Rose’s wardrobe for the movie was based on the up-to-the-minute fashion whims of 1912. Rose’s European tour would have, in part, been to collect her trousseau from the most “now” Parisian fashion houses. Deborah Scott’s designs for Rose’s costumes were based on various collections of the period. The style of the day was an empire waist (because the damn thing has to appear in fashion every few decades). Skirts were less full and cut closer to the body and a woman of Rose’s age would have been corseting to give a more straight-line silhouette rather than the more curvy style of the Victorian era.
It’s important to keep in mind that Rose was in the society elite. Today, she wouldn’t exactly be shopping at Old Navy. The fantastic wardrobe we glimpse pre-sinking (of her 13 costumes we see 11 of them in the first two acts of the movie over the first 4 days of the journey) would have lasted for a season and then women in her class would have been back to Paris to buy the latest. Well, until 1914, at least. I’m guessing the threat of being torpedoed on the way over and shells falling on Paris cut down on the romance of a little shopping spree in the City of Lights.
My purchase of these costume replicas is somewhat less exotic. I discovered Tracie Arnold when searching for something else on eBay and was thrilled with her reproductions. Her repertoire is extensive and you can see her creations at www.moviegowns.com.
The Edwardians of the upper classes changed their clothes frequently. Like any ship of the era, Titanic would have been staffed with at least one person who could play a bugle and alert people that it was time to get ready for dinner by playing the call “Baron of Roast Beef”. It was a time consuming process. A maid would have been necessary to help Rose dress for any occasion. Not only would Rose need to be tied into her corset, most of her dresses would have had multiple layers that fastened in the back.
Beneath her dress Rose would have worn a chemise that would have reached just above her knees, pantalets (bloomers), her corset and most likely a petticoat depending on the style and cut of dress. My corset is the correct cut for the style of dress but not a properly boned corset. It’s not worth having a period-correct corset made until my weight has stabilized. I have patterns for chemises and pantalets that I will work on when time allows. For now my underpinnings are strictly contemporary.
A million little details were an important part of Edwardian fashion and this costume is embellished with embroidery on the lapels of the jacket as well as the skirt. The embroidery is 100% accurate to the costume in the movie and done in white and blue thread. It has a velvet jacket with satin accents and a satin hobble skirt. This popular cut of skirt was rouched on one side exposing another layer. The suit also features a satin sash tied at the back in a square knot that shows with many folds on the front. The jacket falls to four points that are weighed down nicely with three wooden balls in graduated sizes. The top beneath the jacket is a white lace.
Details of embroiderery on my suit.
The lace chemise.
Hobble skirt and ball detail of jacket.
One of the few movie shots where the suit can be seen almost in full.