Omg! I do a historical deep dive on the episodes on my channel especially the black historical aspects! I loved the costumes a lot. I loved the use of colors and textures!
I wonder if one of Marian's costumes - the pale blue dress trimmed in black over the white lace blouse with the black ribbon neckline - was meant to evoke Alice in Wonderland & how being thrust into the unfamiliar world of NYC society was like Alice's trip down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
Thanks Joy, great point! It indeed looks like the costume from the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland. I forgot to mention that blues dresses are often used as a trope to depict a young innocent.
Much like Joe Wright's Anna Karenina, I thought some of the draping and design, especially on Bertha Russell, was an attempt to give historical costumes more contemporary couture. It's highly stylized.
I honestly loved Gladys' outfits and hair. I felt that they gave the impression that her mother puts her into these outfits and into these social positions, but that Gladys isn't exactly too enthused (hence the messier hair and the clashing colors, because she couldn't be bothered to care). I get the feeling the Gladys cares more for internal virtues than external ones, and I really loved the way her character came together
Aurora Faine,s gowns are my favorites. Soft color pallets. Colors like pale pinks, blues, and whites. The cut and draping is always so feminine and beautiful.
I'm so glad someone covered Gladys' costuming. Though this era found inspiration in the 18th century, Gladys looks like a time traveler instead of "inspired." Fashion plates of girls younger than Gladys do not look like a robe à l'anglaise found in an attic trunk. Her sleeves and overdress took me out of every scene she was in.
I think Aunt Agnes bought many new clothes for Marian because of the status of the family. Marian was expected to go into society as a representative of the Brook family and she needed to look appropriate. In her mind, it was the right thing to do for a close relative brought to live in the house and share their lives.
The reason that her aunt had so many new gowns made for Marion was to try to show her off to society, and to hopefully get her married to an "approved" young man as she knew her son would not be thrilled to have an "old-maid" cousin to support when the time came.
I loved the costumes....I thought that most were beautiful. Bertha's costumes were stunning in the best way. Some of Marian's costumes, both in color and style, did not look attractive on her. I couldn't wait to see what each character was wearing from show to show.
During this period where tightlaced corsets were the norm, women started wearing corset trainers as young as 12, then the laces were gradually drawn tighter when a girl was in her early teens. The body gradually adjusted to the discomfort. Also the corset helped support the weight of the heavy skirt. A whalebone structure was worn as a separate piece to support the bustle. It was compressible to fit in carriages and fit in different chairs.
Iirc only high society women would tightlace their corsets bc according to bernadette banner a working woman's corset contained less boning therefore allowing more flexible movement
Upstairs Downstairs will be one of your favorite shows if you watch it too. If you're into period dramas, then boy do I have a show for you. I binged the whole thing in like, a week.
I have seen what looks to be zippers on the backs of gowns. And there is a clear demarcation line where the corset stops. Two things that drive me nuts. I like the way Gladys is done, because she’s supposed to be Consuelo Vanderbilt. She has an awkward beauty with a slender face and big eyes. She really looks just like Consuelo. The outfits her mother puts her never seem to suit her which goes along with the storyline as her mother wants her to be something she is not. Her mother wants a grand life, but she seems to want a simple life.
I agree with you SO much. The costumes were clearly trying to be more contemporary....but unlike Bridgerton (which I consider a successful attempt....The Gilded Age really didn't keep the necessary foundations of 1880's fashion to build on. The costumes looks like costumes....not fashion. Your master chef-home cook analogy was so hilariously savage. I know you probably didn't mean for it to be shade, but it gave me a good chuckle.
I am a very late comer to HBO’s Gilded Age series. As I admired the lovely costumes, Manet’s painting entitled “A Bar at the Folies-Bergerès” continuously came to mind.
Hello and thank you for this great review, I love the historical photos and illustrations for reference. I agree that there was mostly a passionate sensitivity to the characters, but one main and I believe egregious thing kept showing up on a few of Marian's dresses, several show up here in these shots; the white lace sleeves, or shirt. I grew up in the 1960's and we had nylon/polyester lace items that were stretchy. These sleeves look like that fabric, the way it clings to her arms and seems to be stretchy to be able to bend at the elbow and otherwise resist ripping.. I couldn't take my eyes off it whenever it was onscreen! Although knitting machines were very much in use at the time, I don't think the composite material was available until several decades later! Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for your comment Dancing Colors. This is a wonderful observation about the lace and while I was a kid at the time, I know the polyester lace that you speak of. Cheers, Heidi.
Yay! I was waiting for this! I shrieked whenever a Broadway legend was introduced, especially Patrick Page as Mr. Russell's secretary! He's one of my Shakespeare mentors! I was taking classes with him as I was watching the show! 😍😍😍 My favorite character is probably George Russell, followed closely by Aunt Agnes. He's just so sexy to me, especially when he uses his power and cunning to protect his family (I might also have a thing for beards? Not sure though). Agnes is the American version of Lady Violet from Downton Abbey, and that automatically makes her a legend, an icon and the moment in my book. The top third placement goes to Dorothy Scott, although I might be biased because Audra Macdonald is my queen. Overall I enjoyed the costumes, whether good or bad. I actually liked Marian's blue and gold dress... I liked the color scheme (although I would've changed the gold to bronze), and I liked the actual design, just not both elements together. A better way they could've perhaps done it was to make the blue the main color (cause it was a beautiful shade of blue) with the gold in the lace details. Or change the gold to bronze to make it warmer, more Ravenclaw colors. I kinda enjoyed Mrs. Russell's costumes as well as respected her hustle even if she was unlikable at times. It was fun seeing her and her husband sticking it to the old money snobs. I liked her costumes BECAUSE they were ostentatious and over the top. It spoke to me of her desperation to be accepted into high society without really knowing all the details of being in such society. You'll notice her costumes calmed down some and became more period accurate after meeting Mr. MacCallister. That tells me that she has been learning from him. As long as a wardrobe tells the character's story as well as look pretty (to me), I can be forgiving (on occasion... when the mood strikes me).
I disagree. I think Bertha's costumes were fine, if not the most beautiful to me. I don't care about accuracy, I guess its because I loathe that time period for the most part. However, I think Bertha's gowns do reflect Worth's asymmetrical style quite well and at least you can see the reference. I also take a bit of umbrage with you saying that they were ill prepared to take on the designs of Worth etc. If they wanted to, I have zero doubt that they could have recreated anything, particularly the single fabric dresses but that isn't costume design and on screen it would look super stuffy and boring. Also, Worth did tons of asymmetrical bodices, thats why I am obsessed with Worth. That being said, I do wish they would have just recreated some of these Worth designs in brighter colors for Bertha... theres a teal velvet gown I think is by Worth that would have worked lovely...I think it has slashed puff sleeves with a gauzy fabric under. Again, LOL I am obsessed with the marigold or ocre colors used.
confused by your confusion about why a wealthy aunt would buy clothing for a penniless niece who has come to live in her house. it seems an obvious conclusion to draw that the penniless niece (who is also from a small town) would lack the means to dress in the mode and manner that the wealthy aunt would deem acceptable or necessary. thus, if the wealthy aunt requires her penniless niece to dress in a certain manner, the wealthy aunt would be required to provide the funds (and the dressmaker) for the niece to do so. aunt agnes says "You're making your debut in society. You are young and pretty and need to be shown to advantage." aunt agnes then sends marian to her dressmaker literally the morning after she arrives. she also insists upon "cheerful" colors.
@@Costume_CO yes! i don't agree that agnes is cheap though. i rather think she's very conscious about how she spends the van Rhijn money. but i DO think that she considers the wardrobe a sensible investment as showing marian to her best advantage will help to marry her off well (and quickly). much cheaper than a lifetime of clothing and allowance. also it does seem that it just requires A LOT of outfits to be in their society.
I love that you mentioned the fashion houses of the day. Those were a thing. So yes - young people would want to experiment - but they didn't make their own dresses, they bought them. And there were 'rules' at the time
I admire and enjoy the work of Julian Fellowes, but he does tend to write caricatures rather than characters. They always are very much divided between the good and evil ones, and are not especially nuanced or complex. This is more apparent in his novels than in, the necessarily time-limited, screen productions. I like how he introduced more complex black characters into this series and as far as I’ve watched, I think he did a good and sensitive job with these characters, especially for a foreigner who doesn’t live everyday with American endemic racism. It’s a tricky task he took on. I constantly hear criticism of his plot like “a black woman wouldn’t have been hired as a secretary by a white society figure in those times”. While it’s true that the black and white worlds were more separated and distant here in those times, he wanted to bring in black characters somehow.
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this video. However, there were a few myths that were unfortunately perpetuated, e.g. "modern bodies" being to blame for non-historical silhouettes.
@@Costume_CO a modern body in an historically accurate undergarment would look identical to a contemporary woman in her own. It isn't like footbinding or other forms of body modification, and perpetuating such an idea is harmful and inaccurate.
@@SeeMayaRuin I mean it's a thing. One example of how modern bodies differ from 100 years ago is that people now are taller. Do some research instead of arguing. I'm glad she didn't engage with you any further lol 😆
Many of the costumes appeared to have zippers or covered hooks down the back. I know zippers aren’t accurate, but would these styles have had back fastening in this time period?
Hello! While I am not an historian, it appears from many of the exhibits from the Met that the bodices were closed in the front with buttons or hooks and eyes. The yellow gown from the James Tissot painting appears to have buttons down the back. I hope to follow up with an S2 video. I will see if I can do some digging.
5000 gowns and suits? How is that even possible? Especially on a dead line. The amount of hand work that goes into just one of those dresses is pain staking. I hope they do a gilded age dress tour in the museums
While I can’t stand those acid colors in some costumes, they are accurate. Aniline dyes were recently introduced in this time and many women went crazy for the new, extremely bright colors like those citrus ones, super-intense purples and blues, etc.
Sure, here you go: fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/objects/98566/691959?ctx=b2189d8a-5975-4b41-920a-75612d9e83d2&idx=6 I have left links in the description if you are looking for any others.
My favorite ladies costumes were the ones for Carrie Astor, Aurora Fane, and the van Rhijn sisters. Overall, they seemed to strike the most successful balance of historical accuracy, character, and costume pizazz. I didn't like the costumes for Oscar van Rhijn and Ms. Turner. The colors and styling used for them were enough for me to immediately know, in a too obvious way, that they were people on the fringe (Oscar due to his sexuality, and Turner for her lack of ethics/morality). I would have preferred for those characters to appear less obviously different because their character's actions would eventually tell us who they are. Finally, THANK YOU for mentioning how rough Gladys' hair looked throughout the series! I was confused as to why they let her hair look so bad. The only reason I could think of was because, perhaps since she wasn't yet out in society, it wasn't required for her hair to ever be appropriately styled.
The overuse of that gold satin was so glaring. There were a lot of little issues with fit and small details (seams not lining up, etc) that undermined the overall believability for me. Unfortunately there’s a similar issue with the writing… harder to fix. Thanks for your thoughtful review.
I should add - I watched season 1 and then came here to watch and agree with this review. I just finished season 2 and it was almost a whole new show as far as quality of construction, as well as fabulous textiles! The writing even got better. :)
Can you please talk about how they should have had electric dresses for the finale like in real life? I was so disappointed not to see them at the ball
Hated most of them for the same reasons you stated. You can't get a good look with out correct under garmets. Carrie Coons costumes were horrendous for the most part. The episode 8 dinner grown was spectacularly vile.
Also her complaining about her corset. If the costume department made it correctly, she had the correct undergarments under and on top...gave it a bit of time it would not have been as bad. I get most of us are not used to wearing one, but if they were that uncomfortable women would not have put up with that for long...good grief
@@strawberrytart3540 When you never wore a corset most of your life and then you are pregnant..working and having to wear one, that's hard. Being bound as your body is growing, very uncomfortable!
One thing I noticed is that the women just seemed to go from one scene to another with completely different hair and outfits that would have taken hours to change out of and into, and would have required a lot of servant help. But it’s drama, in period drama everyone wears brand new clothes and is dressed up for a wedding, even if they are just eating breakfast alone, no one ever has a non-shiny car or carriage or scuffed shoes. I thought they did a great job, it was conspicuously costumed in a way Downton Abbey was not. But many of these were new money.
Hi Tom, great comment, I totally agree. Downtown Abbey did a great job of showing how the upper class transitioned from their different outfits and hairstyles throughout the day. One thing that I didn't mention is when Aunt Agnes and company walked across the street in their ball gowns, dragging through the gravel. I'm almost certain that they would take a carriage even if it meant going around the block.
What I also learned is that the actress playing Bertha was pregnant, so she could not be wearing clothes with an extremely small waist when filming the series, her costumes had to be good period-wise, but rightfully allowing her pregnancy not to show.
Besides there was no way that a visibly pregnant lady would have shown herself outside the home. It was considered indelicate. If a pregnant woman had to go out she swathed herself in shawls and cloaks.
Just finished The Gilded Age, and I'm excited for this! I'm guessing already that Marian's costumes were generally the worst. Edit: I was really confused about Gladys' 18th century clothing while watching, but I guess it was accurate after all! (except I really hated that pink and white dress with the olive green bows. I think she wore it twice and the colours just look bad together) I also had a hard time figuring out how old she was. I don't think they ever said it explicitly but I was assuming mid to late teens? It was hard to tell with how she was dressed and how much her mother sheltered her. I also don't know exactly when a girl was expected to be "out" at the time.
I figured Gladys was around 17-18 (she does look young); so she was definitely at the age where her mother should have been bringing her out. The fact that both her father and brother were commenting on it shows that she was starting to be past the time of coming out; her mother was just stalling until she could be sure that she could fill a ballroom for the event. I'm wondering if there are going to have Bertha planning to take her to England to "shop" her around; seeing what kind of title her dowery could buy her.
Overall I really enjoyed the costumes. Then again, it was easy for me to just focus on the costumes I really liked and quickly move on from those i didn't like because I'm not "in the biz". There was one plot point that stuck in my craw but overall I really enjoyed the show. Thanks for the video!
I love costume dramas because I love the costumes, the settings, furnishings/props and the historic locations. The plot, dialogue, etc., isn’t very important to me, I just like to see the aesthetics produced by the artistic team. I’m also a student of history, I enjoy it so much. The earlier ones in my lifetime were of terrible aesthetic and historical quality, like the first Poldark series. The one notable exception was Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, it was both historically accurate and beautiful to see. Being a physical scientist, my only real creative outlets are in my wardrobe (costume) and home decor (art direction). Even we science and math nerds have creative sides! Thank you for your analysis.🙂
Thank you so much for commenting Kimberly. Romeo & Juliet is one of my personal faves. I have Olivia Hussey's red velvet gown in my top ten most iconic costumes of all time.
Do as you like but I'm obsessed w this series and my favorite is Bertha/Carrie. Also her husband. I definitely won't be tuning in if there's going to be criticism of them.
Very Much enjoyed this, one note Julian Fellows didn't write or create Upstairs Downstairs - The creation of that marvelous show belongs to Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh and yes Julian HEAVILY borrowed from it without crediting them
Oh, thank you for the correction. My bad. 😀 I was probably asleep when I wrote that. I am a huge fan of Upstairs Downstairs. I watched it as a girl with my parents.
All of the costumes were a feast for the eyes, so elaborate and artistic. While I loved the silhouettes and the intricate construction details, I was put off by a lot of the color combinations which seemed jarring and garish, and took away from the overall beauty of the dresses. Also some of the very large prints seemed out of place and more contemporary. That being said, I love the show and can’t wait to see the gowns each week. Each one is a masterpiece.
What's wrong with a woman wanting the best for her family and her children. If those character traits were her husband's - would you take issue. Also- Aunt Agnes - the moral compass?? She was the old guard that was rigged and represented the past.
The comments you made regarding Gladys’ clothes were hilarious! I’ve been watching seasons 1 and 2 for months now! Both hers and Carrie Astor’s costumes were missing “something,” meaning that they were actually missing the bodies of the actresses who were actually wearing them. Gladys’ being the worst! I can’t wait until her mom stops dressing her. Season 3 hopefully will display Gladys’ true independence!
As a man watching with my wife I noticed that many of the dresses you are right were too colorful especially I have pictures from close to that time and never seen strong yellows or colors as such. So even a person such as myself noticed. I thought it was over the top BUT I thought they were trying to make it more that way. I could be wrong. Your site very interesting. Thank you
Yeah, the dresses in Gilded age bug me. Fabrics and draping that doesn't move well, way too much loosey goosey asymmetry, too much loose draping flapping in the wind, razor sharp necklines, ill fitting bustles, which the actors haven't been trained to sit down in seemingly, way too much sheer lace in the daytime dresses, very odd, loud fabric combos that make no sense, etc etc. The clothes scream "costume", and never feel like the real character would wear these clothes in real life. The point of the era was to look rich, not to have a loud look. The costume designer doesn't seem to have any particular affection for this era, and has done movies set in contemporary times mainly. Too bad, seems like a missed opportunity. Hire an English costume designer next time, and a choreographer to teach the actors how women in that period moved and sat.
I liked the costumes, but the fashion history nerd inside me did not enjoy it that much. They really need to step up their bustle game. I honestly thought that Bertha Russell looked more "I am ready for my Oscar in Christian Lacroix" than 1880s. Mrs Chamberlain looked more 1890s actually, with her puffy sleeves. I guess they wanted to emphasize their out of place demeanour by making them look like time travellers. Some of the hair and accessories were not accurate either. Marian's neck ribbons made her look 10 years out of fashion. The hats with giant feathers looked more 1890s as well. The scene with Aunt Agnes's dressmaker really ticked me. Why would she lie about the bustles getting smaller? Didn't she see the fashion plates? I was honestly laughing. Overall, I would give the costumes a solid 8/10. Good, but could have been more consistent.
The costumes were beautiful, no argument there. All I could think was "how could anyone tolerate those clothes day after day". Dressing for lunch and dinner. Wearing tight corsets. Hats and hair and jewels. How do manage to use the toilet? Where do you store all that stuff? They didn't even have closets.
I just watched the first 2 episodes last night. I found some of the ladies costumes hideous. And yeah, some were probably right for the character or their story arc, but then those were distracting. DOWNTON ABBEY's costumes were less intrusive.
I hated a lot of the costumes, especially the ones that used a couple of bold colors. Most of Marion's season 1 dresses were - in my opinion - bad. I didn't like most of Peggy's either. The costumes, and the show overall, improved in season 2.
I think is hilarious how the costumers said they let the men to be an uniform, sombre palette. And then Oscar is out there wearing whatever weird shit he stumbled on all at once (and I'm here for it)
I loved all the costumes. They transported me and drew me in. The only piece I did not like was that awful hat of Bertha’s that looked like she had two turkey legs propped up on her head! It actually grossed me out
the one outfit i HATED the most was the brown number that gladys wore when she went to the train wreck with her husband and clara barton-it was hideous!!!!!
Oh, do you mean Bertha? www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com%2F122751118.html&psig=AOvVaw3FFhmsu7-haYcaKogakc1R&ust=1702223115753000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCNi2_LrZgoMDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAY
Very great and nice video very great and nice lady you cute and beautiful ladies so great you so cute and beautiful god bless you happy Navratri family Navratri Bhavesh women power women power very great I love you miss you kiss you I pray you when golden play button and diamond button because you deserve it you so cute and beautiful very great and nice good job great work have a nice day have a good day very good morning I big fan of your channel RUclips family you miss world you miss universe your my miss your genius your brain so sure you are so soft you so soft and cute and beautiful my good wishes always for you very great video
What a shame how the costumes have gone DOWN since Season 1. Is there a new designer? It seems her only idea is stripes, stripes and more STRIPES! So BORING!
There is denitely a touch of modern flare with the gowns and unfortunately, modern fabrics look like modern fabrics. Shows like this likely don't have the budget to mill their own fabric.
I was so disappointed by this show: it had a Disney/Hallmark movie vibes with spotless sand streets that ladies cross with pale silk flat shoes...euhhh. And why casting Marian with an actress 10 years too old, 20 pounds too slim, too athletic and vivacious, no padded undergarment etc etc. Of course I will watch the second season nevertheless 🙂
Please join us for a The Gilded Age Livestream this Thursday at 8pm EST: ruclips.net/video/EZ1t4nwc5oE/видео.html
Omg! I do a historical deep dive on the episodes on my channel especially the black historical aspects! I loved the costumes a lot. I loved the use of colors and textures!
I wonder if one of Marian's costumes - the pale blue dress trimmed in black over the white lace blouse with the black ribbon neckline - was meant to evoke Alice in Wonderland & how being thrust into the unfamiliar world of NYC society was like Alice's trip down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
Thanks Joy, great point! It indeed looks like the costume from the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland. I forgot to mention that blues dresses are often used as a trope to depict a young innocent.
I loved her blue and black lace mock neck dirndl looking pieces she wore, I want them in my closet!
Much like Joe Wright's Anna Karenina, I thought some of the draping and design, especially on Bertha Russell, was an attempt to give historical costumes more contemporary couture. It's highly stylized.
Thanks for commenting Jasmine.
I honestly loved Gladys' outfits and hair. I felt that they gave the impression that her mother puts her into these outfits and into these social positions, but that Gladys isn't exactly too enthused (hence the messier hair and the clashing colors, because she couldn't be bothered to care). I get the feeling the Gladys cares more for internal virtues than external ones, and I really loved the way her character came together
Thanks for commenting!
Aurora Faine,s gowns are my favorites. Soft color pallets. Colors like pale pinks, blues, and whites. The cut and draping is always so feminine and beautiful.
Thank you Call Me Sir, I loved them too!
I'm so glad someone covered Gladys' costuming. Though this era found inspiration in the 18th century, Gladys looks like a time traveler instead of "inspired." Fashion plates of girls younger than Gladys do not look like a robe à l'anglaise found in an attic trunk. Her sleeves and overdress took me out of every scene she was in.
Thanks Jade.
I think Aunt Agnes bought many new clothes for Marian because of the status of the family. Marian was expected to go into society as a representative of the Brook family and she needed to look appropriate. In her mind, it was the right thing to do for a close relative brought to live in the house and share their lives.
The reason that her aunt had so many new gowns made for Marion was to try to show her off to society, and to hopefully get her married to an "approved" young man as she knew her son would not be thrilled to have an "old-maid" cousin to support when the time came.
I loved the costumes....I thought that most were beautiful. Bertha's costumes were stunning in the best way. Some of Marian's costumes, both in color and style, did not look attractive on her. I couldn't wait to see what each character was wearing from show to show.
Thanks so much for commenting.
I loved Berthas too, that yellow and grey gown with the hat was my favorite.
Marian always looked the best in her light blue outfits imo. Kind of reminded me of Cinderella
During this period where tightlaced corsets were the norm, women started wearing corset trainers as young as 12, then the laces were gradually drawn tighter when a girl was in her early teens. The body gradually adjusted to the discomfort. Also the corset helped support the weight of the heavy skirt. A whalebone structure was worn as a separate piece to support the bustle. It was compressible to fit in carriages and fit in different chairs.
Iirc only high society women would tightlace their corsets bc according to bernadette banner a working woman's corset contained less boning therefore allowing more flexible movement
Upstairs Downstairs will be one of your favorite shows if you watch it too. If you're into period dramas, then boy do I have a show for you. I binged the whole thing in like, a week.
I watched it when it came out as a little girl with my parents. My sister has the box set and I recently rewatched it with my mom.
@@Costume_CO I really can't imagine having to wait for the next episode. Excruciating.
"Modern bodies" isn't a thing. For /any/ body, to get the correct period look, it's all underpinnings and padding.
I’ve sooooo been waiting for this! Thank you, Heidi.
Ah, thank Cindy. :)
I just finished the 1st season -- thanks so much for covering this!!
You're so welcome!
I have seen what looks to be zippers on the backs of gowns. And there is a clear demarcation line where the corset stops. Two things that drive me nuts.
I like the way Gladys is done, because she’s supposed to be Consuelo Vanderbilt. She has an awkward beauty with a slender face and big eyes. She really looks just like Consuelo. The outfits her mother puts her never seem to suit her which goes along with the storyline as her mother wants her to be something she is not. Her mother wants a grand life, but she seems to want a simple life.
Hi Snow, thanks so much for commenting! I am going to do an end of season 2 review. I will cover the zippers in that.
I agree with you SO much. The costumes were clearly trying to be more contemporary....but unlike Bridgerton (which I consider a successful attempt....The Gilded Age really didn't keep the necessary foundations of 1880's fashion to build on. The costumes looks like costumes....not fashion.
Your master chef-home cook analogy was so hilariously savage. I know you probably didn't mean for it to be shade, but it gave me a good chuckle.
Thanks so much TG. Maybe a bit of shade?
I am a very late comer to HBO’s Gilded Age series. As I admired the lovely costumes, Manet’s painting entitled “A Bar at the Folies-Bergerès” continuously came to mind.
Thanks for commenting Ana!
Hello and thank you for this great review, I love the historical photos and illustrations for reference. I agree that there was mostly a passionate sensitivity to the characters, but one main and I believe egregious thing kept showing up on a few of Marian's dresses, several show up here in these shots; the white lace sleeves, or shirt. I grew up in the 1960's and we had nylon/polyester lace items that were stretchy. These sleeves look like that fabric, the way it clings to her arms and seems to be stretchy to be able to bend at the elbow and otherwise resist ripping.. I couldn't take my eyes off it whenever it was onscreen! Although knitting machines were very much in use at the time, I don't think the composite material was available until several decades later! Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for your comment Dancing Colors. This is a wonderful observation about the lace and while I was a kid at the time, I know the polyester lace that you speak of. Cheers, Heidi.
Yay! I was waiting for this! I shrieked whenever a Broadway legend was introduced, especially Patrick Page as Mr. Russell's secretary! He's one of my Shakespeare mentors! I was taking classes with him as I was watching the show! 😍😍😍
My favorite character is probably George Russell, followed closely by Aunt Agnes. He's just so sexy to me, especially when he uses his power and cunning to protect his family (I might also have a thing for beards? Not sure though). Agnes is the American version of Lady Violet from Downton Abbey, and that automatically makes her a legend, an icon and the moment in my book. The top third placement goes to Dorothy Scott, although I might be biased because Audra Macdonald is my queen.
Overall I enjoyed the costumes, whether good or bad. I actually liked Marian's blue and gold dress... I liked the color scheme (although I would've changed the gold to bronze), and I liked the actual design, just not both elements together. A better way they could've perhaps done it was to make the blue the main color (cause it was a beautiful shade of blue) with the gold in the lace details. Or change the gold to bronze to make it warmer, more Ravenclaw colors.
I kinda enjoyed Mrs. Russell's costumes as well as respected her hustle even if she was unlikable at times. It was fun seeing her and her husband sticking it to the old money snobs. I liked her costumes BECAUSE they were ostentatious and over the top. It spoke to me of her desperation to be accepted into high society without really knowing all the details of being in such society. You'll notice her costumes calmed down some and became more period accurate after meeting Mr. MacCallister. That tells me that she has been learning from him. As long as a wardrobe tells the character's story as well as look pretty (to me), I can be forgiving (on occasion... when the mood strikes me).
Hey Tatiana, thanks for sharing your perspective.
I disagree. I think Bertha's costumes were fine, if not the most beautiful to me. I don't care about accuracy, I guess its because I loathe that time period for the most part. However, I think Bertha's gowns do reflect Worth's asymmetrical style quite well and at least you can see the reference. I also take a bit of umbrage with you saying that they were ill prepared to take on the designs of Worth etc. If they wanted to, I have zero doubt that they could have recreated anything, particularly the single fabric dresses but that isn't costume design and on screen it would look super stuffy and boring. Also, Worth did tons of asymmetrical bodices, thats why I am obsessed with Worth. That being said, I do wish they would have just recreated some of these Worth designs in brighter colors for Bertha... theres a teal velvet gown I think is by Worth that would have worked lovely...I think it has slashed puff sleeves with a gauzy fabric under. Again, LOL I am obsessed with the marigold or ocre colors used.
Loved your review and info on costumes! I love this show, hopefully season 2 will not disappoint.
Thanks so much Daissy!
Yay so glad you're covering one of my favourite shows!
Hope you enjoyed it!
confused by your confusion about why a wealthy aunt would buy clothing for a penniless niece who has come to live in her house. it seems an obvious conclusion to draw that the penniless niece (who is also from a small town) would lack the means to dress in the mode and manner that the wealthy aunt would deem acceptable or necessary. thus, if the wealthy aunt requires her penniless niece to dress in a certain manner, the wealthy aunt would be required to provide the funds (and the dressmaker) for the niece to do so.
aunt agnes says "You're making your debut in society. You are young and pretty and need to be shown to advantage."
aunt agnes then sends marian to her dressmaker literally the morning after she arrives. she also insists upon "cheerful" colors.
Agnes is cheap and bought more outfits for her than I thought was reasonable. Hope that clears things up.
@@Costume_CO yes! i don't agree that agnes is cheap though. i rather think she's very conscious about how she spends the van Rhijn money. but i DO think that she considers the wardrobe a sensible investment as showing marian to her best advantage will help to marry her off well (and quickly). much cheaper than a lifetime of clothing and allowance.
also it does seem that it just requires A LOT of outfits to be in their society.
Thanks sms. I appreciate your comments.
I was hoping you would do a video on this show.
Fingers crossed that you like it,
Bertha Russell’s hat at 16:14 was quite strange - it looked like an upside-down roast chicken. Was this accurate for the time?
I love that you mentioned the fashion houses of the day. Those were a thing. So yes - young people would want to experiment - but they didn't make their own dresses, they bought them. And there were 'rules' at the time
Thanks Hermione. 😊
Brigerton is pure fantasy…at least The Gilded Age has a basis in reality.
Always a pleasure watching you'd videos keep up the good work 👏
Thanks Joe.
Gladdis's hair! Thanks for mentioning. Just never looked brushed or shiny. What an oversight!
I admire and enjoy the work of Julian Fellowes, but he does tend to write caricatures rather than characters. They always are very much divided between the good and evil ones, and are not especially nuanced or complex. This is more apparent in his novels than in, the necessarily time-limited, screen productions. I like how he introduced more complex black characters into this series and as far as I’ve watched, I think he did a good and sensitive job with these characters, especially for a foreigner who doesn’t live everyday with American endemic racism. It’s a tricky task he took on. I constantly hear criticism of his plot like “a black woman wouldn’t have been hired as a secretary by a white society figure in those times”. While it’s true that the black and white worlds were more separated and distant here in those times, he wanted to bring in black characters somehow.
Agreed. I really enjoyed that even if it's not entirely historically accurate.
Is the painting you are thinking of possibly the portrait of Madame de Paul Poirson by John Singer Sargent?
Yes, that's it. I kept thinking it a Renoir and I was going a little mad trying to find it. 😊
It also reminded me a bit of A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Manet!
Yes Cirilla, I was looking at that one. The black ribbon choker was very popular!
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this video. However, there were a few myths that were unfortunately perpetuated, e.g. "modern bodies" being to blame for non-historical silhouettes.
Not a myth: www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2015/11/16/how-corsets-deformed-the-skeletons-of-victorian-women/?sh=294017db799c
@@Costume_CO a modern body in an historically accurate undergarment would look identical to a contemporary woman in her own. It isn't like footbinding or other forms of body modification, and perpetuating such an idea is harmful and inaccurate.
I have no idea who you are but I cited a respected study and you gave me your opinion so I am out.
@@SeeMayaRuin I mean it's a thing. One example of how modern bodies differ from 100 years ago is that people now are taller. Do some research instead of arguing. I'm glad she didn't engage with you any further lol 😆
Many of the costumes appeared to have zippers or covered hooks down the back. I know zippers aren’t accurate, but would these styles have had back fastening in this time period?
Hello! While I am not an historian, it appears from many of the exhibits from the Met that the bodices were closed in the front with buttons or hooks and eyes. The yellow gown from the James Tissot painting appears to have buttons down the back. I hope to follow up with an S2 video. I will see if I can do some digging.
Love your review and insights. Please do a video for season 2!!
Thank you so much Shelly. I am loving S2. Will definitely do an S2 review.
5000 gowns and suits? How is that even possible? Especially on a dead line. The amount of hand work that goes into just one of those dresses is pain staking. I hope they do a gilded age dress tour in the museums
While I can’t stand those acid colors in some costumes, they are accurate. Aniline dyes were recently introduced in this time and many women went crazy for the new, extremely bright colors like those citrus ones, super-intense purples and blues, etc.
Thanks Kimberly!
German scientists developed new dyes all the time from coal tars.
Hello! Could you guide me to the page / source that the gown at 14:48 can be found? I looked through FIT and couldn't find it.
Sure, here you go: fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/objects/98566/691959?ctx=b2189d8a-5975-4b41-920a-75612d9e83d2&idx=6 I have left links in the description if you are looking for any others.
@@Costume_CO Thank you kindly! It is appreciated :)
My favorite ladies costumes were the ones for Carrie Astor, Aurora Fane, and the van Rhijn sisters. Overall, they seemed to strike the most successful balance of historical accuracy, character, and costume pizazz. I didn't like the costumes for Oscar van Rhijn and Ms. Turner. The colors and styling used for them were enough for me to immediately know, in a too obvious way, that they were people on the fringe (Oscar due to his sexuality, and Turner for her lack of ethics/morality). I would have preferred for those characters to appear less obviously different because their character's actions would eventually tell us who they are. Finally, THANK YOU for mentioning how rough Gladys' hair looked throughout the series! I was confused as to why they let her hair look so bad. The only reason I could think of was because, perhaps since she wasn't yet out in society, it wasn't required for her hair to ever be appropriately styled.
Thank you so much for your comment Chris. Excellent observations!
Only Agnes is a Van Rhijn. Her sister Ada, is a Brook.
The overuse of that gold satin was so glaring. There were a lot of little issues with fit and small details (seams not lining up, etc) that undermined the overall believability for me. Unfortunately there’s a similar issue with the writing… harder to fix. Thanks for your thoughtful review.
Thanks Sarah, I really appreciate it.
I should add - I watched season 1 and then came here to watch and agree with this review. I just finished season 2 and it was almost a whole new show as far as quality of construction, as well as fabulous textiles! The writing even got better. :)
Hi Sara, did you see my S2 review?
Can you please talk about how they should have had electric dresses for the finale like in real life? I was so disappointed not to see them at the ball
Hi Carson, do you have a link? I'd love to see those.
@@Costume_CO it seems they never gave you the link: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Light_dress
Hated most of them for the same reasons you stated. You can't get a good look with out correct under garmets. Carrie Coons costumes were horrendous for the most part. The episode 8 dinner grown was spectacularly vile.
Also her complaining about her corset. If the costume department made it correctly, she had the correct undergarments under and on top...gave it a bit of time it would not have been as bad. I get most of us are not used to wearing one, but if they were that uncomfortable women would not have put up with that for long...good grief
Which colour was that one? I can't keep track, there are so many.
@@strawberrytart3540 When you never wore a corset most of your life and then you are pregnant..working and having to wear one, that's hard. Being bound as your body is growing, very uncomfortable!
One thing I noticed is that the women just seemed to go from one scene to another with completely different hair and outfits that would have taken hours to change out of and into, and would have required a lot of servant help. But it’s drama, in period drama everyone wears brand new clothes and is dressed up for a wedding, even if they are just eating breakfast alone, no one ever has a non-shiny car or carriage or scuffed shoes. I thought they did a great job, it was conspicuously costumed in a way Downton Abbey was not. But many of these were new money.
Hi Tom, great comment, I totally agree. Downtown Abbey did a great job of showing how the upper class transitioned from their different outfits and hairstyles throughout the day.
One thing that I didn't mention is when Aunt Agnes and company walked across the street in their ball gowns, dragging through the gravel. I'm almost certain that they would take a carriage even if it meant going around the block.
Wealthy women changed outfits multiple times a day. They also wore tea gowns in the afternoon which did not require a corset so was popular.
What I also learned is that the actress playing Bertha was pregnant, so she could not be wearing clothes with an extremely small waist when filming the series, her costumes had to be good period-wise, but rightfully allowing her pregnancy not to show.
Besides there was no way that a visibly pregnant lady would have shown herself outside the home. It was considered indelicate. If a pregnant woman had to go out she swathed herself in shawls and cloaks.
Just finished The Gilded Age, and I'm excited for this! I'm guessing already that Marian's costumes were generally the worst.
Edit: I was really confused about Gladys' 18th century clothing while watching, but I guess it was accurate after all! (except I really hated that pink and white dress with the olive green bows. I think she wore it twice and the colours just look bad together)
I also had a hard time figuring out how old she was. I don't think they ever said it explicitly but I was assuming mid to late teens? It was hard to tell with how she was dressed and how much her mother sheltered her. I also don't know exactly when a girl was expected to be "out" at the time.
Thank you so much for commenting.
My guess is that she had just turned 19 or 20, thereby making it a bit late for her to come out into society
I figured Gladys was around 17-18 (she does look young); so she was definitely at the age where her mother should have been bringing her out. The fact that both her father and brother were commenting on it shows that she was starting to be past the time of coming out; her mother was just stalling until she could be sure that she could fill a ballroom for the event. I'm wondering if there are going to have Bertha planning to take her to England to "shop" her around; seeing what kind of title her dowery could buy her.
I would like you to include the dress makers of these costumes
Do you mean the historical costumes or the ones in the show?
I haven’t seen the show. But your brutal honesty was rather entertaining, Heidi.😅
Thank you so much Hindsight. 😊
@@Costume_CO 😉
i loved the costumes but some looked like curtain material including tassles. i loved the jewellry chosen x
Thanks for commenting.
Overall I really enjoyed the costumes. Then again, it was easy for me to just focus on the costumes I really liked and quickly move on from those i didn't like because I'm not "in the biz". There was one plot point that stuck in my craw but overall I really enjoyed the show. Thanks for the video!
Thanks Oaktown, what plot point?
I love the costumes I thought they were great.
Thanks for commenting kaykay!
I love costume dramas because I love the costumes, the settings, furnishings/props and the historic locations. The plot, dialogue, etc., isn’t very important to me, I just like to see the aesthetics produced by the artistic team. I’m also a student of history, I enjoy it so much. The earlier ones in my lifetime were of terrible aesthetic and historical quality, like the first Poldark series. The one notable exception was Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, it was both historically accurate and beautiful to see. Being a physical scientist, my only real creative outlets are in my wardrobe (costume) and home decor (art direction). Even we science and math nerds have creative sides! Thank you for your analysis.🙂
Thank you so much for commenting Kimberly. Romeo & Juliet is one of my personal faves. I have Olivia Hussey's red velvet gown in my top ten most iconic costumes of all time.
Seaosn 2 is coming and I think they definitely improved it based on the trailer
Yes, agreed. The costumes look beautiful!
Do as you like but I'm obsessed w this series and my favorite is Bertha/Carrie. Also her husband. I definitely won't be tuning in if there's going to be criticism of them.
Hi Sarah, thank you for commenting. Seeing the pictures from the latest season, I think I will be mostly positive. ❤️
Very Much enjoyed this, one note Julian Fellows didn't write or create Upstairs Downstairs - The creation of that marvelous show belongs to Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh and yes Julian HEAVILY borrowed from it without crediting them
Oh, thank you for the correction. My bad. 😀 I was probably asleep when I wrote that. I am a huge fan of Upstairs Downstairs. I watched it as a girl with my parents.
Jacobson said somewhere that the blue and gold was her favorite. 😊
All of the costumes were a feast for the eyes, so elaborate and artistic. While I loved the silhouettes and the intricate construction details, I was put off by a lot of the color combinations which seemed jarring and garish, and took away from the overall beauty of the dresses. Also some of the very large prints seemed out of place and more contemporary. That being said, I love the show and can’t wait to see the gowns each week. Each one is a masterpiece.
Thanks for commenting!
Mariannes dress might be reminiscent of John Singer Seargent 1885 portrait of
Madame Paul Poirson
Thank you, yes that is the one. ❤️
8:00 That's Helen from Waterworld
And The Firm! Thanks so much for commenting. ❤️
I loved them enough that I’m going to try to make a couple but make them historically accurate. 😳❤️
What's wrong with a woman wanting the best for her family and her children. If those character traits were her husband's - would you take issue. Also- Aunt Agnes - the moral compass?? She was the old guard that was rigged and represented the past.
The gown from the main character reminds me of the french artist henri toulouse lautrec he was a small guy. I hope its the right artist.
I put this video on to have some background noise. I ended up enjoying and watching the whole thing 😂
Thanks so much William. I think my husband thinks of me as background noise. 😅
The comments you made regarding Gladys’ clothes were hilarious! I’ve been watching seasons 1 and 2 for months now! Both hers and Carrie Astor’s costumes were missing “something,” meaning that they were actually missing the bodies of the actresses who were actually wearing them. Gladys’ being the worst! I can’t wait until her mom stops dressing her. Season 3 hopefully will display Gladys’ true independence!
Hi Bernadette, thank you so much for commenting!
The costumes are beautiful. They don't have to be 100% accurate.
I just thought the costumes had a lot of work. I haven't looked at dress from the period.
The costumes jumped all over, Nothing was consistent with 1882! I'm so tired of corset whining, Carrie Coon excepted for obvious reasons!
Thanks Brandy!
As a man watching with my wife I noticed that many of the dresses you are right were too colorful especially I have pictures from close to that time and never seen strong yellows or colors as such. So even a person such as myself noticed. I thought it was over the top BUT I thought they were trying to make it more that way. I could be wrong. Your site very interesting. Thank you
Hi Domenick, I think you have it right! Thank you so much, I really appreciate your comment.
Yeah, the dresses in Gilded age bug me. Fabrics and draping that doesn't move well, way too much loosey goosey asymmetry, too much loose draping flapping in the wind, razor sharp necklines, ill fitting bustles, which the actors haven't been trained to sit down in seemingly, way too much sheer lace in the daytime dresses, very odd, loud fabric combos that make no sense, etc etc. The clothes scream "costume", and never feel like the real character would wear these clothes in real life. The point of the era was to look rich, not to have a loud look. The costume designer doesn't seem to have any particular affection for this era, and has done movies set in contemporary times mainly. Too bad, seems like a missed opportunity. Hire an English costume designer next time, and a choreographer to teach the actors how women in that period moved and sat.
And all those back closures..
4:05 why is that emoji there?
I liked the costumes, but the fashion history nerd inside me did not enjoy it that much. They really need to step up their bustle game.
I honestly thought that Bertha Russell looked more "I am ready for my Oscar in Christian Lacroix" than 1880s. Mrs Chamberlain looked more 1890s actually, with her puffy sleeves. I guess they wanted to emphasize their out of place demeanour by making them look like time travellers.
Some of the hair and accessories were not accurate either. Marian's neck ribbons made her look 10 years out of fashion. The hats with giant feathers looked more 1890s as well.
The scene with Aunt Agnes's dressmaker really ticked me. Why would she lie about the bustles getting smaller? Didn't she see the fashion plates? I was honestly laughing.
Overall, I would give the costumes a solid 8/10. Good, but could have been more consistent.
The costumes were beautiful, no argument there. All I could think was "how could anyone tolerate those clothes day after day". Dressing for lunch and dinner. Wearing tight corsets. Hats and hair and jewels. How do manage to use the toilet? Where do you store all that stuff? They didn't even have closets.
Thanks for commenting Sarah.
I just watched the first 2 episodes last night. I found some of the ladies costumes hideous. And yeah, some were probably right for the character or their story arc, but then those were distracting. DOWNTON ABBEY's costumes were less intrusive.
Thanks Myles, I really appreciate your comment. I still like the show, but I am hoping to see something a little more nuanced in S2.
What was wrong with that costume with the turtle neck. I thought it was lovely!!
Oh don't worry about the Oscar's. There are a lot of award ceremonies
Why would I worry?
I hated a lot of the costumes, especially the ones that used a couple of bold colors. Most of Marion's season 1 dresses were - in my opinion - bad. I didn't like most of Peggy's either. The costumes, and the show overall, improved in season 2.
Hi Karen, thanks so much for commenting! I just released a season 2 review if you want to check it out.
i liked mens & servants costumes, women’s costumes however weren’t really accurate.. especially Bertha’s🙁
Thank you for commenting bimblaq.
Oh no I don’t agree with the blue and gold dress Marian wore. That was my favorite dress of the show.
the makeup in this show killed me ngl
Killed in a good way or bad way?
@@Costume_CO oh in a bad way definitely lol
I think is hilarious how the costumers said they let the men to be an uniform, sombre palette. And then Oscar is out there wearing whatever weird shit he stumbled on all at once (and I'm here for it)
I love Oscar's outfits this season. 😍
I agree Aurora Fane>>>>>>
I loved all the costumes. They transported me and drew me in. The only piece I did not like was that awful hat of Bertha’s that looked like she had two turkey legs propped up on her head! It actually grossed me out
Marian shouldn't wear yellow
the one outfit i HATED the most was the brown number that gladys wore when she went to the train wreck with her husband and clara barton-it was hideous!!!!!
Oh, do you mean Bertha? www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com%2F122751118.html&psig=AOvVaw3FFhmsu7-haYcaKogakc1R&ust=1702223115753000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCNi2_LrZgoMDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAY
Fellowes had naught to do with Upstairs Downstairs except for the story lines he stole.
The only costumes I did not like were Tiassa Farmiga's...ewe
Thanks for commenting Tomas.
😍😍😍😍
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Thanks Jimmy. 😊
What a shame how the costumes have gone DOWN since Season 1. Is there a new designer?
It seems her only idea is stripes, stripes and more STRIPES! So BORING!
Hi Lola, no, it is the same designer!
I didn’t think most of these costumes were successful, they look much too modern in most cases.
There is denitely a touch of modern flare with the gowns and unfortunately, modern fabrics look like modern fabrics. Shows like this likely don't have the budget to mill their own fabric.
I was so disappointed by this show: it had a Disney/Hallmark movie vibes with spotless sand streets that ladies cross with pale silk flat shoes...euhhh. And why casting Marian with an actress 10 years too old, 20 pounds too slim, too athletic and vivacious, no padded undergarment etc etc. Of course I will watch the second season nevertheless 🙂
I really dislike these costumes.
Oh really? All of them?