TBT: Sense & Sensibility (1995): Marianne

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The 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen‘s Sense and Sensibility is, for me, one of the ultimate frock flicks. It’s one of a spate of films from the 1990s that made a strong attempt to achieve period accuracy. Its screenplay was thoughtfully adapted by Emma Thompson, and it was directed with care by Ang Lee. The performances — by Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and more — are strong and pretty much everyone is well cast. I’ve put off doing a real, thorough review of this film because while it’s not the flashiest, it’s so pivotal to me. So I’ve finally decided to break things up, looking at each main character individually, as well as some of the supporting characters in groups. According to Thompson’s script, the filmmakers have chosen the round year of 1800 in which to set the film – at least, the opening scene is March 1800.

Last week, I reviewed Elinor’s wardrobe and went over the basics of English women’s dress around 1800. Today, let’s look at Marianne, and go into how her wardrobe reflects some specific styles of the 1790s.

Costuming Marianne Dashwood

As discussed last week, the costumes were designed by the great Jenny Beavan and John Bright. According to an article in the LA Times, the two did their research using:

“The paintings of English artists Thomas Rowlandson, John Hopper [they mean Hoppner], George Romney and others, viewed at the Witt Library at London’s Courtauld Institute, which houses reproductions of many artists’ work. Also, fashion plates of the period from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum” (Fashion/Screen Style: Grecian Formula).

Here’s a few examples of artworks by those artists, so you can see what Beavan and Bright were going for. It’s interesting to note that these are more “18th century” artists than “19th century,” which again points to the film’s design being more 1790s than 1800s (or 1810s).

Portrait of the Frankland Sisters by John Hoppner, 1795, National Gallery of Art

Barbara, Marchioness of Donegal, third wife to Arthur Chichester, 1st Marquess of Donegall by George Romney, 1793, Sotheby’s

Comforts of Bath: The Concert by Thomas Rowlandson, 1798, Yale Center for British Art

Obviously Marianne’s wardrobe is subject to the same financial limitations that we discussed last week regarding Elinor’s, and she would be in the same kind of mourning as her sister. Marianne, however, is the “sensibility” of the novel and film’s title, which in this period meant more what we might call romanticism: feeling things deeply, being attuned to nature and emotion. However, that doesn’t mean her wardrobe should be fluttery and frilly; as one scholar notes,

“Marianne’s simple but elegant dresses reveal her good taste” (The Cambridge Companion to Literature on Screen).

Marianne’s Purple Gown

It’s cut similarly to many of Elinor’s dresses, with what looks like a drawstring neckline, which does appear to have been an option in this era — although a less common one:

Dress, 1810-15, Victoria & Albert Museum

More common would be a “drop front,” where the front is attached at the waistband, but there’s a separate piece underneath that closes, then the front flips up and is pinned at the side — like this:

The ovals show where the front is pinned up to cover the underpieces | Gown, 1800-05, Victoria & Albert Museum

Here you can see the underpieces, with the front folded down | Drop front gown, 1808, Isobel Carr collection

Marianne’s dress is gathered at the neckline, and there’s no overlap at the side bust indicating a drop-front. But check out how lovely that black and gold shawl is!

There’s an actual waistband piece, not just a seam.

The back pleating is lovely.

Marianne’s Dark Green Gown

Although the purple dress is semi-somber, I think this is her nod to mourning. She doesn’t wear it often — for a quick scene where they’re searching for houses, for washing Margaret’s hair, and for the scene where she reads Willoughby’s “I’m an asshole” Letter.

It has what again looks like a drawstring neckline, but then a center back closure, which is a little odd.

The fabric has a small woven sprig pattern.

It looks like it buttons closed in back?

Marianne’s Blue Evening Dress

Made of light blue silk taffeta, Marianne wears this for almost all the evening occasions. This one is an actual drop-front! The fabric looks like silk taffeta, and there’s gold trim around the waistline, as well as two gold “things” where the drop front fastens.

Costume designer John Bright mentions in this interview that the director asked him to add waistline accents so that the ladies’ dresses didn’t “disappear below the frame.” I’m guessing this mother-of-pearl (?) brooch is there for that reason.

Here you can see the drop-front flap, and the gold thingies at the attachment point. Note the fabric has a subtle woven pattern.

The dress has a train, which adds to its formality.

Marianne’s Sleeveless Overdress

I think she generally wears this over her dotted dress discussed below. I’m thinking the fabric is silk taffeta? I was all set to say “WTF” to the sleeveless-ness, but then I found this sucker:

Costumes Parisien, 1802, Tunique a la Mameluck

I like the low V neckline and the turn-back revers.

There’s a subtle scroll-y pattern in that fabric.

A Swedish curator and costumer just posted these pics of this ensemble when it was on display at Skokloster Castle:

 

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Marianne’s Nightgown

Again, I am a completionist!

Marianne’s Pelisse

Made of grey wool, with a ribbed slightly blue-ish fabric for the collar and revers lining.

Please tell me that’s note fine-wale corduroy?

I like the slightly double breasted front.

Marianne’s Peach Formal Gown

This is one of my favorites. I’m saying it’s a formal gown because she wears it to lunch at the Jennings’ and then again to an evening party at their house. I wish she wore it more!

The gown’s cross-over front makes it one of the styles that dates more to the late 1790s than the early 1800s. Cross-over fronts were generally Middle Eastern/Asian references, like this gown with “Turkish front”:

Gallery of fashion, 1797-98, Pink muslin robe with Turkish front

Here’s an extant dress with a slight cross-over front | Morning Dress, American, 1806, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Again, there’s a subtle pattern in the fabric. Note the gold trim along the waistband, just at the crossover, and then around the cuffs.

A rare back view on the left. The gathers are really focused at the center back, which gives it a nice drape from the side.

Marianne’s Sheer Dotted Dress

She wears this WAY more than I remember! Looks like a functional gathered neckline, and it’s worn over a solid medium blue underdress.

A short train.

Now I see it’s both dotted AND striped.

The wet scenes actually show us a ton, like the opening at the center front!

And you can really see the line of the underdress.

No back closure.

Like I said, she wears this a LOT!

This is one of the best views of the fabric.

Marianne’s Peach Robe

This is the other style worn by both sisters that really nod to the 1790s — the “robe.” These were essentially open-front overdresses, although they could have a bodice front closure, and they were worn over lighter underdresses. From my research, they seem to be vestiges of late 18th-century robes à la française, turque, etc., in that they often have pleats along the side front (like the française) and no waist seam in the back.

Gallery of Fashion, 1794, Robe a la turque

A lot of people have connected the robes in the film to this extant robe at the Victoria & Albert Museum:

Gown, 1790-95, Victoria & Albert Museum

Which is patterned in Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion books:

Janet Arnold’s drawing of the same robe from Patterns of Fashion

They also remind me of this robe, also at the V&A (but you can find many examples of this style from the 1790s):

Gown, 1790-95, Victoria & Albert Museum

Marianne’s robe is a self-striped peach, and now I’m finally noticing she’s wearing it over a floral sprigged gown.

Slight train in back, and she often wears it with a ruffled, lacey fichu.

A bit more of that fichu.

The back is cut without a waist seam.

Note the stitched-down pleats along the side, and then the bit that closes across the bodice front.

On display.

Marianne’s Short Cape & Spencer

Which she wears over her dotted dress. The spencer is velvet with a cross-over front. I’m still dubious about the low-necked spencers, but they certainly wore short contrasting overbodices:

Note this is sleeveless, however | Costumes Parisien, 1798

Hood up, hood down. Note the fringe on the shoulder area.

It’s basically a horizontal rectangle that hangs low in front.

Marianne’s Wedding Gown

A beautiful dress, described when exhibited as:

“One-piece cream mesh fabric with straw worked standing collar and long trained skirt bordered with open work straw braid, heavy gold and silver beading over cream gauze underskirt studded with tiny silver stars. Cream full-length petticoat. Lace bonnet and veil with small flowers” (Costumersguide.com).

A contemporary newspaper article describes it as “metallic gold lace and silk net” (Fashion/Screen Style: Grecian Formula).

So much to look at! The standing ruff, the overgown, the lace ,the embroidery, the veil…

Note the veil has a wired brim.

Marianne’s Hats

I love her fabric-crowned capote shown above; she also has several straw-only bonnets/hats:

Beautiful edging.

Marianne’s Hairstyles

I think a lot of us remember Marianne’s hair as worse than it was because of the weird, hyper formed curls on the DVD cover:

Luckily, it looks much more naturalistic in the film. The LA Times reported,

“Masses of tightly wound curls … fit in with the Greek look. In the 19th Century, curls were achieved with rag rollers. On the set, many of the actresses slept in pin curls and used heated soft foam hair twists for extra help, while others simply wore wigs” (Fashion/Screen Style: Grecian Formula).

Marianne’s hair is more early- to mid-1790s, with the shorter curls around the face and longer in back:

English women’s hairstyles, 1786-1800 (all culled from Wikimedia Commons)

You do these looks in the period, but by c. 1800 all-up styles are more common:

Various hairstyles from Gallery of Fashion, 1794-1803

Nonetheless, her hair has more variation than I remember:

Which is your favorite of Marianne’s costumes? Stay tuned next week, as we dive into some of the other supporting characters!