The youngest O'Hara girl is the subject of this week's Doppelganger Dresses. On the other side of the jump, you'll find a period fashion plate that features an outfit quite similar to the blue dress with geometric trim and yellow cap that Carreen donned for the Twelve Oaks barbeque. Take a look and, as always, let us know what you think in the comments.
Additionally, be sure to check out sidebar where you'll find our new page, Walter Plunkett and the Costumes of GWTW. Here you'll everything related to our coverage of Gone with the Wind costumes, including a link to our bio of Walter Plunkett, our updated slideshow of Plunkett's sketches (thanks to reader D. for sharing her lovely sketches with us!), and a master list of links for Doppelganger Dresses series for easy reference.
Additionally, be sure to check out sidebar where you'll find our new page, Walter Plunkett and the Costumes of GWTW. Here you'll everything related to our coverage of Gone with the Wind costumes, including a link to our bio of Walter Plunkett, our updated slideshow of Plunkett's sketches (thanks to reader D. for sharing her lovely sketches with us!), and a master list of links for Doppelganger Dresses series for easy reference.
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| Blue dress, July 1857. Godey's Lady's Book. |
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| Close up of dress. |
Images of Carreen O'Hara's blue dress from Gone with the Wind.
Screenshots of costume exhibit at the Road to Tara Museum, from Gone with the Wind: The Legend Lives On.
How old would you hafta be when you would "put your skirts down"?
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming it's the same time as they put their hair up, which in the O'Hara household was at the age of fourteen.
ReplyDeleteI always loved Carreen's blue dress with keyhole trim. I also love the blue outfit she wears the day before.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear to see Plunkett could've been inspired by this design. I find that the children in these fashion plates are always very small, almost miniature adults.
In the final two museum shots the dress appears to be a more vibrant blue than it appears in the film. Is it the original?
In the final shot, in the bottom right corner there is a black and white photo, taken between shooting unused additional scenes for Scarlett's wedding to Charles. It show's Asley with India, Suellen, Carreen and Maybelle dressed for the wedding. I would like to have a gripe, even though the scenes weren't used. Suellen and Carreen are both wearing their barbecue dresses, but instead of hats they have own lace and flower head-pieces. India and Maybelle and all the guests you see in the finished film are wearing evening dresses. Now why would the two girls wear day dresses to their sister's evening wedding, especially considering they'd worn them two weeks before in front of all the same people? Suellen certainly would've been wearing an evening dress, and even though Carreen was still in short skirts, she was allowed to stay up for supper so must have had a child version of an evening dress. It also seems to me that with Scarlett out of circulation, they would be keen to impress her discarded Beaux. Careen had some luck, though not much help for Suellen. Regardless of Frank's age, he was a pretty good catch, having more money and land than anyone in the County. And he was easy to bully, so Suellen would've been set. It's understandable she would want to get her claws in. Here's a question: do you think Suellen actually loved Frank?
Just getting back to that photo - if anyone is interested the dress Maybelle is wearing with the striped bodice is worn by an extra in the bazaar scene. The dress is a peachy-red colour and the stripes are in red. I know you can't see any details from the above shot, but I have this photo and a couple of others in a book. They have India in a satin evening dress with wide lace collar and I'm quite interested to know what colour they would've made it in. In the film she only ever appears in brown, grey or black, so what colour evening dress would have been executed for this 19 year old unmarried girl?
I think that it's appropriate this plate is from 1857. In that year all the O'Hara girls would've been wearing children's fashions. So we could put a twelve year old Scarlett in the green frocks, and eleven year old Suellen in the pink ones.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if anyone else obsesses as much as I do, but I'd be interested in seeing some inspiration for the dress Scarlett is wearing on the porch in 1859 when she first falls in love with Ashley on his return from Europe. It is revealed later in the novel that Scarlett was wearing green flowered dimity. This dress, or Scarlett's appearance in it, causes Ashley to remark that she has grown up. At fourteen she would've just let her skirts down and this is the first time Ashley sees her dressed as a young woman.
I am not qualified to answer your questions about dresses, but regarding Suellen and Frank, I think that Suellen loved Frank in her own way. It probably wasn't the great romantic love of our century (or their century, more likely) but I do think she was genuinely fond of him. She doesn't seem to want someone else.
ReplyDelete