14 thoughts on “The Gilded Age (2022) – Recaps Wrap-Up

  1. I really love that is Ada who wears the military inspired gowns, and not Agnes. That would be too cliché, but with Ada wearing them, they almost represent armor, a way she has of showing Agnes she is not dumb or fragile as her older sister might think.

    I think Mrs. Morris wearing stripes might symbolize that she views the world in ”black and white” and it’s unwilling to change. Still, I agree it’s weird that only her wears them.

    I really dislike how that burgundy gown looks on Marian. It reminded me of one of these (kinda tacky) modern lingerie inspired tops with sheer pannels and it really broke my imersion. The original version looks much better, it looks more like a built in faux cravat, similar to the ones Peggy wears. I guess they chose a sexier ”sheer keyhole neckline” route for Marion?

    Peggy might be the best dressed in the entire show. Her clothes were a delight almost everytime she appeared on screen.

    Even though she is terribly tacky (and I hope she gets a bit more refined with time) I like how Bertha has this ‘art nouveau’ vibe to her (even if it’s too early). It really makes her look like the future, even with her hair, it makes her look gorgeous and so fresh! She might be my favorite character. It was a delight to see that red velvet cape on her (that thing is a dream in every color) but her burgundy velvet gown with gold lace was my favorite hands down, she looked like a queen and it fit her vibe in a elegant way. Might make something similar for myself.

    1. Definitely an art nouveau style to Bertha — it pings that forward-looking attitude that her & her robber baron have. And good point about Ada’s military styles, she’s stronger than her sister makes her out to be.

  2. This is only really related to your last paragraph, but I watched The Age of Innocence last night for the first time and was devoutly thankful for all the full-length shots of the wonderful 1870s gowns, with their flounces and trains and pleats straight out of a James Tissot painting. Lovely stuff.

    1. Yeah, that’s something more likely to be done in movies, & even then, only when they have the time & money. Another one is The Portrait of a Lady (1996).

  3. How ironic that the designer is quoted as saying she wouldn’t put Marian in jewel tones—immediately followed by a picture showing Marian in a deep blue jewel tone!

  4. I think the costumes were, for the most part, really good (although I did find them a little disjointed and not always super connected to the characters, but that’s a minor nitpick). I’ll fully admit to liking more highly-stylized costumes- especially for a cast this big, where it can help if each one has a specific “look” that makes them easier to ID at a glance.

    That said, and I don’t know if this is a fabric issue, a lighting issue, a camera issue, or some combination thereof, but I thought A LOT of the satin dresses came across as very shiny and cheap looking. I know satin was used a lot in the time, and I’ve seen other productions where it reads really well on-screen, but something about the fabric and the way it was lit on-screen came across as kind of “off” to me.

    1. I found it weird that they used so much satin bec. it’s notoriously hard to photograph, anything shiny is. And TV tends to move faster than movies where they might fuss over the perfect lighting & shot. So yeah, the satin gowns came off looking cheap & highlighted any imperfection.

  5. Brava! What a wonderful article.

    (I still think the clothing of this period was UGG-LEE. Except maybe the outré Mrs. Chamberlain. I had to dress like any of these gals, I’d go with her style)

    1. It’s one of my favorite historical clothing eras, so that’s why I wanted to recap this show :) 1870s-1880s can be really wild & OTT. The period can also be really plain & dull. It’s full of extremes!

  6. I haven’t seen the show, but have loved these posts. I’m so impressed at how you can pinpoint the inspiration gown used for recreations. For whatever reason, the character’s faces all look too modern to me, and I don’t know what makeup choices could have changed that.

    But as a librarian, I thought this quote from the costume designer was hilarious:
    “We knew that Ada would have the oranges, browns and greens as somebody who’s like a librarian…” What does that even mean??

    1. A great article but I grieve at the void surronding the millinery on display in the show.

  7. Marion is supposed to be our heroine? Eek!
    Being outcaste from the fashionable world in a house full of art sounds great to me. Go Mrs. Chamberlain!
    I ask myself why Mrs. Astor is wearing upholstery remnants over her dress.
    Peggy does not belong in this show. She belongs in her own. She’s got a much more interesting story than the white socialites! And suggesting that their artificial little world was the center of 19th c. life and history is all wrong. They are a moderately interesting footnote. Peggy and her compatriots mattered in a way the Mrs. Astors most certainly did not.

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