Fashionista: Like society season, "The Gilded Age" — the long-gestating, sweeping and, of course, soapy period series by "Downton Abbey" creator Julian Fellowes — is now in full-swing. But in this round, the examination of socio-economic and class hierarchy focuses on a distinctly American clash of old and new money in New York City's post-industrial boom.
6 comments:
I LOVE period pieces. As a costume designer, I get the most excited when my projects require research. The attention to detail in this piece is really exciting to me, especially the details they chose to change that subverts historical accuracy. Bertha’s dresses are so gorgeous, they look like new pieces from a modern designer. This is because of the color choices. All of the cuts, undergarments, and drapes are traditional, but the colors are a lot more vibrant and neon than they would have been in the 1880s. The usage of lime green and gunmetal grey fabric in the traditional cut maintains the historical feel of the piece but the color expresses the look of current and expensive fashion that is missing when modern viewers see old garments. The colors serve to put the viewer in the shoes of a person from the 1880s by inspiring the same amazement that an 1880s person would feel at a completely historically accurate dress like that.
“Gilded Age” has all the makings of my absolute dream of a show, I have been meaning to watch it but still haven’t! Firstly, Downton Abbey is one of my favorite shows ever, I religiously rewatched the entire thing over quarantine and just can’t get enough of it. Secondly, the costumes are by Kasia Walicka-Maimone, who as mentioned in the article designed for “The Goldfinch” and “Moonrise Kingdom” two of my other favorite movies of all time. Not to mention I absolutely love any kind of period piece. From looking at the pictures it looks as though she didn’t shy away from some color in the looks either. I think when it comes to period pieces designers tend to keep the overall color palette more muted and dulled down for some reason. I think that period pieces should be allowed to have a little color if it is suitable and well researched. But that red gown in one of the pictures was absolutely stunning and definitely made for a high class New York Woman in the 1880s. I’m really excited to watch this show.
I could write all of my newquiz comments about the Gilded Age. I, like Sophie, LOVE period pieces. I watched all of Downton Abbey twice. The Gilded Age however is completely different. Everything is much grander and more colorful than the more monotone Downton Abbey. The costumes are all absolutely stunning and with all those pieces I wonder what they will do with them after the show ends. I can’t imagine how much work and money went into them. I find Bertha's outfits so fascinating as watching the show her outfits stick out compared to everyone else. Some of her gowns with more pleats, especially around the neck line, are not like anything I have ever seen before. Watching the show however, it does make sense that she sticks out so much. I do wonder what is historically accurate and what choices are design libertys. However, even if most of her dresses aren’t historically accurate, it works incredibly well.
I need to see “The Gilded Age” as numerous friends of mine have said the costumes are absolutely incredible. From what I can tell from the still images from the series, the Costumes depicted look incredibly beautiful and historically accurate.
Kasia Walicka-Maimone, the costume designer of the production, clearly deeply studied the period, because 19th century garments are no easy task in reproducing due to their specific pattern cuts. The unique fitted silk taffeta gowns that are incorporated within the film are especially impressive to me; because it is clear actors are wearing the proper under garments and corset that gives the correct silhouette. Being from New York City, its always interested me when I see historic films depicting the city, but interestingly the only other film I’ve seen from around this time period is “Gangs of New York”. Clearly, “The Gilded Age” depicts a very different sect of New York high society from that time, but it still touches on the “Bosses” that ran the city at that point in time like Gangs of New York did. I absolutely love period pieces, so I will definitely be adding this to my list of things to watch.
I’ve heard so many good reviews for ‘The Gilded Age’, especially for its astonishing costumes. I am truly amazed by the fact that the team had designed over 5000 costumes for the first season alone. Further into the reading, the amount of research and attention to detail that the design team had gone through are also inspirational. The article mentions that the designers looked deeply into the 1880s, drawing inspiration from different sources, especially European fashion, as it had a strong influence on American fashion at that time. I also really like how the designers are able to keep characteristics from that time period on top of showing the characters’ unique personalities and journeys. The article mentions several times how the designers would choose a pattern for a specific reason (usually it’s for representing the characteristics), and I think it’s very valuable to learn the design process.
Post a Comment