect her artistic side. She’s a contemporary woman in a way that the other cast are not. Eventually she is ground down by Soames and very slowly, like Frances her dresses become her armour.”
This pink velvet evening gown is definitely her most rigid outfit, and I’d say even more than armor, protecting her, it’s like a prison, keeping her down.
In front of the gala guests, Frances tells Mrs. Barrington she’ll donate some property so those pesky fallen women have a place to live. Trying to look like she takes the high road here.
Nice view of some of the family’s evening gowns:
Ann recaps all the series’ intro voiceovers in a speech to the assembled party, as if they care. I do like her stand-up lace collar and the way the pearl beading on her bodice acts like a second necklace — this all adds to her queenly air, which the family refers to in this scene.
Then, in the end, Jo finally reunites with Louisa.
It’s all set up for season two, where Soames will continue to oppress Irene (will it go as far as in the novel?), and Irene and Philip will start an affair, plus there’s new-for-TV storylines about Ann Forsyte and her sons’ past to untangle. And this series has barely touched on Winifred and Monty’s marriage, which is full of drama. Series two is already filmed, and the show’s been renewed for a third season, so we shall see…
What do you think of the first season of The Forsytes?
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