Ugh. The White Queen (2013) getting to be quite the slog. Like I mentioned in the last post, the difficulty is that there are hardly any new costumes after about the third episode, which is making it hard to do any significant costume recapping when every episode is showing characters literally re-wearing the same two or three outfits. I wish I had realized this going in because I would have approached this series quite differently, but c’est la vie. Anyway, slogging on…
Elizabeth FINALLY gets a new dress! Not a fan of that necklace, however. At least it’s not on her head.
A full-length view establishing that Elizabeth is about to pop out another heir at any second. I actually love all that ermine, surprisingly. If it’s fake, it’s really well done. What I don’t love is the weird damask and velvet combo going on here. The dress should be all one fabric type.
We finally meet Jane Shore when Elizabeth walks in on Edward shagging his chief mistress. Ah, the faithlessness of men.
A brass funerary effigy of Jane Shore, c. 1490-1500 judging by her clothing, though she wouldn’t die until around 20 years later. This is actually one of my favorite styles of the transitionary period from the late middle ages to the early Tudor period.
Compare the effigy to whatever Jane is wearing in this episode. You see the disconnect here?
Edward finally gets a new outfit, too. It’s ok.
The Neville sisters continue to wear the same outfits as always.
I forget what’s happening in this scene, but that hat is … passable. What I’d like to talk about is the paisley-shawl-wearing lady in the middle and the fact that her hair is 400 years out of date. Was she doing a double shift as one of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting on Victoria?
Marge got fancied up to meet her new suitor. Now that her mother is dead, and she’s inherited all of the Beaufort riches, twice-widowed Marge is quite the catch. She’s aiming to make a strategic marriage with an equally ambitious and morally ambiguous nobleman.
Who just happens to be my boyfriend Rupert Graves, whose doublet is sporting a weird fur trim that makes zero sense and probably wasn’t intended to be seen except for a bit under that cloak. Oops.
Marge gets a new surcoat for their wedding.
Despite no sex being a stipulation of their marriage, Marge has kind of a hard time taking the rejection when her new hubby breezes through her chambers on their wedding night and doesn’t even so much as touch her.
Oh noes! Jacquetta died! Anyway.
I really hate these weird stubby braids on all the noblewomen. Meanwhile, the lady-in-waiting has Proper Headgear™, which is pretty much par for the course.
We get a peek at a new dress on Marge in the very last scene! After all those drab cassocks, this has me legitimately excited. I need to get out more.
And that wraps up Episode Six! Who is sick of seeing the same four costumes over and over? Rant about it with me in the comments.
Jane may not be dressed for the right period, but she’s absolutely gorgeous.
Jane Shore was actually another Elizabeth but apparently even contemporaries thought that was too confusing. Unusually for a royal mistress she was popular with the people. Maybe because she was a Burgess of London, a sort of local girl makes good. But she was also cheerful, good natured and didn’t meddle in politics or make extravagant demands on her lover. When Richard III forced Jane to do public penance popular sympathy was definitely with Jane.
The actress does seem to be so very beautiful that she trembles on the very verge of the Uncanny Valley, it’s true!
My complaints are with the goddamn lighting. Why so dark in almost every scene!
like duh, it’s the Dark Ages, hon ;)
Or more likely, they kept the lights turned low so we can’t see how shitty the costuming is.
😆😆
Margaret Beaufort had a good marriag with Henry Stafford. They spent most of their time together and celebrated their aniversaries with lavish feasts. Even her in laws liked her! But as a rch widow in tumultuous times Margaret needed the protection of a powerful husband. She and Stanley seem to have seen eye to eye from the beginning. As a widower with heirs he was fine with a sexless marriage of convenience and it was a very convenient and apparently friendly arrangement for them both.
The Lancastrians pretty much accepted their defeat at Tewksbury and resigned themselves to Yorkist rule. Henry Tudor’s claim was good enough for Edward to view him as a threat but not good enough to appeal to Lancastrians tired of war. His mother’s sole goal was to get him back in England and his lands and titles back. It wasn’t until Richard usurped the throne that Henry became an appealing alternative for former Lancastrians and disaffected Yorkists.
P.S. Margaret had actually made a deal with Edward IV to restore Henry’s titles and marry him to Elizabeth f York but Edward’s sudden death ended that. If the deal had gone through young Edward V might have had a strong and cunning brother in law to defend him against Richard. For that matter Richard might have felt less threatened if the Woodvilles had had Richmond to keep their influence in check.
The question is whether Henry Tudor would have had more luck than Lord Rivers in surviving the schemes of Richard Gloucester …
Richard may not have regarded Henry as an enemy. If he did….well remember who won in the original history.