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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Elizabeth the Golden Age

After a rather heavy Friday night, Saturday was DVD time for me and my housemates. Elizabeth the Golden Age was the film choice and it was absolutely beautiful. Although the story was a little hard to follow, I was kept on the edge of my seat purely by the intricacy and delicate beauty of the costume which gracefully transformed Cate Blanchet into Queen Elizabeth I.


The image above is my favourite from the film. Unfortunately it cuts out the lower half of her body so you cannot see the stunning crinoline/skirt, yet it shows in some detail the veil she wears coming out from her shoulders, falling to the floor from two circular wire structures. This creates great visual impact and adds a simple elegance to such a stunning period costume. As a designer I find the neck and shoulders a great place to experiment with - wonderful things can be done with fabrics and techniques, using the shoulders for support the neck is a perfect shape to sculpt around.



Susie Bubble has spoken in quite some detail about neck ruffles in the past and I believe it to be a very hard thing to wear, without looking like you've just raided your college costume department. The sort of ruffle seen above (not strictly a neck ruffle as it actually sits on the shoulders and back) is I feel is something which could be worked on and adapted for subtler modern-day wear.




Do the pearls remind you of a recent accessory choice from Madonna?


I cannot actually describe how much I love the costume in this film, and being from a fashion background rather than costume, i don't even understand how they are made...all I do know is I love them and they're beyond beautiful. Don't take my word for it - watch the film for yourself!



UPDATE: Below are some images of one of my previous attempts at ruffles around the neck (rather unsuccessfully however!). If I was to make this garment again, I would super-lock the mini ruffles in the peach organza, with a matching super-lock...maybe even more ruffles going down the capelet?!






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