Thursday, April 23, 2020

I'm back!


Well, since I'm quarantined at home because of a global pandemic, I finally found the time to look at my American Girl collection. I haven't looked at this blog in years, so I apologize for all the broken links. Life's has been busy the last seven years: got a new house, got two new kids, and got a new job.

Anyway, it's been a joy introducing American Girl to my older daughter (though my younger one is more interested in banging on pots and crawling). We've been looking at Marie Grace and Cecile collection together. I've also been exploring Etsy and found this lovely 1920s dress by Beky's Doll Clothes on Etsy.




Friday, November 8, 2013

Friday, February 22, 2013

Golden Sara Crewe Dress

This golden late Victorian ensemble was designed by Tomi Jane. I would like to imagine that Sara Crewe from The Little Princess (1905) might have worn this before she found out she had lost her father and entire fortune, and was forced to become Miss Minchen's servant.  

Movie Costumes from the 1995 version of The Little Princess:
  My Samantha is wearing something similar to the above costume...

Sunday, January 6, 2013

TomiJane's Embroidered WWII Dress


This cute ensemble was hand-embroidered by TomiJane.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Tudor Renaissance Outfit


And just for fun, look at that detail!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Les Miserables Cosette Dress

I am super excited for the new Les Miserables movie coming out this Christmas. I just love the costumes already:




In the novel, Victor Hugo conspicuously, colorfully overdressed Cosette to the point of bad taste to illustrate that Valjean was overindulging her, and that Cosette, with no mother or other girls to guide her, was highly isolated from the rest of society. I think only in the French version of Les Miserables do they really capture that plot point in the dress.

But most years Les Miserables ran on Broadway, Cosette wore what I called the doily dress:



Not until the 25th Anniversary Les Miserables Concert, do we see something with way bigger sleeves, and in a color wealthy, young girl would have liked.
 

Claire Danes as Cosette in the Liam Neeson version. (I can't believe the little cherub is now portraying a wild-eyed, fouled-mouth stalker/CIA agent on the show Homeland.)




Virginia Ledoyen as Cosette in the French 2000 mini-series. I love the dress she is wearing. But um, can I just say I also have a girl-crush on her? Something about the French...

More costume photos from the movie can be seen here.



Here's a 1830s dress that Cosette might wear.

Description from the original listing written by ThimblesandAcorns: "By the 1830s sleeves became a new focal point. They grew to exaggerated proportions and combined with the large bell shaped skirts they worked together to further diminished the appearance of the waistline. There were at least a dozen different styles of sleeves for day wear with romantic names such as "Cavalier", "Donna Maria", "Sultan" and "Medici". This dress features a Gigot style sleeve also known by its less refined name as the leg-o-mutton sleeve. The fabric is a 19th Century reproduction print and the skirt is calf length, which was the appropriate length for a pre-teen girl during the Victorian Era."

Photographed without a crinoline...