Sew Cinematic Dream Plans!

So now I've thought about what I can actually achieve I thought I'd share some of those iconic movie costumes that I wish I had the skills to make/a reason to wear. Just for fun! And to make all those hours I spend pinning completely inappropriate ideas a little bit worthwhile!

There's so so many of Audrey Hepburn's but here's my favourite few. The Sabrina evening gown is possibly the most exquisitely elegant costume she ever wore in my opinion and the My Fair Lady Ascot dress is just a wonderfully intricate costume. Two for the Road is a particular favourite film of mine and the mini dress of silver discs is so different and modern to all her other costumes it really stands out for me. I don't think I could be doing with sewing on all those discs though!

Grace Kelly is another icon of mine for such a classic, elegant and timeless style. The black and white 'Paris' dress from Rear Window is probably her most well known movie costume and the fact that it is simply black and white with that extra little detail blurring bodice colour into skirt is soo classy. I remember I had a dress very similar when I was young but the skirt was emerald green taffeta and the bodice black velvet...very 1980s and not quite so classy! The blue evening gown is the first thing you see her in in 'To Catch a Thief' (a brilliant film by the way if you haven't seen it). It's also probably one of the first costumes that on sight I've sat up and gone oo at and remembered ever since! The variation in colour in the chiffon overlay because of the way it is gathered across the bodice is such a lovely detail plus that drape across the shoulders is just the epitome of elegance.

The red dress worn by Julia Roberts when she makes her transformation in Pretty Woman is one of the most iconic movie outfits of all time. It was a genius costume design, a classy evening gown on the one hand (especially in combination with the long white gloves) yet the red colour, revealed shoulders and plunge at the centre of the neckline give a hint at her past and her not so prim and proper character. The gathered detail to the hip shows of the drape of the fabric even when still.

The entirety of Kate Winslet's wardrobe in Titanic is just gorgeous. I'd love to design for a wealthy character who could have had her pick of anything and obviously had so much style. Peaking out from under the brim of that huge hat is when we first see Rose and she certainly makes a first impression in that monochrome number. The way the pinstripe is used in the panels is so clever to flatter the figure and I love the way the buttons switch to white as they cross the black waistband. The shirt collar and tie worn underneath give a hint to Rose's desire not to conform to what is expected of her as it would be a fairly controversial thing at the time for women to so directly imitate men's fashion. The evening dress is made quite a feature of in the film as she slips on the beading on the hemline as she's climbing back over the rail of the ship when she first meets Jack. I loved that scene for how tangible and real it seemed  because of the jangling of those beads and the crunch of them under her delicate satin shoe.

A shortened version of this gown may actually be a future sewing project possibility. WAAAAY in the future though. All that fabric cut on the bias is a slightly scary prospect! I'm not a huge Keira Knightley fan but she does look pretty good in that green.

Marylin. Of course.

The red dress Nicole Kidman wears in Moulin Rouge was my favourite costume EVER when the movie first came out. I remember one of the girls I went to school with was dying to wear a copy of it to prom. That never happened and I'm not surprised looking at the skill of the construction in this gown. The cut and fit of it is beautiful and I absolutely love the back, kind of an exaggerated version of the pleats representative of the folds of petals at the back of Kate Middleton's wedding gown don't you think?

Finally a bit of an unusual choice. This hat worn by Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I loved this woman when I was growing up, I wanted her clothes, her car, the doll version of her and most of all her garden! This hat is always the image that springs to mind with her character, the sheer flowing pieces that fall from the band and wrap around the neck is a brilliant design idea.