#lahly poore

[sesiondemadrugada]

Dead for a Dollar (Walter Hill, 2022).

[hayaomiyazaki]

TURN: WASHINGTON'S SPIES — 3.08 Costume design by Lahly Poore-Ericson & Hair by Ardis Cohen

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Anna Strong Costume Appreciation Post: Part 2: Colonial Casuals

Okay, it’s a terrible pun, but I had to start somewhere! This is the second part of my costume nerdery re Anna’s Strong’s onscreen wardrobe. You can find the first part here:

Costume does a lot of the heavy lifting with characters in tv and film, before they even open their mouths onscreen. How someone looks, what they wear - it’s a big piece of how they’re presented, in addition to the actor’s performance  and with period pieces it can help influence a character’s performance. A lot of actors often bring their own ideas of the character to the costume designer, and they work together to bring the character to life. I’d normally refer to the excellent Frock Flicks blog for this sort of commentary , but they were kinda underwhelmed by the costumes:http://www.frockflicks.com/turn-washingtons-spies-2014/

So, its a daft fluffy British nerd to the rescue! A long post on the lovely Anna Strong, and her costumes through the show.All credit for these amazing pieces goes to costume designers Donna Zakowska (seasons1-2) and Lahly Poore (seasons 3-4) 

In my last post,we looked at Anna’s finer gowns. Today is going to be what I like to call the ‘colonial casuals’ that Anna wears throughout the show’s four seasons, as well as a couple of gowns I missed out on the first time round:

2:Anna’s Simpler Gowns!

A: The Purple Stripe Gown:

Sadly, a lovely gown we see once in Episode 2 and then it vanishes offscreen, never to be seen again. It’s a nice purple/grey stripe in a warm linen, very much an everyday dress. Stripes are very much Anna’s thing, it seems - (but they are also an 18th century thing. ) Anna wears it whilst doing hate-laundry for her unwanted redcoat house-guests, being uncomfortably stalked by Simcoe and urging Abe on to consider spying, all in the course of one episode!

How Historic Is It?

Nothing in purple, but this much finer silk stripe has much the same silhouette as Anna’s.

B: The Green Jacquard Dress

(Screencaps provided by the wonderful farfarawaysite.com)

This is what I like to call Anna’s “Cursed Gown”, because boy, does a lot happen to her in it! We first see it on screen in Season 1. It’s a subtle dark-green silk, but very simply made up, and we see Anna wearing it as an everyday middle-class gown - not something you’d do chores in, but appropriate to everyday lady-like activities. I actually made a list of things that happen to Anna throughout the series whilst wearing it:

1) Has to tell Abigail she’s “still” enslaved, and being sent off to work from stangers away from her son and everyone she’s ever known.

2) Almost has adulterous table-sex with Abe during that clinch mid-season 1.

3) Is thrown out of Whitehall by Mr Pompous Woodhull down below there in Season 2.

4) Immediate next scene? Anna rejects Simcoe, in a terrifying ‘oh-God what’s going-to happen’ scene that had me seriously frightened for her.

5) Gets revenge-snogged by Simcoe in front of the entire town, ruining her reputation.

6) Watching murdered redcoat corpses swing in the breeze as Simcoe begins his rivalry with Hewlett.

7) ANOTHER terrifying ‘oh-God what’s going-to happen’ scene: When captured by those Queens Rangers: the one where Anna is almost coreced into sex with a random Queens Ranger goon - before straight up STABBING him in the crotch and then shooting him, point-blank, in the FACE. 

And then we don’t see it again after Season 2 finishes. Poor Anna.

(To be fair, she probably burned it afterwards, and I don’t blame her. Nothing good ever seems to happen to her when she’s wearing it.)

How Historic Is It?

This is a finer version than Anna’s with a bigger damask print, as working class dress doesn’t tend to survive as well as the gorgeous silks. But based on the style? Yes, 10/10 for accuracy. I just hope nicer things happened to the person who wore this one!

C: The Russet Jacquard Dress:

I only have one measly screencap for this one, and it doesn’t even show most of the dress! Boo. It looks identical to the Cursed Dress even down to the jacquard silk, but it’s in a warm brown-red. Anna wears it during the “Battle of Setauket” Season 1 finale episode, (discovers her friends have been lying to her about her husband being dead, and then jumps into a river in it to swim back to Abe - hum, maybe that pattern is cursed?)

How Historic Is it?

Hmm... difficult to say, based on the one screen shot! I’m assuming it’s basically the same silhouette as the green dress. I think I need to rewatch to give it a proper look.

D: The Grey Dress, with 2  Bodices:

On a fashion level, these dresses are pretty nondescript - well, they’re grey. And plain. But what I like best about them is that there’s two bodices for them - one, a jacket with Anna’s trademark peplum back and long sleeves for colder weather, and then there’s another one with shorter sleeves, ruffles and some discreet trim for when it’s warm. I find it interesting that Anna wears the grey dresses a lot when having shy, cute interactions with Hewlett. Is it suggesting a  softening of her hatred for the British as simply the ‘enemy’ once she gets to knew Hewlett as a person? That’s probably reading too much into it, but never mind. I like my costume subtext.

How Historic Is It?

 Honestly? I’m not sure. Sadly I struggled to find pictures for this. If we’re going 90 years later, making different interchangeable bodices for one dress was definitely a thing in the 1860s:

But from the existing gowns I’ve found online, it doesn’t appear to be a thing (or at least, nothing we have evidence for) in the 18th century.  But mixing and matching skirts and jackets with petticoats is something everyone did, the same way we mix t-shirts with pants and skirts, and it suits Anna’s practical personality - as well as the fact Anna isn’t wealthy anymore. She’s going to have to make do with what she has. So I am giving the designers a pass on this one, with an added tick for practical wardrobe decisions.

And that’s it for now, folks! I don’t want to make this post TOO LONG! The final post on Anna’s wardrobe will be looking at her jackets, stays and quilted jumps.

[maryxglz]

lapelaureate Flashback to Tom Hiddleston as Hank. Leather aplique for miles. #bespoke #madeinusa #hankwilliams #isawthelight #tailoring #nudiecohn #hillbillyshakespeare

lapelaureate Reproduction Nudie suit for Tom Hiddleston in I Saw The Light. All-nighter applique party…costumes by the wonderful Lahly Poore-Ericson. #hankwilliams #isawthelight #customsewing #bespoke #tailoring #patternmaking #madeinusa #garmentmaking

[englishcriccaptain-blog]

Amit Mishra tweets photo of smog from Ranji Trophy match in Lahli; Haryana win looks unlikely

Amit Mishra tweets photo of smog from Ranji Trophy match in Lahli; Haryana win looks unlikely

By: Express Web Desk | Lahli | Published:November 12, 2017 10:49 am

Amit Mishra tweeted this photo from Lahli. (Source: Amit Mishra Twitter) While New Delhi is still battling against dense smog, the problem has affected Ranji Trophy matches being played in the capital as well. The poor visibility has delayed the start of matches like the last year. Currently,…

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The Huge Anna Strong Costume Appreciation Post:

Yes, Anna - you!

As the @turnnetwork has started an excellent meme on showing your appreciation for the show - well, costumes was on the list... *shifty smile.* Costumes are MY wheelhouse.

Costume does a lot of the heavy lifting with characters in tv and film, before they even open their mouths onscreen. How someone looks, what they wear - it’s a big piece of how they’re presented, in addition to the actor’s performance  and with period pieces it can help influence a character’s performance. A lot of actors often bring their own ideas of the character to the costume designer, and they work together to bring the character to life.

I’d normally refer to the excellent Frock Flicks blog for this sort of commentary , but they were kinda underwhelmed by the costumes:

http://www.frockflicks.com/turn-washingtons-spies-2014/

So, its a daft fluffy British nerd to the rescue! A long post on the lovely Anna Strong, and her costumes through the show.

All credit for these amazing pieces goes to costume designers Donna Zakowska (seasons1-2) and Lahly Poore (seasons 3-4)

Post 1: Anna’s Finer Gowns!

A)The Blue Dress:

I love this gown. It’s the first thing we see Anna in coming down the stairs at the tavern - she’s a speck of blue in a tavern full of aggressive redcoats, and we can immediately tell - this is someone different. Someone worth keeping an eye on.  (I could also get into the simple onscreen logic of Rev War identifiers:  Good Guys wear blue, Bad Guys wear red) Anna wears blue, and is a patriot and a “Good Guy”. We as an audience can trust her.

(credit for this lovely hd screencap goes to @rapid-apathy)

And, what’s even nicer to see, she re-wears it in Season 3, during the proposal scene! She’s taken her apron off now, and the white sleeve cuffs are a trifle longer. I like to think we’re seeing Anna through the camera lens as Hewlett sees her - an elegant, intelligent and attractive woman, hence the little touches that turn this from ‘merchants wife about her duties’ to ‘lady of leisure’. It’s also a great touch showing how you can restyle and wear things in the 18th century.

How Historic Is It?

10/10! Absolutely spot-on for the period. One of the things I love about the show is how much inspiration they take from actual extant gowns. It’s great, shiows they’ve really done their homework.

B) The Red Dress:

We only see this bright red gown in Season 1, and then it vanishes offscreen, . Which is a shame, as Heather Lind looks stunning in bright colours. I think perhaps they felt the red was too smiliar to the other people in red marching across the screen...

But, all that changes with Season 3! We get another, telling little glimpse of it in one of the heartbreakingly tender moments between Anna and Hewlett, right before everything goes south:

How Historic is it?

I couldn’t find anything that looked like a direct copy of this one - mustly because your average plainer styles don’t tend to be the ones that survive in museums. But I found some fancier versions in red silk damask that look like a more ‘runway’ look for 1776. Anna probably made up something that was a nod to the fashion of the time from a lady’s magazine, adapting the extreme fashion to suit her own taste and budget. Much like high street style copying and adapting things from Paris and Milan today.

C)AKA My Favourite: The Striped Black Jacket Ensemble

This is unashamedly my favourite costume she wears in the series. This is Anna down to a tee - deadly serious about the dangerous business she’s engaged in. And nothing says businesswear quite like stripes, 1770s style! There’s still a nod to fashion conventions with that beautiful pleated and pinked trim around the bodice opening - but only a nod.

(And while we’re here, about a little fashion comparison with Mary? Ask someone with no idea about the show which woman in this picture is the wife of a Congressman and which one is married to a poor cabbage farmer.)

Mary wants the middle-class lifestyle Anna has, with her aspirations towards living in Whitehall. Anna feels trapped by her position and the ostentation expected from her, and dresses more simply in a kind of style “rebellion”. Which is awesome.

Anna also dresses this jacket up and down throughout the series - whether its with black silk whilst she’s staying at Whitehall, or a simpler black linen petticoat when she’s working the sutler cart in Washington’s camp in Season 4.

How Historic is it?

One of the things I love about this is that this is a DIRECT copy of a wonderful cotton print half-mourning gown in the Swiss National Museum. Check out that pleated trim layout! EXACTLY THE SAME. Long sleeves? SAME. That wonderful little peplum back? SAME. Stripes? SAME. The print isn’t exactly the same, but it’s so clearly a reference point that it gave me a little SQUEE of delight when i noticed how similar they were!

D) The Pastel Pink Gown

Probably my least favourite of Anna’s wardrobe. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely, frothy, beautiful gown in beautiful fabrics, and I love the cut and the trim. But it feels... wrong, for Anna. Anna is queen of bright, dark simplicity. This would look cute on Mary, or even Peggy - but for Anna? No. This froofy ‘Colonial Barbie’  she puts on to please Selah on his release from prison is just so uncharacteristic of everything we’ve seen her in before, it’s almost jarring.

This is an excellent example of costume doing some of the backstory for us - the only time we ever see Anna in this sort of affected 18th century fashion is when she’s going to meet Selah. She puts this on for him, as something he’d want, or expect. There’s nothing of the real Anna here - just a false front. And that, visually, tells you everything about their marriage up to this point. Brilliant, and on-point .

How Historic is it?

Another nearly spot on recreation! This gown is from Colonial Williamsburg’s historic collection. They’ve altered a few things on this one - Anna’s has more trimming as well as buttons up the front. But the colours in the flowered petticoat? Definitely very close to this original quilted petticoat. Brilliant.

E) Anna’s Wedding Gown

Oh man, don’t even get me started on this one. SUCH a contrast to the pink fluff up above. Anna’s wearing a gorgeous teal and gold brocade gown. The fabric and lace are rich, but the trimmings are simple, and very Anna - a sunday best version of her everyday style. This is something she had choice in - and it shows, I think, how well suited Anna and Hewlett were for each other. This was her getting to be her better self, at least for a while (THANKS a bunch, WOODHULLS)

How Historical is it?

I couldn’t find anything that was an exactly match - but the trim, overall colour scheme and buttons on this gave me a definite ‘feel’ for Anna’s dress.

F) Anna’s “Return to Setauket” Gown

I think actually this, if nothing else, redeemed me to an Anna/Selah reunion at the end of Season 4 - because once again, the costumes are doing half the talking about how their relationship works.  It’s nice to see Anna dressed up again after her ‘camp follower grunge’ throughout Season 4 - but, more importantly, this style, again, is something she had a choice in. Stripes are very much Anna’s signature style throughout the show. The deep brown colouring looks lovely, and that striking combination - strong colour, stripes, simple, not overstated, shows us Anna has really come into her own - and Selah respects and admires that now. And Anna is SUPER fashionable in her zone front! That is cutting edge 1780s fashion.

How Historic is it?

I’m pretty sure the designers may have got the stripe idea from this lovely striped jacket in the Kyoto Copstume Institute Collection, combined with another of their dresses. Take away the buttons and trim, and that overlapping front is super similar to Anna’s look:

And, there you have it. A super long rambling post on costume, character arc and historic inspiration. I hope you enjoyed!