Saturday, April 17, 2010

Jane Austen Movie Fashion Throwdown

Lady Catherine de Bourgh was an unpleasant, opinionated, imperious and grand old dame. Whose wardrobe best matches her character?

This purply puce gown with tight bodice and low neckline presents a formidable front. It is slightly old-fashioned, but elegant, and more like a court gown than a dinner dress. Judi Dench, Pride and Prejudice 2005.


This Lady Catherine wears a fashionable carriage outfit with a pelisse trimmed with fur and a hat festooned with ostrich plumes. The outfit reeks of class to anyone Lady Catherine might have encountered on her journey to Longbourn. Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Pride and Prejudice 1995.


The spencer jacket with a militaristic sash draped over one shoulder is quite fashionable. This Lady Catherine holds a walking stick and uses it to great effect. Judy Parfitt, Pride and Prejudice 1980.

The dress is all wrong, of course, for it belongs to the mid-19th century. But this Lady Catherine, swathed from head-to-toe and side-to-very-considerable-side (mutton sleeves, wide hooped skirt), presents a striking black figure. Any ordinary person would quail when confronted with so much blackness, but not our Elizabeth. Edna Mae Oliver, Pride and Prejudice 1940.

Whose Lady Catherine wardrobe most matches the character?
Judi Dench, P and P 2005
Barbara Leigh-Hunt, P and P 1995
Judy Parfitt, P and P 1980
Edna Mae Oliver, P and P 1940
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