Clothing in the Titanic movie

[Amie Hooper]

Please forgive me if this is in the wrong place, I couldn't find a place to put it. Anyway not long ago I was doing an assignment for one of my classes. It was all on the dress for women from the 1900 to 1940, don't ask me why I did that topic, but I did. Anyway I came along this dress.

I didn't notice it at first, but later on it seemed very similar to a dress that Rose wore in the movie. It was the first dress you see her in. Now it was very hard to find a picture that showed the whole length of the dress so please forgive me on the pictures.

But the thing is, the research i did says that the dress was out in August 1912, why after April. I'm not one of those people who see every wrong little thing and get angry about it or whatever, I'm just wondering if the dress they used wasn't out or not yet.

I hope that made sense, it's late and I'm not quite thinking straight.

Amie

 

[Jeremy Aufderheide]

It's not the same dress though. It's similar in stripes but not of fit.

Would Rose have bought off the rack?

Further, she'd just been to Paris and I doubt that she wouldn't have bought some clothes.

[Moderator's Note: This post and the one above it, originally posted in another topic, have been moved to the one discussing the same subject. JDT]

 

[Martin Williams]

Well spotted, Amie! The two dresses are indeed very similar.

A young lady like Rose would not have been likely to buy off the peg. As Jeremy points out, she had very recently been in Paris and, whilst there, no doubt visited the exclusive couture houses (or 'maisons'), such as those of Worth, Paquin, Doucet and the Callot Soeurs. Hence the array of finery she appears in throughout the voyage.

In 1912, just as today, the collections of the great designers were scrutinised carefully by the likes of Edith Russell and the latest trends would then have filtered down into the ready-to-wear sector. So it is quite possible that a couture dress of April, 1912, would go on to inspire copies and imitations over the next few months.

You might be interested in some of the itemised insurance claims filed by the female survivors of first-class after the sinking. Charlotte Cardeza's is, famously, the longest and most descriptive, a veritable 'who's who' of the fashion world, but Dorothy Gibson, Dorothy Harder, Molly Brown, Leontine Aubart, Marie Spencer and Emma Bucknell also prepared schedules of the clothing they had lost in the disaster and these provide a fascinating insight into the glamour and luxury of life for the Edwardian rich.

Lastly, it is not in fact likely that any woman would have worn white during embarkation. Stunning though Winslet's ensemble is, it would have been hugely impractical in a damp, dirty and smutty dockyard. Far more suitable for the races at Ascot or a garden fete in Newport!

 

[sashka pozzetti]

I presume it is a modern costume? the designer certainly could have used the picture you found as it has very similar features.

I am not sure she would have worn white either, but fashion does ignore practicality. Just think of white tennis clothes and grass stains!!

I would think that the main thing is that the film people were also thinking about the symbolism of the Rose character at that point at the beginning of the film, and also, because she was the star and it is her first scene, want to make sure she stands out in front of the background

 

[Inger Sheil]

In 1912, just as today, the collections of the great designers were scrutinised carefully by the likes of Edith Russell and the latest trends would then have filtered down into the ready-to-wear sector. So it is quite possible that a couture dress of April, 1912, would go on to inspire copies and imitations over the next few months.

How swift was the dissemination of fashion from couture houses in the teens, Martin? I understand that by the 1920s, copyists could have first generation imitations almost as soon as new fashions were displayed, and second generation copies would be available in weeks, then on through catalogues to make versions of them widely available within months. Did it work that way in the teens?

 

[Jenna Watts]

Where could I find copies of the insurance claims that were filed?

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Jenna, try

TIP | Limitation of Liability Hearings | Claims.

Electronic - Fully Searchable - transcripts of the complete U.S. Senate and British Board of Trade inquiries, and reports, into the sinking of the S.S. 'Titanic.'

www.titanicinquiry.org

I'm sure there are more out there and some researchers would dearly love to find them. Unfortunately, the real trick is finding which dusty old archive where the records...if they survived...are still retained.

 

[Jenna Watts]

Thanks so much! That should help quite a bit with my Titanic project.

 

[Brandon Watford]

According to James Cameron and the costume designer the costumes for Rose were designed right down to the minute of Edwardian fashion. Mainly because Roses back story is that she just purchased her trouseau in Paris for her marriage in the spring to Caledon. It is very likely that the style didn't actually come out until a few months later than Titanic's crossing. But definitely 1912-1913.

 

[Joe Campbell]

I looking for a good picture of the shoes that she wore with this dress if any one can help me?

 

[Rocky]

Wooow~That's a amazing dress!I didn't notice it neither.Thanks a million Amie!

 

[Matthew Mozingo]

I believe that Rose’s embarking dress was directly based on this dress. According to the original video it first appeared in the January issue of Les Mode in 1912.

Here is the original video