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!

Poster of the Week

This week, China brings us its version of the most famous GWTW poster image of all time. Enjoy!

Image from movieposterdb.com.

Heroine Love!

Do you guys remember Erin Blakemore, whose book The Heroine's Bookshelf came out  a few months ago? Her book in general and her chapter on Scarlett in particular made quite an impression on us back then, and now Erin is back with an awesome event at her blog! Through the first weeks of February, she's celebrating Heroine Love by inviting bloggers to write about heroines they love. Head out there to check out our post today, the suit of great contributions so far and the prizes you can win! Oh, and alternatively, keep in touch with the event and The Heroine's Bookshelf road to bestsellersdom here, on Erin's Facebook page.

http://theheroinesbookshelf.com/

Rue de la Paix

This week's collage gives us a modern update of Scarlett's iconic barbecue dress. Enjoy!

Gone with the wind by raluca7794 featuring bootie heels

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! 

Poster of the Week

We northward from Italy and on to Belgium for this week's poster, which features the well-used image of a swooning Scarlett in Rhett's arms. Owning to the country's dual cultural tradition, this circa 1940s-50s poster comes in both Dutch and French language versions. 

Image from movieposterdb.com.

Fifteen Witty Authors and the Sequel to Gone with the Wind

It's the burning question embedded into very heart of Gone with the Wind: What happens next? If you're looking for different answers to that question than the ones served up by Scarlett and Rhett Butler's People (heaven knows we are), today we have a very special treat for you!

Reader Shaninalux, who you might remember from her wonderful guest post about Margaret Mitchell and the conclusion to GWTW, discovered a gem of an article in an old edition of The New York Times that discusses sequel ideas for our favorite novel. It was originally published in August 1976, following initial announcements about an official sequel and movie script. In it, 15 prominent authors of the day sound off about their own plot ideas for a GWTW sequel. Their suggestions range from the lighthearted to the serious to the downright absurd. You'll find them all waiting for you after the jump.

We hope you enjoy this eclectic mix of sequel suggestions. Do you have a favorite suggestion out of the bunch? Or simply one that strikes you as the funniest? Let us know in the comments!

Many thanks to Shaninalux for sharing this with us!