#costume reviews

[morethanaloveinterest]

A Far Out Look at Gaby Teller's Costumes in the Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The fashion in this movie is amazing, let's talk about specifically what Gaby is wearing and what it tells us about her character.

We meet Gaby working as a mechanic in East Berlin. So obviously the this the least put-together we ever see her. I couldn't get a good picture of her jumpsuit but it seems pretty standard. The scarf in her hair is rather fashionable, hinting at what is to come.

Female representation: 10/10 It looks mostly like what a real mechanic would wear, with nothing to emphasize that she is a female mechanic (other than her nice scarf).

Practicality: 10/10 Presumably the most practical thing we see anyone wear in this movie

This is one of the dresses she tries on while getting under cover. I wish we had gotten more of a montage of her different outfits but this one is pretty fun. It is a vast improvement over the one Solo had her wear first. The orange coordinates with what she wears in the climax, which is fun. And perhaps a nod to the fact that she is playing a part here as much as she will be then.

The dresses she wears going forward are all of the same style, chosen to be both 60s and modern. Watch this video by Cinema Cities for more on the choices made for the costuming. As is discussed there, the choices for Gaby are young and fresh, with bright colors. Geometric patterns, mod shape, an emphasis on legs instead of the hourglass. She stands out from the other leading lady, whose costuming is very complex - doing the most with her hair, make-up, accessories. Gaby, on the other hand, tends to wear earrings and a ring or a bracelet.

Female representation: 10/10 She looks fantastic, even for this short scene in the boutique, and is a spy being outfitted to go undercover. This scene establishes what her style is without deciding to ogle her at any point.

Practicality: 9/10 Compared to the jumpsuit, it's obviously less practical but it's pretty great in general.

Now undercover in Rome, Gaby wears a white dress with an overcoat that we also see worn with the other dresses. Both are very stylish and fit the silhouette that was popular in the 60s. As far as being fully white goes, that makes sense for a scene in which she is out for a walk with her assigned fiancé, making sure that their cover is convincing (even when they are mugged). White emphasizes her status as a pawn in the game right now (as does the shape of the outfit), as well as implying a woman in need of rescue. It is effective way to trick both their marks and her fellow spies into considering her to be helpless.

Female representation: 10/10 Still fantastic, gonna break my rating system. She looks good but is not eye-candy despite her role in the film.

Practicality: 9/10 The coat doesn't seem especially warm but the ensemble is certainly practical for what she is doing.

She wears this dress to the races, including a large hat, to meet with Uncle Rudi as well as Alexander Vinciguerra. It is her first job as a spy and this dress reflects that. Instead of pure white, most of it is green, a color generally associated with duplicity (like a snake). The scene includes Gaby doing quite a bit of angling to move the mission forward, which involves playing up what Solo and Kuryakin believe she is there to do as well as her own agenda, so while she isn't exactly a double agent, she is certainly deep in the plot.

Female representation: 10/10 These are all great, what can I say?

Practicality: 9/10 As above, perhaps not as useful as her jumpsuit, especially considering she does work on a car in this scene. But it certainly serves her purposes.

I couldn't find a photo, but I couldn't leave out her charming pajamas. She wears these in two scenes with Illya Kuryakin, when they are hanging out in their hotel room. The first night, she insists he dance with her and the second night she appears to betray him. So the outfit itself is mostly grey, since we can't be sure what her motivation is (until later in the movie). Plus they look like great pajamas, especially for being undercover and having to share a room with a stranger.

Female representation: 10/10 Some of the best pajamas I've seen a lady wear on film, especially for a spy movie.

Practicality: 10/10 They seem to be very practical, especially for wrestling.

And here is the showstopper. Gaby wears this for the climax of the film, through a lot of twists and turns. It is the same silhouette as the others, though the neckline is a bit more formal. Following the theme of the last dress, she started in white and now appears to have added a lot of cover on top of the white. The pattern is also reminiscent of camouflage. This makes sense because now is when her status as an agent all along is revealed, as she appears to betray first Kuryakin and Solo and then deceives the Vinciguerras along with her father. Again, she has minimal accessories in contrast to Victoria and she sets herself apart from everyone else in this outfit as she does so in the movie as well.

Female representation: 10/10 For a double-agent and/or damsel in distress, she is very well dressed indeed

Practicality: 9/10 It works well enough but I'm sure she wishes she had something else to wear when they are going off road through the rain.

The final shot, where the team is now put all together. The show features just the gentlemen and it's great to have her be at the center (the lack of a sequel is devastating). She is back to wearing a white dress, now that her true role in the story has been revealed and she made a significant contribution to the cause in the process.

Female representation: 10/10 Again, it is fantastic, especially for the female member of the spy team

Practicality: 9/10 Same as the others, I daresay

Want to hear more of my thoughts about female characters and fashion? Check out my other costume reviews or my YouTube channel (episode on Gaby out now!)

[555-number]

Welcome!

I've been watching the X Files and have loved reading wardrobe reviews from @danascullyslookbook and @muldertieindex, but now that I've gotten to season 4, I can't check their reviews while I'm watching anymore. Also, I happen to love costume design. Making a blog about costumes I love on a show I love just seemed natural!

I'll be filling out this blog mostly with Mulder and Scully looks, because they're the true fashion icons, but also with other costuming aspects I notice! See you then!

[bixels]

Very recent tag on my last post, but all credit goes to my partner again. They were sitting next to me while I cycled through Google image search "1920s flapper dress," going 'no. no. no. god no. no. absolutely not'.

[ectonurites]

a lil 👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨

[branmer]

narn fashion is so iconic

[facelessoldgargoyle]

I watched Crimson Peak, and while I enjoyed it immensely, I was left dissatisfied. It’s the fundamental problem of writing a gothic novel. The story is driven by women in a world where they have no power, and that rocks. However, it fails to transcend the Madonna/whore dichotomy ever-present in gothic stories. It’s still a compelling watch, and I would recommend it, but I have complicated feelings about it.

The example of the Madonna/whore dichotomy that comes to my mind is Jane Eyre and Rochester’s insane wife, Bertha. Edith and Lucille map onto those characters pretty well. Edith, like Jane, is smart, determined, brave, and willing to face hard truths. Lucille, like Bertha, has a sexual claim on Edith’s husband, inflicts violence on Edith, was committed to an institution at some point in her life, and at the end, she is portrayed as wild, almost animalistic. “I won’t stop until I kill you or you kill me.”

I actually think Lucille is written as less sympathetic than Bertha is. In Jane Eyre, there’s a clear sense that Bertha is a victim of her circumstances. She is married off to someone she doesn’t know, taken to another country, and locked in an attic with one attendant to keep her company while her husband falls in love with another woman. Lucille, on the other hand, perpetrates her circumstances. She killed their mother, she poisons the brides, she refuses to leave the decaying manor. The movie makes it clear that she is two years older than Thomas, and strongly implies that she initiated the incest when they were children. While she’s not responsible for the abuse they suffered as children, she is the unambiguous villain of the movie.

In contrast, Thomas is allowed to be complicated, and his agency in the circumstances is downplayed or elided. His inventions require the money that they seek out brides and kill for. He chooses the women that his sister will kill. He is in every way as responsible for the violence in the movie as Lucille is, and yet the movie chooses to redeem him. He falls in love with Edith, he spares Alan, he proposes abandoning the manor and the money, and he ultimately saves Edith in the final fight with Lucille. I think this is a good story, but it disappoints me that Lucille is left as pure monster while her partner in crime gets to be complicated.

There are flickers of empathy for Lucille that make me think Guillermo del Toro might like her as much as I do. We get a full explanation of her childhood, so we know why she is the way she is. We learn that she protected her little brother and loved her baby who died. The closing narration of the movie implies that her ghost persists because of love. I just wish she got to heal from her childhood the way Thomas got to. It saddens me to think that her ghost will live on in the same rotten walls that trapped her in life.

9/10 I could talk about this movie for forever

[13lizardsinatrenchcoat]

Barbie (2023) is progressive enough to say "indigenous" but not progressive enough to avoid smallpox comparisons...

Also, weirdly obsessed with the idea of reverse misogyny and ken's feelings.

[jessfandrawer]

...Only small actors. - Konstantin Stanislavski

[morethanaloveinterest]

An Outta Sight Look at Victoria Vinciguerra's Costumes in the Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The fashion in this movie continues to be amazing. Let's dig into what our villainess is wearing and it tells us about her.

(check out my review of Gaby's costumes here)

We meet Victoria Vinciguerra at a party she is hosting, which Napoleon Solo crashes to get close to her. The majority of Victoria's wonderful costumes in this movie are black and white, with gold accents, but this one has by far the most gold - even her sandals have it!

As an introduction to our villain, it's perfect. In a story where everyone has facades, with double agents and all, wearing an animal print is very appropriate. Is it a zebra pattern or a tiger? Is she the prey of super spy Solo or is she actually hunting him? A+ costume choice for this scene, no notes.

This also sets her apart from Gaby, our female hero. Victoria is far more done up - more makeup, dripping in accessories, complex pattern, there is nothing simple here. She is a fabulously wealthy woman and she is flaunting it.

As we'll see with the rest of her costumes, she's also clearly the one wearing the pants in the plots. Yeah, her husband may have inherited the business but she is definitely the one in charge at every point. While still looking fabulous.

Female representation: 10/10 Fantastic villain outfit, especially for a spy movie. Definitely set apart from the way villainesses are usually portrayed

Practicality: 10/10  It's obviously perfect for that context but I'm sure she could take care of anything that came up without breaking a sweat (or tripping over anything).

Both ladies wear their pajamas in this movie, and they couldn't be more different. Victoria continues to be the height of fashion, looking just as put together and intentional as she does in anything else she wears in this film. The geometric pattern on her robe is very fashionable and reinforces her black-and-white costuming. A little more gray here, perhaps begging the question of if she has been taken in by our charming spies (she has not)

Female representation: 10/10 I'm going to go off of the movie instead of this particular picture, lovely as it is. In the film, she wears this in a darkened room while behind her desk, on the phone. We do see her leave to go change, dramatically slamming the doors, but nothing else. Which makes it still one of the best filmed nightgown scenes I've come across - she continues to be gorgeous without catering to the male gaze (this isn't how women in spy movies are usually filmed, you know?)

Practicality: 9/10 Not sure they'd be the most comfortable pajamas but they're great for spending time in one's boudoir.

I wanted to include more detail, but couldn't in the distance shot. This is what she wears after hearing that someone has been snooping around, and she immediately goes to the hotel to investigate Solo. Her makeup is a bit less obvious than at the party, but she certainly has a full face. She even had time to accessorize before heading out. Her shoes might be gold, which is delightful.

The vest is clearly made of scales (alligator seems most likely to have been fashionable at the time, but it could be a kind of snake). Whatever the source, it is very appropriate for the villain of the story as she goes to investigate our hero with intent to kill. Before getting up to something a bit more entertaining.

Female representation: 10/10 For a snake-themed outfit our villainous lady wears to take out the hero, this is quite understated. Very focused on her own sense of fashion rather than the male gaze

Practicality: 10/10 One of the more practical things she wears in this movie, perfect for going to murder and/or sleep with a spy

I gotta be honest here, I'm not sure when she wears this (is it a deleted scene?). It's clearly in the lab, no doubt getting an update on what our spies have discovered. It's the least dressed-up we see her, while she still keeps to her color scheme.

Female representation: 10/10 Villain gets a report from her captive scientist wearing this? Perfection

Practicality: 10/10 It certainly rivals the last one in practicality, though I can't be sure what the whole ensemble looks like.

Absolutely show-stopping, I love how the costumes step up a notch for the climax (as does everything else). The clearly divided black and white is perfect for the way this scene plays out. Is she fooled by Solo or fooling him? She's worn pants in basically all of her scenes (other than her nightgown), but this one is definitely my favorite.

Female representation: 10/10 Our female villain poisons our spy hero in this outfit? Perfection once again

Practicality: 10/10 Fantastic choice for revealing your plans and taking down your nemesis

She wears this coat and scarf over her previous costume, while out and about to cause mischief. It fits her color scheme and style, but now that we all know she is the villain, the white is just an accent while black has taken over.

Female representation: 10/10 Again, for being the black costume our villainess wears in the climax, I can't think of anything more lovely and empowering. She's definitely in charge here.

Practicality: 9/10 I am sure she has underlings to grab things for her, but I don't feel like she could move her arms very much - something I consider important in a coat. Still, it's gorgeous.

Her final costume in the film, when she is escaping on a fishing boat. Shockingly, she seems to have put on an outfit that isn't black and white, with even some blue! Presumably she was trying not to attract too much attention as she escaped on a simple fishing boat, but she is still incredibly stylish with proper accessories.

Female representation: 10/10 Again, female villain getting her comeuppance at the end, dressed very comfortably, you gotta love it

Practicality: 10/10 I can't see the whole thing, but Victoria always has the right outfit for the occasion, so I'm sure this is perfect for her current plot.

Want to hear more of my thoughts about female characters and fashion? Check out my other costume reviews or my YouTube channel (episode on Gaby out now!)

[mumblelard]

the lodger's new roommate or the lodger's old roommate, a tale of woe

i mounted them using the forty pound command strips and the lodger ripped them down thrice. message received

also, i'm into site specific maps lately and thinking a lot about hand drawn maps. i drew a map of the roads between my girlfriend's house and mine and i like how it turned out

i treated myself to early solstice presents this week: fancy new earbuds that sound so good, new trail shoes, a pink krink k-42 with an opacity that will make you swoon, and a t-shirt by an artist i like. i am still struggling with wanting stuff

i hosted all four of finn's cats yesterday while pest control treated their building. we had a nice visit. kreg keeps saying she wants to live here but i know she would miss her finnie

it got in the high fifties yesterday. i opened all my windows to let the fresh air flow and did a big clean. it was such a pretty day

i have been writing more poems lately. they are built like tiny verbal wunderkammer and filled with bright treasures i find on my rambles. i think, with practice, they are getting better

i'm making cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and roasted chicken this weekend. a makeup dinner for the traditional thanksgiving feast i missed last month

this year has been so packed full of change for me. a struggle that has plagued me for the last four years ended in a most dramatic way. a brutal passage that i survived, mostly, intact. i wish it could have ended some other way, but at least now, it's finally over

[poetryincostume]

The Madwoman

Aesthetic wrapper, 2020

Original gothic-inspired design , styled here with bra by Karolina Laskowska

Upholstery damask, silk ribbon, petersham ribbon, silk/steel yarn

[enjoythescientificmind]

[lexezombie]

the sheer lack of mens clothing in the colour purple is a damn disgrace; we want purple too god damn it

and dont u give me fuckin plum thats closer to pink, no i want fucking PURPLE

[trishmishtree]

A list of things I sewed in 2023, mostly in order

I guess this is going to be a yearly thing now?

I started the year off by finishing the regency gown, for which I'd made the bodice in December 2022. It's made from an ivory cotton gauze with a pre-embroidered edge, but I took the time to hand-embroider the dots and vines. I wish I'd gotten an extra yard of the fabric though, because the skirt hem is only 2 yards in circumference and could have used a little more width. I also regret using such an open-weave fabric for the dress, even though it seemed to match the fabric of the extant dress, because it was awful to embroider on. (The original dress is decorated with thousands of tiny metal staples, not embroidered.) In total, not counting the time taken for patterning, the bodice took about 30 hours to construct, and the embroidery and skirt construction took another 72 hours, which was spread out over the span of about 2-3 months.

After that, I revisited the floral Vicwardian historybounding skirt I'd made the previous summer. I still had a small amount of fabric scraps left from that project, so I used it to make a set of removable suspenders that could be used to convert the skirt into a jumper dress.

After that, I made an actual pinafore out of some cotton flannel. I don't love the fit on this thing because the back tends to gape (I didn't pattern the darts correctly), so I'm thinking about taking it apart and adjusting it in the future.

After that, I made a shorter, historybounding version of a dress that has been on my to-make list forever. It's based on the green round gown that Lizzy Bennet wears to the Meryton assembly in Pride and Prejudice (2005). The movie was edited so that the dress appears to be an emerald green, but photos of the actual costume show that it's a light sage green, so that was what I went with. I like the subtle "secret daily cosplay" vibes it gives with the shortened hem and the pink sash (I haven't had a chance to source some dark green silk taffeta to make a more accurate sash yet). My only regret is that the fabric I used is a slightly heavier weight than I would have liked, so this is more of a spring dress than a summer one. Overall very happy with this one and am looking forward to tweaking the pattern just slightly and making a floor length darker green version.

Then I got really into embroidery, and I made this detachable Peter Pan collar to go with one of my not-made-by-me dresses.

It was fun and easy, so I added embroidery and a ruffle to the Peter Pan collar blouse I made last year, and now I love it way more. I also re-did the collar on the lace-insertion shirtwaist from last summer and liked it way less, so I reworked it again and never took a picture.

In April, I made a baby dress for a coworker using this free pattern.

I also took some time to finish the set of Edwardian underpinnings I'd started last year, by making a hip pad (not pictured) and a ruffly c0rset cover. I liked the c0rset cover, but I didn't like how it looked with the c0rset and bust padding (it was just too much), so it became more of an alternative to wearing my Edwardian c0rset than an addition to it. I don't mind though. The Edwardian period is one of those eras where you can get away with not wearing a c0rset, since the bodices are not skin-tight, and I'm very very short-waisted and not-squishy, so I'm actually larger in the waist in a c0rset than out of one. I think I'm going to use the c0rset for evening gowns but only go with the c0rset cover (with no c0rset underneath) if I'm going for a daytime costume.

Then I did some more historybounding and made a back-closing blouse with a V-shaped yoke. It's made from my blouse block pattern, which I got from tracing a modern button-down I already own. I like the resulting shirtwaist (not pictured), but I think going forward I'm going to try to make a new block pattern because I never liked how the original shirt fit around my shoulders, and all the blouses I've made so far from this pattern also fit me weirdly in the shoulders.

Then in May, I made a wrap skirt that I patterned myself, inspired by Wildflower's Coquelicot Skirt. I regretted using such a limp, slippery fabric, and I don't love the skirt I got as a result (not pictured). I may attempt it another time out of a fabric with more body to it, but I have no plans to do that in the next year.

Also in May, I made a Victorian/Edwardian petticoat. It's floor-length and delightfully swooshy, and I love it, but I didn't get a picture of it because I don't own a floor-length mirror.

In June, another coworker had a baby, so I made another baby dress.

Then I finished residency and had more free time, so I bought 3 yards of strawberry-printed quilting cotton from Joann and made a modernized version of an 18th century dress inspired by the ones I've seen made by Bernadette Banner, Mariah Pattie, Sewstine, and Lina Piprek. I call this my 18th century strawberry dress, and it is one of my absolute favorite things I've ever made, even if it's not very practical or wearable for everyday situations.

In July, I got back into historical costuming and made another Edwardian bustle pad to add a little extra kick to the back pleats of my skirts. No pictures were taken, but I used BlackSnails' free pattern.

Then I made an empire-waist top out of 1 yard of rayon challis that I've had in my stash forever. I don't love the result, and I didn't get pictures.

In August, I was still slowly working on my Edwardian lace-insertion dress, so I took a little detour and made a dip-waist belt (photo unavailable) using Ora Lin's pattern and the last remaining scraps of the dark blue silk satin from making this dress.

I also finally finished the Edwardian lace-insertion dress in August but didn't get any photos of it for the same reason I didn't get a photo of the petticoat. Maybe next year? Here's a photo of what it looked like before I ripped out and re-sewed the ruffle of the blouse to be positioned lower.

Also in August, I made another project that's been on my to-make list since 2020: a ruffly vintage-inspired apron. I hated the fabric because it was so hard to sew through, but at least the print (by debtrevitt) is cute.

In September, I used the pattern I made for the 18th century strawberry dress to make a slightly more HA-looking version out of a red and white floral quilting cotton from Joann. The plan was to sew skirt hikes to the inside so that the skirt could be polonaised, but I never got around to that. I also never got around to making the contrasting petticoat to go with it, so that's a project for next year.

Also in September, I found myself wanting to try my hand at broderie anglaise. As mentioned above, I liked my ruffly Edwardian c0rset cover, but I didn't like that I couldn't wear it over my blue silk c0rset without looking too top-heavy. I still needed something to hide the blue of the c0rset, so I patterned out an Edwardian princess slip and started hand-embroidering the lace in the neckline...before I had to pack all my belongings and prepare to move back in temporarily with my parents, so everything had to be put on hold.

I was able to squeeze in one more project before the move, though, and made a regency chemisette out of cotton batiste scraps. No photos were taken because my regency dress and underpinnings are still packed away.

Then I spent October and November not doing much sewing because I had a bunch of paperwork to do in preparation for my new job. I did, however, repair a bunch of moth-eaten sweaters that my mom didn't know how to fix. And I did make a witch hat and a pair of witch legs I made out of recycled umbrella fabric and a pair of PVC pipes, since my parents had zero (0) Halloween decorations out.

In December, I dug out the princess slip project I'd started in September and properly assembled the slip. It still needs to be hemmed, but I can't do that until I move again and am able to dig out all of the rest of my Edwardian underpinnings, so it's still not finished.

What I did manage to finish was an 18th century hand-embroidered fichu to go with the slightly more HA-looking red and white floral gown, even though I still need to make the split rump and petticoat and cap...

While I didn't make as many things as I had last year, owing to a 2-3 month hiatus necessitated by the move, and I'm not as happy with some of the projects I completed this year, I'm still proud of myself for pushing myself out of my comfort zone and attempting some more ambitious projects.

With the combined efforts of 2022 and 2023, I now have a full set of Regency underpinnings and Edwardian underpinnings, except for the princess slip which is still in-progress.

In the coming year, I'd like to make a Regency bonnet, reticule, and spencer to go with the 1810s gown. I already have the fabric and pattern for the bonnet, but I'm waiting to make it until after I move somewhere more permanent, to avoid damaging it in the move (I guess I should add a hatbox to the list of things I'll need to make). I also have the reticule pattern ready to go, but I'm planning to hand-embroider it and don't have access to the thread colors I need yet. And the spencer is still up in the air because I don't have the fabric for it yet.

I'd also like to make a proper pair of 18th century stays (both 18th century gowns I've made this year have a structured lining layer that acts like built-in stays, so I already have a working pattern), an 18th century split rump, an embroidered pocket, and a linen cap to complete the set.

[ghoulbats]

finished opla and immediately started the anime, see you in a few months :D👍🏼

[hansenshorror]

A look back at some of my favourite makes from 2023. I will definitely be adding "make more historical garments" to my list of 2024 intentions because I didn't make nearly enough of them this year!

A couple things not pictured are two late 1800s dresses I sewed for a feature film and a Selena costume a friend commissioned me to make for Halloween.