Gone to the movies (Nosferatu costumes)

To watch Nosferatu. 

My son asked "Since when do you watch horrormovies?" And he was absolutely right. I don't do horrors, I can't even watch a simple Dr. House episode... But then why? 

"Sweetheart, it is set in 1838. I was looking at the clothes, not the gore."

And I was. Of course I was interested in the story, back in university, I had a class on "fantasy" literature that took us thtough from The Monk through Dracula and Frankenstein to the Clockwork Orange and the Hungergames. 

But the clothes, the clothes! Did I tell you that I am a nightmare to watch a historical movie or a period drama? In fact, as Norbert said not long ago: "I kind of got used that you keep commenting on clothes in historical movies, but now we can't even walk around you doing the same?" (I was criticising a street-sculpture of a 19th century playwright, who was depicted in a modern suit.)

Anyhow, back to the Nosferatu costumes, the movie is set in the 1830-ies, and we know that 1830-ies fashion is often ridiculous, and that is why it is rarely used in movies, but here they did not shy away from the ridiculousness, but fully embraced it. The extremely puffy sleeves, the folds, the ruffs, the piping the lace, the underwear (did you see that fan-backlacing? I have to make a corset with those one of these days). They had headwear! Lacecaps, and even bonnets!

You all know that I am not a fan of black dresses, but that mourning gown...

I am tempted, I am tempted. 

(Take a look from a bit closer:)

There was only three moment, I drew a sharp breath of dissaproval. First at the yellow dress at one of the early sceenes. I get that they wanted to portray the calm (sunny?), but that shoulder???? 

The other time, toward the end of the movie, when she stands in the window in her underwear. While the corset itself is correct, and worn over a chemise (yayyy!), the place where Ellen's breasts supposed to be is empty.... It just looks so strange. I mean they should either used a smaller gore ("cup") or they should have used something to stuff this existing corset (They did do that historically). Though, come to think of it, it could be showing that she is loosing weight, because of the terrors, so much, even her corset (stays) is hanging on her (but only loosing weight from her breasts?).

The third time, the dressmaker in me (who have special craziness and OCD's to hang on, and criticize others for) gasped when the main caracter had a stripy dress, and on th eback of the dress the stripes were OFF, they did not match up. Once again, I know, that such a thing did happened historically. By the 1800's fabrics were a lot more affordable than even in the previous century, but they were still precious enough, that they often sacrificed pattern-matching to save on fabrics, but still... 

Otherwise, we could be happy, if the average historical movie would be halfway this decent. 

Now, I am going to plan an 1830-ies dress for myself, even if we don't actually do that period. YET. 

PS: After I wrote the above, I have found some interesting articles, like THIS one. Or THIS one.

Photos: from allover the web, probably owned by the studio.