Sewing - A Regency Outfit: Part 2

And now the conclusion of my Regency outfit! And it's also my birthday! This gown was inspired from Elizabeth Bennet's gown from Pride and Prejudice (1995). I used Simplicity's Regency Gown Pattern, but made some alterations.

Front of the dress

Back of the dress

Back Close-up.

Pintucks! There are pintucks on the sleeves and the skirt.

Skirt pintucks! I'm really happy about the skirt pintucks!

 God Bless,
 

Sewing - A Regency Outfit: Part 1

Wow, a long time since I post any about my sewing. I've been hard at work on a big sewing project, which I mentioned here. Well, I'm finally going to reveal it! I'm including a "Read More" jump since this is going to be pretty picture heavy.

I sewed an entire Regency Era outfit, starting with the undergarments (must keep period accurate, after all!).

For the undergarments, I used Sense and Sensibility's Regency Underthings Pattern.

The Chemise

First, the chemise, which was a loose fitting under dress.

The Neckline was adjustable with a drawstring for different Regency dress necklines.

The sleeves. The seam instructions they had in the pattern were GREAT! They looked very neat inside and out!

The Stays

The stays went on top of the chemise to keep the stays clean. Note: on the dress form, the stays may not look exactly right.

I'm not sure this is 100% accurate. Cross-lacing, I thought, was first used in the Victorian era, but at the pattern website, the stays were shown like this. * Shrugged Shoulders*

Side View. For boning, I used thick cable ties that I got from Lowes. They're cheaper than buying boning from Jo-Ann Fabrics and they do the same thing.

Back View

Laid flat on a table.

The Petticoat

On top of the chemise and stays went the petticoat. Since my Regency dress was unlined, this was essential, but if the dress is lined then you could forego the petticoat. The petticoat was pretty much a Regency dress that was sleeveless.

Bodice

The Bodice also had a drawstring.

Backview

The back was secured with lacing and a drawstring at the waist.

Stay tuned for Part 2: The Regency Dress!


 God Bless,

Review: Becoming Jane (2007)

I had heard about Becoming Jane. From what I've heard, some people like it and others don't. We actually own the DVD, but I've never watched it. I happened to see that it was on TV one night, so I watched it on TV instead of the DVD.

Box Art

Synopsis
Becoming Jane is the untold love story between Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy. When Tom Lefroy first meets Jane, he insults her writing abilities and wounds her pride. But she eventually falls in love with him.

Characters
There are some actors and actresses that you may recognize in Becoming Jane. Anne Hathaway (Jane Austen) is well known in her role in The Princess Diaries movies. James McAvoy (Tom Lefroy) was in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Maggie Smith (Lady Gresham) has been seen in a number of movies, including Downton Abbey. Anna Maxwell Martin (Cassandra Austen) was also seen in North and South.

I'm sorry, but Anne Hathaway just isn't Jane Austen. There were spots in her character that didn't seem to fit. Spoiler For instance, I honestly don't think that the real Jane Austen would have consented to an elopement. Jane was a very smart, moral person and would know how an elopement would affect her family and her reputation. Even if she was in love with Tom Lefroy, I still don't think that she wouldn't have accepted. And Jane also accepted a proposal from Lady Gresham's nephew (?): from what I know about Jane Austen's life, she was engaged to her friend's brother for one day, but then broke off the engagement when she realized that she didn't love him. I have not heard of her accepting another proposal, so that part in the movie must have been invention. End of Spoiler Another spot which didn't seem to fit was this: Tom Lefroy takes Jane to some dark boxing pit (?) that looks like no respectable lady would be anywhere near, let alone in. Honestly, would Jane have considered going to such a place? No. On another note, I also found Anne Hathaway's voice a little irritating -- it was high and not like what I would have imagined Jane's voice to have been like. She's simply not Jane Austen.

Jane (Anne Hathaway) dancing with Tom Lefroy (James
McAvoy)

The other problem I have is with Tom Lefroy. With the way they presented him, would anyone think that Jane Austen would have even considered liking him? The first time we see him, he's in a dark boxing ring (possibly a bar? or inn?), fighting and flirting with some of the women in there. He's not a very serious student in this film (which, from what I've read about the real Tom Lefroy, he was a serious student). I've looked around at some other reviews, and I think a couple of times I've run into reviews that said that he resembled Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility or Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. And the filmmakers were trying to make him look like Mr. Darcy? Something went wrong with him while they were writing the script for the movie.

I did like that they included George Austen, Jane Austen's deaf brother. The scenes when Jane and George interacted were heart-warming. It may not be as accurate as it could have been (read this article from the Jane Austen Center on George Austen to learn more), but I still liked that they included him.

Scenery
The scenery is very lovely. There are a lot of greens in the outside scenes, so the outdoor scenes look very crisp and fresh. The houses are very nice too. This film is very lovely to look at.

Costumes

Cassandra Austen (Anna Maxwell Martin) with Jane Austen

As far as construction goes, the costuming was well made and looked great... However, most of it was not Regency era fashions. Many of the dresses were Georgian, so earlier than the Regency era. There are only a couple of ways to get away with characters wearing out of date fashions in a period film: a) the character is poor b) the character is old. For characters like Mrs. Austen, Georgian fashion would be acceptable since she is both poor and older (I wouldn't want to say old exactly). For Lady Gresham, yes she was rich, but she was also an old character. But for the younger characters, it seems like they should have had the Regency attire. Cassandra Austen, though not quite having Georgian-wear, had a dress with a low waist line (see the picture with her and Jane), while Jane, her younger sister by a couple of years, had a fashionable Regency waist on her dresses. Jane's cousin, Eliza, a countess with money, doesn't appear to be that old and yet she doesn't have Regency wear. So, the accuracy of the costuming is off.

My other complaint on the costuming is that for Jane's Regency dresses, the waist-line was not as high as it should have been. The waist line on these Regency dresses seemed to hit the natural waist line -- they did not have the true empire waist that should have been.

Overall: 1.5/5

I'm not convinced by this movie. Anne Hathaway is simply not Jane Austen. Tom Lefroy was all wrong. The costuming looked nice, but wasn't very accurate. The scenery -- very pretty. In summary, if you want an accurate portrayal of Jane Austen and her life, I wouldn't watch this movie. There were a lot of things that were off for this movie and a great deal of it must have been invention. But if you don't know much about Jane Austen's life, you might enjoy this film (though after viewing it, I would recommend that you research Jane Austen's biography to see what is true and what is fiction).

I should also note again that I viewed this movie when it was on TV, so some objectionable content was edited out for TV viewing. I have heard that there are a couple of scenes that you may want to avoid, but I couldn't place where they are in the movie, unfortunately. There was an implication about Eliza de Feuillide and Henry Austen, but nothing was shown (at least on the edited TV version).

Becoming Jane is available on DVD and Blu-Ray. It runs for 120 minutes and is rated PG (but originally PG-13).

Review: Pride and Prejudice (1980)

Couple of things before you read this review: 1. I am a bit biased for this review since I not only have seen the 1995 miniseries of Pride and Prejudice, but I absolutely love it and it's one of my favorite things to watch. 2. I'm not much of a fan of the older BBC period dramas (though there are some that I absolutely love *cough* Barchester Chronicles *cough*). So as you read my review, you may or may not agree with me. But this is my opinion of this version of Pride and Prejudice.

Box Art

Synopsis - Taken from Pride and Prejudice (1995) Review
Mrs. Bennet is trying to marry off her five daughters. When the rich Mr. Bingley moves into the neighborhood, Mrs. Bennet is determined that he marry one of her daughters. Mr. Bingley takes an interest in Jane, the eldest daughter, while his friend, Mr. Darcy, offends Elizabeth, Jane's sister.


Characters
I only recognized two members of the cast. Elizabeth Garvie (Elizabeth Bennet) I have seen in the second season of The House of Eliott as Lady Elizabeth Montford (Does she tend of have characters with the name Elizabeth a lot?). I also saw that Judy Parfitt (Lady Catherine de Bourgh) was in here: I have seen in Little Dorrit as Mrs. Clennam.

Elizabeth (Elizabeth Garvie) with Jane (Sabrina Franklyn)

Most of the characters I was severely disappointed in. (Forgive me, but I'm going to have to make some comparisons here). Sabrina Franklyn's Jane Bennet was pretty, but I thought that she just wasn't Jane; I pictured Jane as being much more quiet/gentler in her manners and way of speaking. Elizabeth Garvie's Elizabeth just isn't Elizabeth, but more on Elizabeth Garvie's Elizabeth later. Mary Bennet was portrayed as being much too silly: they made her more like Kitty and Lydia, especially at the beginning (honestly, did Mary really care that Mr. Bingley was renting Netherfield Park like everyone else?). Kitty seemed like she was either coughing or crying the entire time (plus when Mr. Bingley returned, suddenly Mrs. Bennet wanted him to marry Kitty?!), but Lydia does exhibit her usually annoying character (though I think Julia Sawalha was more entertaining to watch in the 1995 miniseries). Mr. Bennet seems to be much more malicious than he is supposed to be: he always sounded annoyed at everyone and the lines that were supposed to be said in a light way were said quite angrily. Mrs. Bennet was annoying, which she should be, but she lacked the over dramatic personality that Alison Steadman was a much better in portraying in the 1995 miniseries. I will say that I did like Irene Richard's Charlotte Lucas, though everyone remarked on how she was plain, but I didn't think she was that plain, but even her character wasn't as accurate as it should have been. A lot was added when Elizabeth visited her and Mr. Collins at Hunsford. If you didn't like that in the 1995 miniseries that Mr. Darcy jumped in the lake for a swim, you probably won't like that Mr. Collins had an "aqua hat" and that he actually wore it to pick stuff out of a pond with Charlotte. And it seemed like if Lady Catherine said something about cleaning the house (or in this case, chairs), Charlotte would personally attend to it on her hands and knees. Would Charlotte have done something like that? I don't believe so. Lady Catherine herself could have had a home improvement show: when you first see her, she's giving all this housekeeping advice. It was much overdone.

Elizabeth Garvie is not a very good Elizabeth Bennet. She seemed to be more catty than she should have been. I've never thought of Elizabeth as catty, but rather as someone who was offended by Mr. Darcy. In this Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth seemed to be actually in love with Wickham for a while and everyone seemed to know about it and she seemed to express it pretty obviously, which isn't supposed to be. Also, the way that she delivered some of her lines at some serious moments was almost done comically. If she wasn't comical in the delivery of her lines, she was quite dull. Honestly, Elizabeth Garvie's Elizabeth can't even compare to Jennifer Ehle's Elizabeth in the 1995 miniseries. Jennifer Ehle had a way of speaking Elizabeth's lines that was very easy and natural to her -- and it came out very natural and sounded like the Elizabeth in the book. Elizabeth Garvie seemed to not only say her lines in a way that was quite dull, but she also made Elizabeth look more catty than she should have been.

Mr. Darcy (David Rintoul) proposing to
Elizabeth (Elizabeth Garvie)

Let me say this: David Rintoul is not Mr. Darcy. All his lines were said very, very dully and with absolutely no emotion. It seemed like the whole time, he was just spitting out his lines as quickly as possible. Even when Elizabeth ran to Pemberly to tell him about Lydia's elopement (which is definitely not the way it happened in the book), he failed to be at all affected by Elizabeth crying in front of him. It seemed like he was merely speaking the lines and not acting them. He barely moved as he was talking, resembling a block of wood. Spoiler I'm also not one for romantic scenes much, but could Mr. Darcy's second proposal possibly be any duller? There seemed like there was absolutely no emotion in the entire scene (I know the emotion is not supposed to be excessive, but it ought to have been subtle. It was just entirely lacking here). Again, it's another example of both Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul just saying the lines and not acting as Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. End of Spoiler I think I am much more far assured that Colin Firth is the definitive Mr. Darcy.


Scenery
You can't really expect very breathtaking scenery from a BBC miniseries made in the 70s or 80s. The outdoor scenes were okay, but nothing special. The miniseries does come off like a play (as do many period dramas of the 70s and 80s). Comparing to other period dramas from the 80s, I would say the quality is about the same.

Wickham telling Elizabeth how Mr. Darcy
wronged him.

Costumes
The costuming was okay. Everything looked for the most part period accurate. I notice that many of the women wore chemisettes under their dresses, which would be accurate to the time period. A lot of lace in the necklines for evening wear was used, though, which is something that I've never noticed before. I don't have any reason to say that it's inaccurate, but I haven't seen it before and I've seen quite a bit of movies that take place in the Regency Era.


Music
Not the best music. I wouldn't say that the background music is representative of the music of the time. And the Mr. Collins theme was horrid! It sounded like a song out of some really bad comedy. A little bit of a side note: I noticed that Mary Bennet would always sing the song "Early One Morning". I instantly recognized the song since I am a fan of the show Bonanza, and that was a song most notably sung by the character Adam Cartwright. (By the way, Adam sung it much better)


Overall: 1.5/5
There are a lot of people who really love this version of Pride and Prejudice: I'm not one of them. There were just so many elements of the story changed and many of the characters were not the way that they should have been. This miniseries was much more duller than it should have been. I would definitely say that if you only want to see one version of Pride and Prejudice, skip this version and watch the 1995 one: it's much more accurate to the book and a lot more fun to watch.

Pride and Prejudice is available on DVD and VHS and is also on Netflix Instant Streaming. It runs for 265 minutes and is made up of five episodes.

Jane Austen Week - Saturday: Conclusion (Movie Scene Game Answers, Your Favorite Quotes, Jane Austen Advice Column, Questions Quotes)

And here we come to the end of Jane Austen Week. Thank you everyone for participating in it. So, there are a couple of things in this post. One, I will have the Movie Scene Game answers and a list of everyone who got all them correct. Two, from Monday's post, you have suggested what other quotes that you liked that I didn't post on that post. Three, I'll have some of the Jane Austen Advice Column entries here. And lastly, I have quotes from other bloggers for the questions for Jane Austen Week. Enjoy!

Mystery Picture Answers

Mystery Picture #1
Answer: Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Mystery Picture #2
Answer: Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Mystery Picture #3
Answer: Emma (2009)

Mystery Picture #4
Answer: Northanger Abbey (2007)

Mystery Picture #5
Answer: Emma (1996) (with Gwyneth Paltrow)

Mystery Picture #6
Answer: Persuasion (1995)

Mystery Picture #7
Answer: Emma (2009)

Mystery Picture #8
Answer: Sense and Sensibility (2008)

Mystery Picture #9
Answer: Persuasion (2007)

Mystery Picture #10
Answer: Emma (1997) (with Kate Beckinsale)

Thank you everyone for playing! Here is a list of the winners that will be featured on my sidebar! Since not as many people participated as I thought, I'll list the ones that are above 50% on my side bar.


Miss Laurie (Old-Fashioned Charm) -- 100%
Melody (Regency Delight) -- 90%
Miss Raquel (God's Daughter) -- 60%




Your Favorite Quotes


"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight and a half years ago. Dare not say that a man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant." ~ Persuasion, Chapter 23 (Suggested by Faith Hope Cherrytea from Faith Hope and Cherrytea)




The Jane Austen Advice Column
If you would like to see the different entries to the Jane Austen Advice Column, click on one of these links!


Charity U from Austenitis
Mel from But When a young lady is to be a heroine
Maria Elisabeth from Miss Georgiana Darcy
Miss Laurie from Old-Fashioned Charm
Melody from Regency Delight
Elizabeth from The Endless Road


If I missed yours, let me know so I can add it!


Question Quotes


"I love Emma because she's different. Her personality is the kind that I can't help but enjoy reading about. She has her faults, certainly, but overall she does her best to be good. " ~ Charity U from Austenitis on her top three favorite Jane Austen Heroines


"I love the intricacy and elegance of her plot lines, told with such simplicity and humor. She wrote truthfully, from what she knew, she didn't romanticize things and make them plots fanciful. Her characters are completely real and interesting. They could certainly have been real people and I always enjoy studying them, delving into what their lives were really like. In her writings and characters she knew what she believe and her heroes and heroines value truth, sense, good manners, kindness and intelligence." ~ Miss Laurie from Old-Fashioned Charm on her favorite things about Jane Austen


"I love her incredibile wit, her smart use of words. Oh, to be able to communicate so humourosly and to the point! She is a master of irony and a talent in wit" ~ Maria Grazia from A friendly meeting place to read and discuss anything Austen on why she loves Jane Austen


"Emma was the next Austen book I read. It remains one of my favorites to this day due to it's complex, yet highly enthralling plot. The main heroine of the story is Emma, and though many might take a disliking to her since she's quite mischievous and a terrible matchmaker, I love her character...and she changes by the end, anyway. There are plenty of other memorable characters from Emma as well. The story is full of wit, which makes it especially fun to read." ~Jemimah C. from Beautiful Blank Pages on Emma


"Mansfield Park is a novel that is so close to my heart. I love it! As I have already mentioned it was the first Austen novel I ever read, so it is very special. 
I truly believe that Mansfield is the most beautifully written book that I have ever read, and I love reading it aloud because the language is so beautiful.
I love the characters in this novel- especially Fanny. She is sweet, selfless and so very patient. She is an unsung heroine, who just like in the novel deserves much more attention than she receives. As I read this book I am always struck with how Fanny's pain (and joy) becomes mine too. I love the emotional depth of this novel." ~ Mel from But when a young lady is to be a heroine on why she loves Mansfield Park

Plus Marianne was teachable enough: at the beginning and well into the novel she always disliked her sister Elinor's sense, and prefered her sensible emotion. However, by the end, she discovers that it's better to have a little bit of both. Same, I might add, with Elinor ~ His Handmaiden at ~His Handmaiden~ on why she loves Sense and Sensibility


"Pride and Prejudice – good moral, suspenseful love story" ~ Miss Raquel from God's Daughter on Pride and Prejudice


"I know that many people don't care for Catherine because she is so easily swayed by those around her.  But I appreciate her innocence and sincerity.  When she does make a mistake, she tries her best to make it right.  I also appreciate her genuine, unselfish affection for those around her.  Like Emma, she also grows and changes for the better through her experiences.  She goes from a girl with an uncontrollable imagination to a more careful, thoughtful young woman by the end of the book." ~ belle'sbeast from Never Grow Up on why she likes Catherine Morland (Northanger Abbey)

"Anne Elliot- for her sense, her steadfast love and peaceful nature. " ~ OldFashionedGirl from Of Old Fashion Dolls and Dresses on why Anne Elliot is one of her favorite heroines
"He's such a sweet, protective brother to Georgiana.  He loves Elizabeth enough to go to great lengths to protect her family's reputation, and he takes her reproofs seriously to heart.  And face it: there ISN'T any Darcy without Colin Firth." ~ Maria Elisabeth from Miss Georgiana Darcy about Mr. Darcy


"Allow me to quote Emma a couple times here: “I know no man more likely than Mr Knightley to do the sort of thing—to do anything really good-natured, useful, considerate, or benevolent.” “You might not see one in a hundred, with gentleman so plainly written as in Mr Knightley.”Very true; Mr. Knightley is a very kind, considerate, true gentleman. Other people’s feelings always influence his actions. When he finds out that Frank is to marry someone besides Emma, does he rejoice that it might be possible for Emma to marry himself? No, Frank Churchill is a scoundrel, and Emma must be miserable. He must go to her, and make her feel better, if he can.—Dear Mr. Knightley! His long-lasting love for Emma is so touching. He’s no fairytale hero, and I like him all the better for it. He’s a real hero. Oh, and did I mention that he was Jane Austen’s favorite out of all her heroes?

A quote from Mr. Knightley: “I cannot see you acting wrong, without a remonstrance….It was badly done indeed! ...This is not pleasant to you, Emma—and it is far from pleasant to me; but I must, I will,—I will tell you truths while I can, satisfied with proving myself your friend by very faithful counsel, and trusting that you will some time or other do me greater justice than you can do now.”" ~ Melody from Regency Delight about Mr. Knightley

Thank you everyone for participating in Jane Austen Week and for making it successful! Did you have fun? Would you be interested in other similar events here at Elegance of Fashion? Would you care for a repeat of this event with different posts? What would you think about an event for the Jane Austen Advice Column? Leave a comment! I'd love to hear what you think!


 God Bless,
 

Jane Austen Week - Friday: So many dresses!

So, for Friday's post for Jane Austen week... Dresses! Have you ever watched a Jane Austen movie (or another Regency movie) and thought "That dress looks familiar..."? Well, a lot of times with period dramas, costumes are reused over and over again. Here are some of the dresses that you might have noticed!

The source for all of these is Recycled Movie Costumes. There are so many other dresses there: if you have time, take a look at their website! I've only got ten of the dresses listed here. Note: Some of the pictures that Recycled Movie Costumes for the dresses weren't as detailed as I would have liked them to be, so there are some different pictures than what Recycled Movie Costumes has.

Dress #1

Elinor Dashwood's plaid dress from Sense and Sensibility (1995). 

You may also have seen Elinor's dress in Mansfield Park (2007) on Fanny Price or on Henrietta Musgrove in Persuasion (2007)

Dress #2

This brown dress was both in Sense and Sensibility (2008) on Marianne Dashwood and in Pride and Prejudice (2005) on Elizabeth Bennet. The waistline on this dress is low for the Regency era, however.

Dress #3

This dress was seen on Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (1995) and on Lady Bertram in Mansfield Park (1999)
Note: I have not seen this version of Mansfield Park, but I have heard that there are some mature things that go on in that version (I'm not going to get into the details of what I've heard). I have no interest in seeing that version nor would I recommend it.

Dress #4

Miss Bingley's dress from Pride and Prejudice (1995)

You may also have seen this dress in Lost in Austen on Lady Catherine de Bourgh or in Emma (2009) on the new Mrs. Elton.

Dress #5

Okay, not a dress, but the same spencer was on Kitty Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (1995) and on Anne Elliot in Persuasion (2007)

Dress #6

Caroline Bingley from Pride and Prejudice (1995) and Elizabeth Elliot from Persuasion (2007) both wore the same dress.

Dress #7

Mrs. Dashwood's dress from Sense and Sensibility (1995)

You may also have seen this dress on Lady Ludlow (Cranford (2007)

Or on Lady Bertram in Mansfield Park (2007). Sorry about this, but while I was making the images, I made an error and put in the wrong picture. This is the correct one.

Dress #8

In two different versions of Emma (1996, 2009), this dress was on both Jane Fairfaxes in, I believe, the same scene.

Dress #9

You may have seen this dress on Mrs. Gardiner in Pride and Prejudice (1995)...

...or in Emma (1996) on Mrs. Weston...

...or on Miss Browning (Wives and Daughters) or on Pet Meagles (Little Dorrit)

Dress #10

This dress was seen both on Mrs. Weston (Emma (2009)) and on Fanny Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility (2008))

What did you think of this post? Were there any dresses that you've seen and liked and never realized they were in another period drama? Have you've noticed this in period dramas?

God Bless,