Period Costuming in Dark Shadows

I found a link I had posted there on mourning customs.  http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Quarter/2926/Mourning.htm

Try http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Quarter/2926/Mourning.html instead. 

I think the period around Gone With the Wind was pretty close to when Albert died, and Victoria turned mourning into a cottage industry. I have (or had, since it's gone a bit moribund from lack of interest) a yahoo group for discussion of real history and Dark Shadows, and I found a link I had posted there on mourning customs.  (URL)

Thanks for the link! Period mourning customs have always fascinated me.

I have no idea about the authenticity of the costumes - I seem to recall some complaints here about some of them, that they weren't what would have been worn at the time in question.  But, I do love most of them.  My favorites are several of Lady Kitty's in 1897.  She and they were gorgeous!!

I always complained about most of Grayson's outfits, so that comment about the "Fruit Striped Gum" dress really got to me!!

I always complained about most of Grayson's outfits, so that comment about the "Fruit Striped Gum" dress really got to me!!

True, poor Grayson was cast adrift for the most part in the costuming department, at least in the present day plotlines.  They made up for it when time travel was involved though.  One of her present day costumes I loved though was that blue suit deal she wore during the 1968/Adam/Creation of Eve plotline.  Jonathan, in one of the same eps, wears that grey 3 piece that was davoon! 

Re: the Fruit Striped Gum dress, although I *do* think of that old 1970's chewing gum every time I see that dress, I actually kinda LIKED that dress!  LOL!  Figure that one out cousins!  

What a great thread!  thanks to Pansity for getting it going.

I love all the historical costumes on the show, but I disagree that they were anywhere near accurate in the period.  The dresses worn by Naomi and the Countess are MID 18th century--1760s at best, I believe.  I read somewhere that the costumes for 1795 came to the production from a play or film for which they had originally been made. I've often wondered whether the availability of those costumes had anything to do with the date switch in the "origins of Barnabas" storyline from the original ca. 1837 date to the 1790s.  I'm by no means an authority, but the costumes for Joshua, Barnabas, Forbes and Jeremiah all look more Revolutionary War than Federalist to my untrained eye.  Anybody have a URL handy for men's clothing of the mid 1790s?  The arrival of Napoleon on the scene seems to have brought a lot of innovations in its wake--in fashion and elsewhere, although when I was reading Dangerous Liaisons I remember the notes saying that some years before '89 the women's clothes had already been streamlined and the character of the Marquise was Laclos's comment upon proto-feminist thought in the 1780s.

I do think Angelique's clothes in 1795 are more correct--for a lady of middling class but not for a servant girl.  The mob cap is a nice touch, of course.

The women's clothes for the 1897 serial seem a little nearer the mark to me, but a friend told me that the men's clothing (Quentin, Edward, et al.) was more 1870s than 1890s.  Carl's suits do look like old photographs I have seen of 1890s men's holiday wear--appropriate for a gentleman of (aspiring) leisure.

I'm not sure that people in early modern society had all that many changes of clothing.  I've heard Americans who travel comment that people of good background in, say, Italy, tend to have three outfits--the work outfit, the relaxing-at-home outfit, and the party outfit.  They'll accessorise those outfits with changes of tie, scarf, gloves, whatever.  The idea of a closet packed with 40 different outfits is an innovation of US consumerism of the 1950s and 60s.

Just a few thoughts from me on this topic...

G.

I love all the historical costumes on the show, but I disagree that they were anywhere near accurate in the period. 

Not an expert by any means as to the accuracy of costumes on DS, but I once heard, back when the NBC show was around, that the period costumes used for their 1790 plotline were more accurate.  Anyone know if that's true?

I think the period around Gone With the Wind was pretty close to when Albert died, and Victoria turned mourning into a cottage industry. I have (or had, since it's gone a bit moribund from lack of interest) a yahoo group for discussion of real history and Dark Shadows, and I found a link I had posted there on mourning customs.  (URL)

Thanks for the link! Period mourning customs have always fascinated me.

Glad you enjoyed the links.  If people are interested, I will try and find time to go in and dig up some of my old links (once I see if they're still active that is!  Alas, a once WONDERFUL and totally completist Victoriana site was gutted some time in the last year or so, though there is enough of it left up to give you a good flavor for the lifestyle, clothing, etc.)

And thanks to Midnight for fixing my glitch when I copied the url, leaving the last L behind on html.

One thing to keep in mind on this topic, too, is the difference between stage costumes and what the International Costumers Guild classes for masquerade purposes as HALL COSTUMES.

Stage Costumes are meant to give an impression when seen from a distance, as a presentation during a masquerade, or, as with DS, a dramatic presentation.  What matters for these purposes is the general impression of authenticity.  A Hall Costume, on the other hand, is meant to stand up to close on scruitny, including detailed examination of the needlework and materials, and, depending on the venue, period materials used.

This just reminded me of one of the best humorous costume presentations I have seen, done at a Costume Con in I forget what year.  The contestants did what they called a BODICE RIPPER, where, in true bodice ripper fashion the hero was to grab the heroine by her decolletage and the fabric would rip.  However, if done with true to period materials, in cluding buckram, IT WONT RIP.  It was a hilarious skit with the hero throwing the heroine from place to place acroos the stage by the neckline of her dress, which wouldn't even develop the slightest tear. 

I dug out  a book I have of Harper's Bazar Fashions from 1867 - 1898. The following images are from 1897. I can move them to my website if needed!

Part Two

Last page

Thanks for the images, Arashi -- they're great.

Oh and I went digging and found some more period costuming links:

http://www.fashion-era.com/index.htm
This one has a lot of detailed info and images from 1800-forward.  Large sections on the Regency, and Victorian(which covers for DS purposes both 1840 & 1897 storylines).  Mostly women's, because once you hit the Victorian era, mens clothes changed very little throughout the era -- think mens suits now and how little they changed throughout most of the 20th C.

http://www.victoriana.com/library/harpers/funeral.html
More stuff on mourning customs and costumes

http://www.victoriana.com/Victorian-Fashion/
General stuff on Victorian fashion.  The parent site has resources on just about everything victorian, from furnishings to history.  Really addictive for those into accuracy when they write fanfiction.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2974454-action-imgsearch-house_of_victorian_visions_bridal_museum_anaheim-i
The site for the victorian bridal museum I mentioned seems to be gone (hope the museum didn't meet a similar fate!) but this is a link where the images from the site are stored for some reason.  Note the dress in the forefront of the picture marked P23 -- and compare it in your mind to Ghost Beth's dress. Those who are inclined toward fanfiction might then wonder about the original pre Barnabas interference reality in which Beth died wearing a wedding dress....

And a link to some amusing factoids about marriage in Victorian times: http://members.aol.com/alfson102/marriage.htm

Now that I've started wondering -- thanks to the great posts here -- about the 1795 costuming, I may go digging for some similar resources for that time period.  Until I get to dig into the dvds all I have is a general memory that the costumes seemed close to if not exact for period, and no costume I saw stuck out like a sore thumb and made me howl at its obvious inaccuracy.

One of her present day costumes I loved though was that blue suit deal she wore during the 1968/Adam/Creation of Eve plotline.  Jonathan, in one of the same eps, wears that grey 3 piece that was davoon! 

These two outfits are part of today's slideshow!  Episode #0531 is the ep number.  

Here's the capture featuring the outfits in question from Ep #531's slideshow:

i'm not sure if this qualifies as a "period costume" however...

i just started dvd set 22.the 1995 episodes.there barnabas and julia encounter an "aged and insane" carolyn.

her get-up here is certainly memorable.it sort of defies accurate description but i'm sure you know what i'm talking about.it's a dress in this sort of scalloped print in kandinsky-esque hues.trimmed with green lace.worn with a pin and this hideous pink crochetted sweater.in this era of "minis" and "maxis" it's midi length is unflattering to say the least.i know this garment was supposed to her look insane but it's the worst!

i wonder if a costume designer came up with it because i can't believe anything so ugly ever sold at retail.

I've been haunting this blog lately (remember when a blog was only on blogger?) that daily updates with absolutely jaw dropping photos of period clothing and jewelry. As there is a lot of Victorian fashion represented I thought some of you guys might also be interested.

If you plug in a date in the search bar it will take you to examples from whatever time period you desire, going back, so far as I can tell, to 1475. It's a great visual that catalogue illustrations and black and white photos just can't compete with!

OMG that dress!