The Fashionable Rogue, Part 3: Rhett's Honeymoon Wardrobe

Today we bring you the third and final installment of our Fashionable Rogue mini-series, which explores the historical sartorial styles behind Rhett Butler's Gone with the Wind wardrobe. For this last edition, we're featuring two styles donned by Rhett on his honeymoon: his red silk robe from the steamboat scene and his tuxedo from the dinner scene in New Orleans. 

Quite oddly, it turns out that Rhett wouldn't have had to look very far at all to find inspiration for his red robe and tuxedo--both of the fashion plates we uncovered feature these two items, randomly enough. Perhaps a red robe and a classic tuxedo were merely wardrobe staples for the debonaire Victorian man? Either way, had Rhett been uncertain about what to pack for his honeymoon, he'd only have to look as far as his latest men's journal to  help determine the appropriate selection of clothing.

Like always, you'll find the fashion plates after the jump. Check them out and let us know what you think! 

The Fashionable Rogue, Part 2: Rhett's Bonnet Scene Suit

Today we're pleased to bring you the second installment of our new three-part mini-series, The Fashionable Rogue, which explores some of the possible historical inspirations behind Rhett Butler's wardrobe in Gone with the Wind. Last week, we looked at Rhett's white suit worn during the burning of Atlanta. This week we're bringing you an earlier sartorial selection by Captain Butler--the gray suit and black jacket combo he wore to tempt Scarlett with bonnets and bangles and lead her into a pit to present Scarlett with a very generous gift from the Rue de la Paix.

You'll find the fashion plate and corresponding GWTW screenshots for comparison after the jump. Check them out and let us know what you think! 

The Fashionable Rogue, Part 1: A Rhett Butler Edition of Doppelganger Styles

It just isn't fair to let Scarlett have all the fun with the fashion plates. Rhett's bound to get jealous, being such a handsomely dressed man and all. So, in order to defuse Captain Butler's jealousy (always a scary thing), today we're pleased to unveil The Fashionable Rogue. This three-part mini-series will explore the historical styles behind some of our favorite scoundrel's costumes from Gone with the Wind--ala our earlier Doppelganger Dresses series, only this time it's all suits instead of silk dresses, of course. 

After the jump, you'll find our first lookalike style--Rhett's white suit and Panama hat combo worn the fateful night he piloted Scarlett out of Atlanta...and then abandoned her to join the army. Ah, rogues! They always seem to leave you when you need them most (and in this case, look impeccably dressed doing it.) Check out the fashion plate and let us know what you think! 

The Puzzle of the Puffed Sleeves: What Scarlett's Wedding Dress Should Have Looked Like

"In the midst of this turmoil, preparations went forward for Scarlett's wedding and, almost before she knew it, she was clad in Ellen's wedding dress and veil, coming down the wide stairs of Tara on her father's arm, to face a house packed full with guests."

--Gone with the Wind, Chapter VII

Back when the Doppelganger Dresses series in full swing, one dress I definitely hoped to feature was Ellen's and subsequently Scarlett's wedding dress. So I plugged the numbers to refresh my memory as to what year Ellen married Gerald O'Hara. (Ellen is 32 at the start of GWTW in 1861, meaning her wedding at age 15 was in 1844.) With the date in hand, I went off to search for fashion plates.....and found nothing that even remotely resembled the massive-sleeved creation that Walter Plunkett made for Scarlett's wedding to Charles Hamilton (shown right). 

That was very puzzling to me--that the 1840s dress silhouette appeared to bear no resemblance at all to the bridal style shown in the movie. But dozens and dozens of fashion plates later, I couldn't avoid that fact. Big sleeves were distinctly out in the 1840s. Dresses featured tight sleeves, perhaps with a few delicate puffs for decoration, but that was about the extent of it. 

To help you visualize what I mean, here's a good example of day and evening styles from an 1844 fashion plate:

Dress Styles from May 1844. Ladies' Companion.

So, what did Plunkett use as the inspiration for Ellen/Scarlett's wedding dress, since it definitely wasn't 1840s fashion? Not being able to figure out the answer to that question, I gave up my search and moved on to look for other doppelganger styles. But this mystery continued to bother me from time to time--until something recently jogged my memory. 

It's true that 1840s dresses eschewed giant sleeves, but this wasn't the case a decade earlier. In the early 1830s, enormous gigot sleeves were all the rage--much like the ones we see on Scarlett's wedding dress. A quick search of 1830s wedding dresses turns up styles much more akin to the dress in GWTW than anything from the 1840s: 

                   Wedding Dress, June 1834. La Mode.                                           Wedding Dress, June 1835. La Mode.

So there's our answer. It looks like Walter Plunkett based his design for Scarlett's wedding dress on 1830s bridal styles, not 1840s. But why? This intriguing note on the Harry Ransom Center's Gone with the Wind costume collection offers one clue: 

"Since Scarlett rushed into the marriage with Charles Hamilton, she would have had to use her mother's wedding dress. So Plunkett fitted the dress on Barbara O'Neil's (Ellen O'Hara) dress form. Consequently, the dress was a little too long and had large sleeves which was the fashion in 1834 when Ellen would have been married." (Emphasis mine)

So did Plunkett simply get his dates wrong and put together an 1830s gown instead of an 1840s one? It seems so. It's also possible that he was just uninspired by 1840s fashion and instead found a historical model more to his liking a decade earlier. Either way, it begs the question: what should Ellen/Scarlett's wedding dress have looked like, if done in actual 1840s style? 

You'll find the answer after the jump, where I've put together a gallery of bridal gowns, all from the year of Ellen's marriage in 1844. Would you rather have seen Scarlett wear a dress like one of these in the movie? Or do you prefer Plunkett's vision? 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 25: Scarlett's Green Striped 'Honeymoon at Tara' Dress

I'm sad to say that today marks our final entry in the Doppelganger Dresses series. However, we've definitely saved our very best match for last! We've uncovered the dress that Walter Plunkett almost certainly used to create Scarlett O'Hara's "Honeymoon at Tara" costume. And doppelganger is absolutely the appropriate word in this case--the period style, which we discovered in an 1866 edition of Godey's Lady's Book, is a near-perfect match for the romantic cream and green striped dress that Scarlett wears to stroll the grounds of Tara with Rhett.

You'll notice, though, that Walter Plunkett did make two visible changes to the historical gown, changing the color of the stripes and modifying the bodice slightly. Other than that, the dresses are mirror images of each other. You'll find the dress after the jump. Check it out and let us know what you think! 

Also, now that our series has drawn to an end, be sure to check out our side page, Walter Plunkett and the Costumes of GWTW, to find a complete archive of the Doppelganger Dresses posts, along a link to our Plunkett bio post and a slideshow of Walter Plunkett's GWTW costume sketches. 

Thanks for reading; we loved working on this series for you!

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 24: Scarlett's 'Lost' Saratoga Dress

Today, the Doppelganger Dresses series takes a look at one of Walter Plunkett's costume designs that didn't make the final cut of Gone with the Wind. Known as the Saratoga dress, the costume was conceived for a scene featuring Scarlett traveling to or from the northern watering hole (a odd plot, to be sure, given how little mention there is of Saratoga in the novel). 

Personally I consider it a shame that the Saratoga dress didn't end up in Gone with the Wind. It's a rather pretty and whimsical dress, one that seems very much in keeping with Scarlett's style from her Mrs. Butler years. Wouldn't it have made a nice addition to the honeymoon sequence, for instance?  

But, alas, the Saratoga dress was destined to be 'lost' from the final film reel of GWTW. Fortunately though, we have at least found its historical precedence. You'll find our period inspiration on the other side of the jump. What do you think of the fashion plate? And would you liked to have seen the Saratoga dress featured in GWTW yourself? 
 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 23: Melanie's Twelve Oaks Dress

To me at least, one of the very best visual moments in Gone with the Wind comes when Scarlett first encounters Melanie Hamilton at the Twelve Oaks barbecue. For the two women serve as such a study in contrasts. Scarlett is daringly dressed in her inappropriate green sprigged dress, while Melanie tranquilly glides onto the scene in a modest, ruffled gray frock. The two leading ladies' costumes serve as a perfect symbol to demonstrate their divergent personalities, a clever bit of characterization by Margaret Mitchell and one that Walter Plunkett effortlessly translates onto the silver screen. 

And today we're pleased to bring you Melanie's Twelve Oaks barbecue dress in our latest installment of Doppelganger Dresses. Both Mitchell and Plunkett deserve kudos for the historical accuracy of Melanie's dress. Fashion plates of the era are filled with gray or steel blue dresses with ruffled trims. After the jump, you'll find two period fashion plates that we thought were especially representative of Melanie's costume. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 22: Maybelle Merriwether's Green Bazaar Dress (Book Version)

"Maybelle Merriwether went toward the next booth on the arm of the Zouave, in an apple-green tarlatan so wide that it reduced her waist to nothingness. It was showered and flounced with cream-colored Chantilly lace that had come from Charleston on the last blockader, and Maybelle was flaunting it as saucily as if she and not the famous Captain Butler had run the blockade.

"How sweet I'd look in that dress," thought Scarlett, a savage envy in her heart.  "Her waist is as big as a cow's.  That green is just my color and it would make my eyes look--  Why will blondes try to wear that color?  Her skin looks as green as an old cheese.  And to think I'll never wear that color again, not even when I do get out of mourning.  No, not even if I do manage to get married again.  Then I'll have to wear tacky old grays and tans and lilacs."

For a brief moment she considered the unfairness of it all.  How short was the time for fun, for pretty clothes, for dancing, for coquetting!  Only a few, too few years!"

--Gone with the Wind, Chapter IX

Today the Doppelganger Dresses series brings you the apple-green dress that Maybelle Merriwether wears to the Atlanta Bazaar--and that Scarlett O'Hara yearns to be wearing  in her place. Tellingly, MM's depiction of this dress, along with the fashion plate we uncovered, recalls Scarlett's own apple-green ballgown, the one she never dons for Twelve Oaks ball due to the outbreak of war. Against this background, Maybelle's dress serves as a great visual cue for MM to demonstrate the impact of Scarlett's changed life and her deep frustration. For Scarlett knew, from experience, that a dress such as Maybelle's would set off her figure quite charmingly. And Maybelle's belledom, in dress very much like one she wore in her own belle days, only serves to rubs salt in the wound. 

Well, enough analysis. The dress is waiting for you after the jump. As always, be sure to check it out and let us know what you think! 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 21: Scarlett's Blue Portrait Dress

Today we feature a paradoxical dress in the Doppelganger Dresses series--Scarlett's blue portrait dress, which holds the unique position of being in Gone with the Wind the movie without being an actual costume. Yet although it's only shown in an oil painting, it's hard to forget Scarlett's lustrous blue dress and white lace shawl--thanks in no small part to Rhett Butler flinging a tumbler of liquor at 'Scarlett in Blue' to vent his frustration over his marital banishment.

After the jump, you'll find a period fashion plate that resembles Scarlett's own blue dress. One important note on that front: Scarlett's dress is miraculously less elaborate than our historical gown. In fact, dare I say it, by the standards of the day (circa 1869), Scarlett's blue portrait dress would be considered downright modest and (horror of horrors!) almost old fashioned. This was the era of the bustle and evening dresses had become lavishly ornate, adorned with flowers, lace, ribbons, and frills galore.  So to find an appropriate match for Mrs. Butler's blue dress, we had to go further back into the archives--to 1855! And even then Scarlett wins the battle for sartorial simplicity.

But enough explanations. Be sure to check out the dress and let us know what you think!

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 20: Scarlett's Green Velvet Wrapper

Well, I suppose if you're going to ban your husband from your bed due to your misguided love for another man, you might as well do it in fabulous mid-Victorian style. At least that's the approach our dear Scarlett takes in the movie version of Gone with the Wind, thanks to the sumptuous green velvet wrapper she dons for her infamous 'no more babies' scene.  

Today the Doppelganger Dresses series tackles the period inspiration behind Scarlett's costume. Full-color fashion plates of the era rarely featured wrapper styles, but we've found a fashion plate that we think matches up well with the green wrapper from GWTW and we're excited to share it with you. 

You'll find the fashion plate in question after the jump, as always. Does it look like Scarlett's wrapper to you? Let us know what you think! 

A Doppelganger Dress of Sorts for Scarlett's Red Christmas Dress

If you remember (come on, it was only last year!), in our Christmas edition of the Doppelganger series, we talked about Scarlett's red and white Christmas dress, the one she wears to send Ashley back to the wars, and showed you a couple of period fashion plates that closely resembled the style of Plunkett's creation. Both of the fashion plates models had long sleeves and we  agreed that the designer's decision to use short sleeves for Scarlett's dress was an inspired one. But as it turns out, he did explore the long-sleeved version both as an alternative for the Gone with the Wind costume and in another movie. 

Here are some screencaps from the 1944 musical Can't Help Singing in which Deanna Durbin plays the part of a headstrong spoiled daughter of a senator who runs away to follow her  boyfriend, an army officer sent to California during the Gold Rush. Plunkett designed the costumes for this movie, and sure enough, you'll notice the striking similarity between the dress Deanna Durbin wears to sing Any Moment Now and Scarlett's Christmas dress. There are, of course, a couple of differences, in color, sleeve length and the overall size of the skirt and crinoline, that are nicely explained by the fact this movie is set a good 10 years before Gone with the Wind. 

Another interesting aspect is the way Plunkett solved the problem of the puffy sleeves that made the dresses from the fashion plates look somewhat matronly and unflattering. The costume from Can't Help Singing has long sleeves, but they only gain volume below the elbow, which creates a more girlish and innocent look than Scarlett's Christmas dress did, and justifiably so.

 

 

You can watch this scene from the movie and see the dress in motion here or here. 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 17: Scarlett's Red and White Christmas Dress

Fresh on the heels of Scarlett's green Christmas dress, the Doppelganger Dresses series is delighted to bring you Scarlett's other Christmastime outfit from Gone with the Wind: the charming red and white gown she wears to say goodbye to Ashley as he returns to war. This dress is one of my all-time favorite costumes from Gone with the Wind, and I think Walter Plunkett did an inspired job in creating it.  It hits all the right notes: it's playful without being over the top, girlish without being too demure, festive without screaming "CHRISTMAS" at the top of its lungs.

Little surprise here, it's also grounded in historical style. After the jump, you'll find two dresses from period fashion plates that bear close resemblance to Scarlett's own Christmas gown. One important difference to note: both of our period selections feature long sleeves, as was standard for day dress styles. Plunkett actually did toy with a long-sleeved version of this costume, but opted for the short-sleeved version instead, which he felt made Scarlett look more youthful. 

The fashions are waiting for you after the jump. Check them out and, as always, let us know what you think. Which one reminds you most of Scarlett's red and white Christmas dress? 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 16: Scarlett's Green Christmas Dress

The Doppelganger Dresses series gets into the holiday spirit this week! For our latest edition, we're delighted to bring you a period inspiration for the enchanting green Christmas dress Scarlett wears over Ashley's Christmas furlough. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I have a love-hate relationship with this dress. I love it because it's such a sweetly romantic gown and because Scarlett looks so fetching in it. But I also hate it because Scarlett looks so fetching in it... and it's all for the benefit of that wishy-washy, feckless Ashley Wilkes.  

But let's place my own prejudices aside for a moment and move on to the main attraction: the dress, of course. After the jump, you'll find a period fashion plate that recalls our dashing heroine's own Christmas outfit. Check it out and let us know what you think! 

And be sure to stay tuned for next week's installment of Doppelganger Dresses, where we'll feature Scarlett's other Christmas costume from Gone with the Wind, the red and white dress she wears to say goodbye to Ashley as he returns to war. 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 15: Carreen's Checked Skirt and Vest from the Prayer Scene

Carreen O'Hara returns for an encore appearance in our latest edition of the Doppelganger Dresses series. This time, we've found a historical fashion plate that matches up nicely  with the checked skirt and vest that she wears in during the family prayer scene at the beginning of the movie. 

Check it out after the jump and, as always, let us know what you think! 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 14: Bonnie's Blue Velvet Riding Habit

We have a beautiful, if tragic, costume from Gone with the Wind to feature as this week's Doppelganger Dresses entry: Bonnie Blue Butler's blue velvet riding habit. 

The matching fashion plate is waiting for you after the jump. Does it look like Bonnie's riding habit to you? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 13: Suellen's Twelve Oaks Dress

While I'm not a big Suellen O'Hara fan (who really is?), I must say that I find the pink dress with ruffled flounces that she wears to the Twelve Oaks barbecue to be rather pretty. 

Those of you who also like the dress (if perhaps not the owner) are in luck, as Suellen's Twelve Oaks dress is the focus on this week's edition of Doppelganger Dresses.

As always, you can find the matching period fashion plate after the jump for your consideration. What do you think? Does it look like Suellen's dress to you? 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 12: India's Twelve Oaks Dress

Ah, India Wilkes, she of pale lashless eyes and vengeful heart.  Well, it turns out that even a GWTW villain gets a historically inspired costume, albeit a rather plain one in keeping with  her aforementioned villain status.

On the other side of the jump, you'll find a period fashion plate that resembles India's matronly outfit from the Twelve Oaks barbecue--a tan dress with a prim lace cap. Check it out and let us know what you think! 

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 11: Scarlett's Green Velvet Curtain Dress

It's a dress known by many names: the jail dress, the green velvet dress, the curtain dress, the drapery dress. But whatever name you fancy, there's one description we can all agree on: iconic. 

After all, what other way is there to really describe the extraordinary costume Walter Plunkett created for Scarlett O'Hara's infamous visit to the jail in Gone with the Wind?

And while there's no doubt that Plunkett's dress is a one-of-a kind creation, even this legendary costume has its roots in period fashion from the 1860s. Now naturally there is no such thing as an exact lookalike dress for such a dramatic costume, but we've managed to find a period style that rather nicely resembles Scarlett's green velvet finery.    

One note of interest: our period style is actually a morning robe (or wrapper) versus a proper dress. But we think it checks a lot of "curtain dress" boxes in terms of style, as you'll soon see. Put it together with the jockey hat we mentioned previously, and we believe you've got a good approximation of the costume we all know and love from GWTW.   

 

So check it out after the jump! Does it look like Scarlett's dress to you?

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 10: Ellen O'Hara's Opening Scene Dress

Today's entry for Doppelganger Dresses comes to us courtesy of reader MCM84, who discovered a wonderful lookalike dress for the first costume Ellen O'Hara wears in GWTW (dark blue dress with black trim and buttons).

Check it out, along with a special bonus, after the jump. And many thanks to MCM84 for his great find and his graciousness in sharing it with us!

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 9: Melanie's Dress for Scarlett's Wedding to Charles

Today Doppelganger Dresses features what I think to be Melanie's prettiest costume in GWTW, the blue and white gown she wears to Scarlett and Charles' wedding.

One of the unique features about Melanie's dress is the crisscross pattern of wide ribbons that decorate the hem of the skirt. It turns out that variations of this style were actually common in the early 1860s. With this in mind, we've found two dresses that bear resemblance to Melanie's own. Interestingly, both dresses incorporate pink instead of blue like the movie version. 

Check them out after the jump and let us know what you think.