13 thoughts on “SNARK WEEK: WTF Is Queen Isabella Wearing in 1492: Conquest of Paradise?

  1. There needs to be way more movies about Isabella. Just saying.

    Have you seen ISOBEL? Be interested in your take on those costumes!

      1. There is an explanation there though: The budget was really tight and a lot had to be rented (yeah Spanish tv cannot boast of great budgets, in fact this series was almost cancelled before it was released. ) Still I think they did a better job at the costuming than “The Tudors”, but that is my opinion.
        And it might seem slow at first (That’s because prime time series’ episodes here are longer than in the USA), but trust me, it picks up after the first two episodes. (And really, there are some performances that are really worth the 20 extra minutes per episode)
        The sequel, “Carlos Rey Emperador” had way more budget for costumes and it shows (shoes instead of boots, codpieces that actually show, costumes that are exant reproductions from paintings, and a long etcetera, even if it also has its downsides). But then, we couldn’t have had that without “Isabel”, which has been pretty much a breakthrough in Historical fiction for TV here (one that I am really thankful for!)
        (Basically this is my way of saying that we had to start somewhere)

        1. “Isabel” is on my to-watch list, so don’t worry, we’ll get to it eventually! All the stills I’ve seen from the series look 50% cheesy rented costumes and 50% surprisingly good. Like this outfit:

          Really showcases how weird Spanish fashion was in the 15th century, which I personally think is great. There was no attempt to sex it up… Isabella was incredibly pious, plus there’s that great Moorish influence that is coming through… I’m actually pretty impressed.

  2. Not a deal-breaker in my opinion, the costumes pretty much ring true although the train on that first dress is a bit strange. And yeah, the hair needs to be a bit more under control (I guess it’s that chicks in flowing locks thing…).

    Not a bad movie although some of the clothes didn’t make sense. And this was definitely not one of Gerard Depardieu’s better movies.

  3. What struck me when I watched this movie years ago, was the fact that we really need a miniseries on Isabella la Catolica and Ferdinand of Aragon.

    The costumes were rich, but off a bit. I knew that the head should be covered, but the dresses themselves were not quite right. Thanks for pointing out the errors. I hate back lacing as much as the next FrockFlicker, but the hair loose was more annoying.

    1. You’re in luck! There’s a miniseries that has recently aired in Spain called “Isabel”. I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet, but it’s on my list to review. :)

  4. It’s been over a year – I would really love to see what the Spanish costuming experts have to say on the ‘Isabel’ miniseries. Also, the Assassin’s Creed take on Spain would be great too.

  5. I am interested in Spanish fashion of Isabella of Castille’s period, but I am having trouble finding anything that really is credible. I don’t know if I should be looking at early Tudor, which the Spanish supposedly influenced, or something else. Info is scant wherever I look. A little help and advice would be nice.

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