Shout-out to my homies who love the ’70s British costume dramas! I hadn’t watched Lillie (1978) the first time around, but dayum, I sure did get sucked into it recently, watching on Amazon Prime. Usually, I would balk at 13 one-hour episodes, but I was totally engrossed because Francesca Annis as the main character, Lillie Langtry, is so freakin’ good, you can’t look away.
It doesn’t hurt that the costumes by Frances Tempest and Linda Mattock are gorgeous. The story spans Langtry’s entire adult life from age 16 in 1869 to her death in 1929, and yes, the costumes do match all the decades in between. OK, the first episode with Annis portraying Lillie as a 16-year-old (Annis was in her 30s) stretches credulity, but the costumes are appropriate to the period, at least. These are skin-out, head-to-toe historically accurate as they could be in 1978 Victorian ensembles in every scene on every actor, even the random extras, and the styles and fit are exquisite.
With such a visual feast, there’s nothing clunky to distract from the performances, which are equally fine. Annis’ Langtry is ambitious and capricious, driven by a mix of romantic desire and capitalistic greed. She wants the finer things in life but she also wants love; she wants it all, and she believes she can get it in her own fashion. This Langtry is definitely a product of her own times, not an anachronistic feminist icon. She is incredibly strong and independent, but she makes choices that seem self-defeating, even backwards, from a modern point of view.
As Annis told the New York Times:
“The more I read about Lillie Langtry, the more amazing she seemed — and the more I wanted the opportunity to play a woman who was in control and not intimidated by the society she lived in. … Lillie Langtry is a born succeeder. She was 100 percent successful and always in control of her life. She was very intelligent and she was an extraordinary worker, with an unbelievable capacity for enjoying herself … People say to me, did you find Lillie Langtry interesting because she was the first women’s libber. Actually, she wasn’t that at all. Lillie Langtry was an unashamed elitist. The women’s movement is much more democratic. It has to do with all women. Lillie was out for herself.”
Lillie’s successes are often her own, such as on the stage, but her love life tends to bring her despair. The big exception is her affair with the Prince of Wales (played by Denis Lill), which gives her social status and a genuine friendship that she relies upon throughout the years.
Her other wise choice in men, although perhaps because he’s not a romantic entanglement, is Oscar Wilde (Peter Egan). They become friends when she first arrives in London, and despite a few tiffs, Langtry remains one of Wilde’s few friends through his trial and until his death. She speaks movingly of his terrible treatment by society after the trial and seems not to be bothered about Wilde’s homosexuality.
Both of these friendships form the backbone of Lillie’s social circle, along with fellow ‘professional beauty’Â Patsy Cornwallis-West (Jennie Linden), yet lovers come and go. Even Lillie’s relationship with her daughter (out of wedlock) is not as strong as these friends.
Costumes in Lillie (1978)
Wherein I try to catalog all the gowns worn by Francesca Annis … whoo-boy, this project took me WEEKS of screencapping. I had to leave out all of the dressing gowns/nightgowns and stage costumes she wore, since the former were usually sitting and the later were often moving, and really, I was getting tired. The quality of Amazon Prime’s version of Lillie is not great, and it will vary depending on your internet connectivity, so thus my images aren’t fantastic. But I hope this gives you a hint at what an amazing production it was.
Oh, and I solely focused on the costumes for Lillie Langtry. There are equally excellent outfits for the other female characters, both named and extras. Plus the male suits are quite fine, ranging from the dandified Wilde to the formal court garb of Bertie to casual American reporters and everything in between.
Looking at Langtry’s gowns, just consider the massive amount of work to create all of these historical costumes. They have structure and substance with correct corsetry, boning, bustles, and petticoats. Check out the details — the fabric prints, patterns, and colors mimic period styles, and gowns are trimmed with beading, lace, embroidery, and fringe appropriate to the eras and in attractive proportions. The hairstyles suit the periods, and characters wear period hats, jewelry, cloaks, and shoes, plus there are appropriate bags, parasols, and fans. This is a textbook example of how to do it right, and that the level of quality is maintained over 13 episodes spanning six decades is stunning. So don’t hold my sometimes shitty screencaps against the series ;)
Episode 1 – Horse Riding
Episode 1 – White Print Day Dress
Episode 1 – White Ballgown
Episode 1 – Green Dotted Day Dress
Episode 1 – Bridesmaid Gown
Episode 1 – White Ballgown
Episode 1 – Wedding Suit
Episode 2 – Wedding Suit
Episode 2 – Pale Blue Bustle Gown
Episode 2 – Purple Bustle Gown
Episode 2 – Dark Dinner Gown
Episode 2 – Tan Traveling Outfit
Episode 2 – Mourning Dress
Episode 3 – Mourning Evening Gown
Episode 3 – Mourning Dress
Episode 3 – Dark Blue Dress
Episode 3 – White Ballgown
Episode 4 – Pink Gown
Episode 4 – Mourning Evening Gown
Episode 4 – Riding Habit
Episode 5 – Cream & Brown Bustle Gown
Episode 5 – Green Stripe Evening Gown
Episode 5 – White Traveling Bustle Gown
Episode 5 – White Ruffled Bustle Gown
Episode 5 – Pale Green Gown
Episode 5 – White Ruffled Gown
Episode 5 – Pink Evening Gown
Episode 5 – Green Print Suit
Episode 5 – Blue Stripe Suit
Episode 6 – Pale Stripe Evening Gown
Episode 6 – White Lace & Blue Bow Bustle Gown
Episode 6 – Lavender Ballgown
Episode 6 – Grey-Green Suit
Episode 6 – White Riding Habit
Episode 6 – Court Presentation Gown
Episode 6 – Yellow Stripe Bustle
Episode 6 – White Satin Bustle Gown
Episode 6 – Harlequin Costume
Episode 7 – White Lace & Blue Bow Bustle Gown
Episode 7 – Vignette
Episode 7 – Tan Lace Bustle Gown
Episode 7 – Pink Bustle Gown
Episode 7 – Blue & White Stripe Bustle Gown
Episode 7 – White Satin Bustle Gown
Episode 7 – Rust Evening Gown
Episode 8 – Ivory Maternity Gown
Episode 8 – Brown Maternity Gown
Episode 8 – White Embroidered Bustle Gown
Episode 8 – Cream Ballgown
Episode 8 – Copper Smocked Bustle Gown
Episode 8 – Black & White Stage Debut Gown
Episode 8 – Striped Dinner Dress
Episode 9 – Dark Blue Bustle Gown
Episode 9 – Sparkly Black Dinner Dress
Episode 9 – Green Bustle Gown
Episode 9 – Burgundy Bustle Outfit
Episode 9 – Pale Green Print Bustle Gown
Episode 9 – Green Beaded Bustle Gown
Episode 9 – Pale Sparkly Evening Gown
Episode 9 – Blue Print Bustle Gown
Episode 9 – Corset
Episode 10 – White Gown With Embroidered Capelet
Episode 10 – Cream Dinner Dress
Episode 10 – Brown & Green Suit
Episode 10 – Green & White Satin Bustle Gown
Episode 10 – Lace Bustle Gown
Episode 10 – Plaid Shirtwaist
Episode 10 – Purple & Black Evening Gown
Episode 10 – Pink & Grey Scalloped Gown
Episode 10 – Yellow Gown
Episode 10 – Cleopatra Stage Costume
Episode 10 – Gold Evening Gown
Episode 10 – Lavender Suit
Episode 11 – Black Evening Gown
Episode 11 – White Gown With Huge Sleeves
Episode 11 – Burgundy Satin Gown
Episode 11 – Black Day Dress
Episode 11 – Peach Day Dress
Episode 11 – Tan & Lace Suit
Episode 11 – Red Evening Gown
Episode 11 — Ruffled Tan Capelet
Episode 12 – Black Gown & Cape
Episode 12 – Pale Green Day Dress
Episode 12 – Dark Green Gown
Episode 12 – Light Blue & Black Lace Evening Gown
Episode 12 – Cream Suit
Episode 12 – Blue & Lace Gown
Episode 12 – Pearled Evening Gown
Episode 12 – Lavender Suit
Episode 12 – Peach Dinner Dress
Episode 12 – White & Black Suit
Episode 12 – Lace Blouse & Orange Skirt
Episode 12 – Black Dotted Gown
Episode 12 – White Lace Gown
Episode 12 – Mourning Gown
Episode 13 – Light Blue Gown
Episode 13 – Cream Lace Gown
Episode 13 – White & Tan Suit
Episode 13 – Black Evening Gown
Episode 13 – Black & White Fur Coat
Episode 13 – Black Beaded Kimono
Episode 13 – Teal & Lace Dress
Episode 13 – White Lace Gown
Episode 13 – Blue Plaid Gown
Episode 13 – Black Evening Gown & Coat
Episode 13 – White Lace Suit
Episode 13 – Red Velvet Gown
WHEW. That’s 100 costumes worn by Lillie Langtry in this TV miniseries — not even half the supposed 230 costumes Francesca Annis wore! I don’t know where there rest of them went because I swear I only left out maybe 20 (stage outfits and dressing gowns). Maybe that was the count of costume changes or something? Because some outfits were worn in multiple scenes / episodes, sometimes with small changes like a different hat or worn under a capelet. IDK, but I spent a hell of a lot of time already, and I’m out!
What’s your favorite costume in Lillie (1978)?
Find this frock flick at:
I love Lillie. Francesa Annis is one of my all-time favourite actreses. Beauty, talent and brains. Besides being the perfect Lady Jessica Atreides.
Forgotten about this series! it was proper event telly.
Wow. I remember avidly watching every episode. That plain–but sultry!–little black dress is still my favorite, along with the simpler white evening gowns. (Am not crazy about late-Victorian fashion, although these are gorgeous recreations.) Annis and Lill are too thin for their roles; that era appreciated a fine figure of a woman/man. However, at least Lillie is not tightly corseted after her daughter’s birth–nice attention to detail. Her aging make-up and prosthetics or whatever were well thought out, too. (Annis’s make-up in general was pretty discreet. I just saw Visconti’s last movie, “The Innocent,” and its 1890s femme fatale was in full-on mid-70s shadow, liner, mascara, the works.)
I remember loving this as a child, though a lot of the plot left me rather confused. But ALL TEH PRETTY DRESSES! I re-watched it last year and found it had aged rather well, all things considering. :)
What beautiful dresses! Thank you for that heroic screencapping!
This just finally let me subscribe – I’m such a fan of the 1870/80s and those costumes are simply fantastic. I adore the costumes of the 3rd episode – the simple black one and in the end the fabulous white ball gown – stunning. Does anyone know if its historical accurate that she only had one black dress she altered for the occassions?
Yes, she did. It was a cany ploy to hide fact that Mr Landry wasn’t very moneyed.
Thank you Susan for the answer, very fascinating story
Thanks for unlocking the Patreon post. Did you know that Ms Annis was pregnant during filming of the later episodes?
Favourites are the ball gowns and evening gowns especially the Russian/Greek one.
Had you not mentioned the costumes being super gorgeous and accurate in th beginning,I would have fallen off my chair seeing the screencaps.Such quality is seldom expected from 70’s shows,but this one does a brilliant job in bringing the late Victorian era to life.
What is it with the American notion that commoners can’t wear tiaras???
It’s a fantasy – a tiara isn’t a mark of rank. The rule about tiaras in Britain was and still is that they may only be worn either by brides in wedding gowns or by married women at white-tie evening events. It’s a crashing solecism for anyone to wear a tiara at anything less formal than a white-tie evening do, or for an unmarried girl to wear one ever.
BTW, that ‘belt that looks like a vest’ was known in the 19th century as a ‘Swiss belt’, ‘Swiss waist’ or ‘corsage suissesse’. Very popular from the 1860s to ’90s.
I remember a story of King Edward when Prince of Wales scolding Jennie Churchill for wearing a diamond star in her hair instead of a tiara to a white tie dinner. The dress code demanded a tiara.
I think it was Consuelo Duchess of Marlborough, she wore a diamond crescent or aigrette but could not get to the bank on time to get the tiara out.
There’s also the addendum that all rules are off if you’re in direct descent of the monarch.
Princesses usually start wearing tiaras on their 18th birthdays (most observed by the NRF, with “starter tiaras”).
In the UK, Anne, the Princess Royal, borrowed and wore tiaras at official functions before her engagement (and marriage).
I’ve loved the LILLIE miniseries since I first saw it as a youngster decades ago on PBS and I’m so grateful to you for this close-up revisiting of its amazing costumes. I remember being astonished by how perfectly Francesca Annis’s tiny waist and voluptuous bust fit the period and the historical record of the real Lillie. While the video quality isn’t great even on the DVDs and some of the elements aren’t accurate (the wonderful house the series shows as being built for Lillie by “Bertie” was the creation of another woman), the excellent script and superb acting (Peter Egan, Dennis Lill, and Anton Rogers among others are wonderful) as well as the visuals are a delight. Thanks again for this great trip down costuming Memory Lane!
I remember being entranced by the costumes…and Ms Annis of course. All those 70s costume dramas definitely set me on the path to being mad about costume, HA or not! Thanks for this trip down memory lane
Lillie Langtry was a great beauty of the day. Aristocratic ladies would stand on ballroom chairs to get a good look at her. Either photos and paintings don’t do Lillie justice or standards of beauty were different then, probably the latter. Francisca Annis has always been my idea of beautiful. And she aged just as beautifully IMO.
I watched the miniseries a while back through this site’s recommendation, and even I was shocked at myself for getting into it so much. It’s done so well, and of course the costumes are all stunning. I’d 100% wear that white ball gown if I could.