#I really think jane had more influence on his wardrobe than just the hat …

[coachbeards]

really am thinking abt beard’s fashion progression…cheaper, more comfortable clothes to more expensive, more “fashionable” clothes…the switching of his hats…

[hysydney]

Now you see it, now you see it again -  part 10

Chinoiserie chic

Orientalism has been a recurring theme in Western decorative arts since the16th century, with textiles and clothing among its most prominent exemplars. Eastern ideas of textile, design, construction, and utility have been realised again and again as a positive contribution to the culture of the West.

1920s’ fashion saw a renaissance of chinoiserie, with heavily embroidered silks, patterned fabrics, frog buttons, cross and Mandarin collars, loose wide sleeves, all of which borrowed significantly from the prevailing Chinese influences.

Phryne’s wardrobe reflects these designs, with her stunning red qipao or cheongsam (see @foxspirit1928′s post here) and a wonderful array of short and long embroidered silk jackets, that we glimpse once only.

But there is at least one that makes a second and third entrance and it is of particular significance for Marion Boyce who spoke of this in interview in the MFMM Costume Exhibition Catalogue (2014):

‘This coat I’ve had for many, many years. I found it in a second hand store years ago  and it’s always been my coat if I’m really late coming home from work and I have a particular event. This is my ‘go to’ coat which then became Phryne’s.  Chinoiserie in the 1920s was quite enormous and very much part of the 20s, and really after the Chinese closed their trading borders that was the last time, so I felt it was a really important part of the history.’

It is an original Chinese bridge coat - black silk, heavily embroidered with white floral motifs, and black frog buttons.  The costume team added cream cuffs and belt to finish off the ensemble.

It makes a brief appearance in Episode 1 of the first series, Cocaine Blues when Phryne attends the hospital. The coat complements Mac’s lab coat and the exchange between them also clearly sets the scene for Phryne’s determination to act on behalf of the disadvantaged and marginalised. Here it is the victim of an illegal abortion.

Phryne: Has she given you any details about what happened? 

Mac: They never do - either fell down the stairs or claim to be completely mystified. This one's not even offering her name. 

Phryne: No clues in her purse? 

Mac: You don't have to save the world, Phryne. 

Phryne: Where are her things?

She wears the Chinoiserie Coat again in Death at Victoria Docks (S1, Ep 4), with a black and white felt hat and white leather gloves, and white pants and blouse beneath.

It is an episode whose plot interweaves families divided and political dissension.  There are two story lines that intercept  where families have come adrift and daughters choose to leave.  The Waddingtons’ daughter Lila has run away from a family secret, and Peter the Painter’s anarchist associations have estranged him from his daughter, Nina.

Phryne first goes to the Waddingtons to confront  Mrs Waddington and her step-son Paul on what she has discovered. Lila ultimately seeks refuge within convent walls, and the black and white of the coat is reminiscent of the cloistered halls:

(need a shot of the back of the coat - stunning!)

Phryne: Of course, I thought it was strange that a man like Gerald Waddington would make a donation in cash, rather than by cheque. And that you were so unsurprised by it, Mrs Waddington. 

Paul: What have you done? 

Phryne: Your sister is safe, Paul. But there is no doubt that she has suffered because of your deception. Hasn't she, Mrs Waddington?... It was the small things that gave away your love affair at first. The touch of a hand. But when Lila discovered you together and knew for certain, the only choice was to make her doubt herself. And what better way than to take her faith and turn it against her? 

Phryne then goes to the docks to address Lila’s father, who is also embroiled in a dockland dispute and murder.  Phryne trades her services and tact for peace on the docks.

Phryne: The Reverend Mother has agreed that Lila can stay at the convent on the condition that she finish her schooling before she makes any decision about her calling. 

Mr W: Thank you. I suppose you'll be wanting your fee. 

Phryne: I'm not sure I need a monetary payment. But I could settle instead for... peace talks on the waterfront... in return for my absolute discretion. 

Mr W: You drive a hard bargain, Miss Fisher.

And a finale in the coat... DI Jack wants to see how reconciliation was achieved.  Their conversation is conducted with a ship’s mast in the background amidst sea mists, the black and white of the police car, the creamy-grey timbers and iron all providing a harmonious palette to the dialogue.  DI Jack references her charm, and she finds there’s a lot more to this detective than meets the eye:

Jack: You'd almost think someone twisted Waddington's arm. In a charming way... I've had my fair share of strike action. 

Phryne: What? The police strike of '23? 

Jack: Mmm. Shoulder to shoulder... (says he, as he and Phryne stand shoulder to shoulder)

Jack: A lot of good men lost their jobs. I was one of the lucky ones. 

Phryne: I would've picked you as more of a fence-sitter. 

Jack: It'd be a tactical error to think you had me pegged just yet, Miss Fisher. 

Phryne: I'm very glad to hear it.

In Queen of the Flowers (S1 Ep6) the coat reappears but this time with black accessories - the black beret, black gloves and black pants and blouse.  This time too we have families at the core of the plots, as parental responsibility and accountability are tested.

Phryne and Jack are on a case with murky undertones, of exploitation of young girls. Power and position provide masks for manipulation and murder.

When the coroner’s report reveals more than a drowning, Jack attempts to protect Phryne from the truth.  She insists, he doesn’t hold back. They work as a team.

Phryne: And Kitty was alive when she drowned. 

Jack: That's the conclusion. But there was bruising suggestive of someone a lot more hefty than Rose Weston. 

Phryne: What kind of bruising? 

Jack: You don't need to know. 

Phryne: Tell me. 

Jack: A man's boot print across the small of her back. 

Phryne initially draws a wrong conclusion about the wearer of the boot.  In her exchange with  young Derek, the Mayor’s nephew, the floral coat foregrounds the floral preparations for the Queen of the Flowers event:

But then the true depths are revealed - of not only the Mayor’s abuse of young girls, and murder to cover his offence, but of a grandfather prepared to sell his granddaughter to repay debts. The true relationship between those with blood ties is questioned.

And running through the background is another thread of parent-daughter dissonance, of Jane’s relationship with her birth mother.  She returns after years of absence to reclaim her daughter, in confused and psychologically unstable state of mind.  Jane is torn, as is Phryne. 

To whom does Phryne reveal what she feels? Who can and does reassure her? 

Phryne: Well, my school of social graces was a complete disaster. 

Jack: There are enough fox trotting young ladies in this town. You taught them to demand justice instead. And no doubt they'll all become firebrands in their own right and try to change the world, God help us. Oh. Janie's adoption papers, a little the worse for wear. 

Phryne: Thank you. But Jane's mother will always be her mother. 

Jack: And what will you be? Her guardian angel? 

Phryne: Much more my style.