Are Movie Costumes Historically Accurate Part II: The Favorite (Re-Upload Without Background Music)

In this video I review the costumes in the new period drama "The Favorite."

Here is the link to the trailer:

Historic Royal Palaces just uploaded this video about "The Favorite" with Dr. Lucy Worsley:

[syedmazharhasan]

Great video ma'am. As a fashion history enthusiast, you have gained a new subscriber.

I just wanted to point out, that according to director of the movie, the costumes were Black and white, because they are supposed to represent chess pieces (because Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are playing a political game), where as the men in the movie are very VERY colorful to represent that they are just show pieces, and not really important. Moreover, the men's color palette represents their political parties.

In terms of the general costume making, the costume designer Sandy Powell confessed that she did not have a lot of budget for the movie; so the dresses worn by lower class are torn up denim pieces, and the drapery/lace of upper class is completely cotton and synthetic fiber. Their main focus was to get the silhouette right, because they did not want to "disrespect" the time period, but the fabrics in general, and the color palette are very modern.

The script was intended to be macabre, uncomfortable, and extremely non-18th century, because most of the things and words used (blue birthday cakes, wheel chairs, festive stockings, the words like "f**k", "mascara", "monster to play with the children", ) are extremely modern, and have nothing to do with the time period.

[MrDoglover]

I absolutely love The Favourite!! While it's not historically accurate in its entirety, I feel like its almost a bit of fresh air seeing it like a movie that has this historical setting but a lot of 'modern behaviours.' Not to mention the color scheme. A lot of it has a good cut of the period as far as I can tell, bc Sandy Powell is one of my fave designers.. but even the colors give it that air of the period drama without being a super rich and saturated visual.