Fashion in Film exhibition at Winterthur Museum in Delaware includes Jane Austen film costumes
Delaware Online has an article about the new exhibition “Fashion in Film” at the Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Delaware. The exhibition includes costumes from the film of EMMA starring Gwyneth Paltrow, P&P 1995, and S&S 1995.
For her role as matchmaker Emma Woodhouse in the 1996 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel “Emma,” Paltrow was fitted for a simple, cream-colored, high-waisted silk gown with floral-embroidered netting.
The sweet, short-sleeve gown was a faithful reproduction of an 1810 bridal dress. But the camera can add portly pounds — even on pencil-thin actresses — and six inches of fabric had to be taken in at the top, according to Nancy Lawson, a U.S. representative for Cosprop Limited, the British company that makes period costumes for a variety of films.
“The director thought it would make her look fat,” says Lawson, rolling her eyes. “Like she would ever look fat!”
Hollywood makes us itch, really.
Some of these costumes (or similar items) also were featured in the “Jane Austen in Film” exhibition at the Museum of Costume in Bath, which we were fortunate enough to see last year. We rather hope that the stunningly beautiful costumes from Persuasion 1995 are included in the Winterthur exhibit, as they were the highlight of the exhibition for us. (Miss Elliot’s gorgeous yellow velvet spencer with intricately embroidered cuffs and collar and matching hat and the gowns that Elizabeth and Anne wore to the concert were all drop-dead gorgeous. We had to be dragged away from our place in front of the glass case.)
Winterthur also will be having a Jane Austen Day on Sunday, October 15, which will feature Austen-themed activities and a lecture.
