Similarly to Gertie's story, my early youth was filled with movies that had costumes that I drooled over. It was a point of great amusement to my family for in all other aspects of myself I was a complete and hardcore tomboy. But the dresses! Oh the dresses...
In order of chronological impact on me...
Gone with the Wind
My mother molded me early in life to be her Television watching buddy (she has horrible taste in T.V. and yet I still cannot deny her). One of the only movies my mother ever re-watches is "Gone with the Wind" (the other is "It's a Wonderful Life"). And while I still maintain as I did when I was a child that Scarlett O'Hara is a HORRIBLE woman, you cannot deny that she had style.
Ironically the big ICON dresses of this movie are not the ones that always caught me eye whenever it was on and made me drool. I mean yes I love them all and please go right ahead and deliver them to my closet, but this dressing gown. OMGS this dressing gown, if I had this gown I swear I'd be Queen and die happy.
The sleeves, the high collar, the color!, all the buttons it just all adds up to sumptuous. And to this day I find myself drawn to silhouettes and features of this dress.
Camelot
While my mother got her hooks in me to watch the trials and tirbulations of Ms. O'Hara pining for Ashley (why ANYONE would pine for that guy I just don't know), my father lead me down the good path to all things King Arthur and Camelot. I love this movie, seriously no one since Richard Harris has done Arthur justice.
Unfortunately I could not find a good image of my favorite dress that the harlot Guinevere wears (yes I have issues). It is again a red dress (I think I'm noticing a theme...) And is the very last costume she wears while singing the song "Take me to the Fair". Talk about luxury, I swear the thing had to have been 50 yards of fabric. Oh and billowed and draped perfectly! Sigh, to be queen.
Labyrinth
Ahh Labyrinth, my still obsession. I love this movie, I love the Goblin King, I love David Bowie.
But all of that aside, as a kid I LOVED this dress. And why wouldn't a 9 year old love this dress. It screams fairy tales and magic, it also screams the 80's, but you don't notice these things as a child!
Oh the glitter, oh the poofy-ness, oh the fantasy!
I do still love her hair, big 80's hair that it is, I think it rocks.
Hello Dolly
Right now you are probably thinking to yourself, what is with all these old musicals? You really watched these at age 7 and what not? And the answer is:
Yes
I was a weird kid what can I say, further they are movies that my dad liked to watch and thus things that I saw. And once I saw all the pretty costumes....well then re-watching them over and over again makes sense to a small child's mind.
Dolly Levi, funny, witty, one hell of a snazzy dresser. The movie is jammed packed with lots of goregous detailed dresses, and of course Ms. Streisand pulls them all off with flair. But it was always this opening number dress that caught my eye. The deep colors, all the details, how it matched her hair so wonderfully. There was just something so classy and pretty about this costume that even as a kid, I knew a Lady would wear this.
The Ten Commandments
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In our family it was tradition to watch "The Ten Commandments" over Easter weekend. No we are not Jewish, no we were no religious, no it never did make sense to me why Moses was on the same weekend that everyone was talking about bunnies and Jesus. But look at that dress!
And the jewelry! And the color!
I still want this dress. No seriously I do. I mean I might tone the color down a bit as I don't think turquoise really does anything for my skin tone, but damn.
The Little Princess
Have you seen this movie? You should see this movie. It is heartwrenchling good, very easy on the eyes, and this little girl is one of the prettiest little girls I've ever seen. Oh how badly I wanted to look like Sarah. Our names even begin with the same letter, sure there is hope!
And all the girls dresses, are just so rich, and so beautiful. The details are amazing. I wanted them all.
Legend
Why is this dress, so far down the list, you ask? I will confess it is as such, because I had to wait till I was a bit older 12 or so before I could actually watch it all the way through. Darkness frightened me as a kid XD
But as soon as I did watch it all the way through this dress was imprinted on my mind, in all it's dark seductive glory. Of course little did I know then that there was no way in hell I could ever wear anything like this dress as an adult, do to things called breasts.
Believe me I've thought about it though, frequently trying to come up with architectural techniques that might defy gravity.
Cutthroat Island
Ok so TECHNICALLY not a dress. But I watched this movie a-lot. And a large part of that was Morgan's wardrobe. I mean come on! All those pirate frocks, and belts, and buttons, and knives, boots! It was actually this movie and this outfit that first started me thinking about sewing. I really wanted to go to middle school with a frock coat (again strange child). And look I'm still dressing up like a pirate XD
Well there are countless more, as I am a custom movie junky but these are the top of the list from my childhood. What about yours? ;)
1 comment:
I <3 this article. :) Those dresses are snazzy, and you're funny.
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