How to Dress Like Vivien Leigh in "Gone With the Wind"
"Gone with the Wind" is an American film that was released in 1939. During its time of preproduction, every actress wanted the coveted lead role of Scarlett O’Hara. It was one of the strongest female characters ever displayed on film. English actress Vivien Leigh landed the role and portrayed her in a way that only she could. Her southern drawl, wide eyes and feminine demeanor are all things that women everywhere have tried to copy. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Get with the times. Being that the film takes place in the late 1800s, all of Scarlett’s outfits are definitely one of a kind. They represent the different changes in the character and her life, from being rich to being poor. Finding outfits similar to these will require serious research, a seamstress, time and money.
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Research Walter Plunkett. He was the award-winning costume designer for the film. During this time, he was the man to hire when you produced a lavish production. Looking at some of his other period pieces, he had a penchant for dressing women in such films as "Little Women" and "Showboat."
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Start from the inside out. The big, poofy dresses that Scarlett O'Hara wore had small waists and wide bottoms. This shape partly came from her undergarments. Shape wear is worn under dresses, shirts and skirts to give the illusion of a more defined silhouette. These include corsets, bustiers and tourners. You can still find these at any lingerie store.
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Find dresses for every occasion. Scarlett lived during a time when women were confined to wearing dresses. They didn’t have many options, so they had different dresses for different events and time of day. Carriage dress was for traveling, evening dresses were for dinners and entertaining guests, and ball gowns were for formal dances and events.
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Look for overbearing hats--in true Southern fashion, the bigger the better. Hats were a woman's best friend. They were large and layered with flowers and lace. The most common kind were bonnets and wide-brimmed floppy hats.
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