The King's Speech

[w.o.e.is.me.]

Originally Posted by ecclespeccles

I suggest an oscar category for best male suit collar given the obvious public interest in these matters

 

[Despos]

Really, really great film, but yeah... those stinkin' collars!!!

 

[poorsod]

I highly recommend that you watch a clip from the musical "The Band Wagon". starring Fred Astaire. It can be found on YouTube under the title "Steppin' out with my baby" Fred Astaire (I'm sorry I do not know how to post the link.) This has the justly famous slow motion sequence towards the end of the number. It shows Astaire's matchless artistry of course as well as a suit coat that barely moves throughout the entire number. It is well worth watching.

Was his coat cut for dance? Jeffreyd wrote an interesting post about cutting a coat for ballroom dance. http://tuttofattoamano.blogspot.com/...-mobility.html

We spend most of our time with our arms to our sides and so normal suit sleeves are fitted for this posture. If you lift your arm out as if you were dancing the coat will lift a bit; a ballroom dancer's coat is cut so that the cap is very short and the underarm length is much longer- it looks good with the arm extended, since this is the predominant posture for this type of activity, but with the arms to the sides they are dreadful. Had I been able to show this to my client I am sure he would have changed his mind- he does not go through life with his arms extended out. He would be able to hail a taxi and his coat would not move, but how many hours of the day does one hail a taxi versus the number of hours the arms are by the sides?

 

[tps16]

Originally Posted by TRINI

Bump - good interview with the costume designer here.

Seems like not many people read it...

"The only thing I won't forgive him for - and you're welcome to print this - is that to make him look thinner I allowed him not to wear the suit jacket under the coat. To me it looks wrong round the neck. I cannot forgive myself and I'm still kicking myself to this day. Major fault! Major mistake!"

That said, that wasn't the only collar problem

 

[Stazy]

...

 

[needshoehelp]

Great overcoats.

 

[TRINI]

Good interview here with the director re: the wardrobe.

GQ.com: Jenny Beavan told us you were heavily involved in the costumes. What were you particularly keen to get right? Tom Hooper: The real King George VI looked slight, small and awkward. Colin is a strapping lad of 6' 3", has worked with Tom Ford and when he puts on clothes tends to look pretty buff. The hardest thing is that you're trying to create that silhouette with Colin that implies that lack of confidence, anxiety in the body and almost a sort of geekiness that the real king has. Yet of course at the same time royal tailoring would have been the best in the world and he would have looked impeccable. We looked at whether there were tiny adjustments to the fit that we could make to see whether we could get the impression that they were well-tailored but worn uneasily. The other thing was my obsession with avoiding too much "royals dressed as you think they must be". The classic example is the opening of the film, where [screenplay author] David Seidler, understandably, had Colin getting dressed as king in a feather hat and a sword, epaulettes and medals where he was taken to Wembley to meet his father, who was also dressed in sword and feather hat. Then I found some photos of the actual event and he was just wearing a black overcoat, a grey suit and a black hat - like every other man in the stadium. You wouldn't know he was royal. Working with Jenny to avoid too much bling was really important. We made a very conscious effort to put him in greys and blacks, almost funereal colours. I can't tell you how excited I was - it meant he was an everyman figure. Out of that came this image of him up against a dirty brick wall looking scared out of his wits. I wanted to meet him as a man first and a royal second.

 

[TheWraith]

If only those complaining about the fit (collar etc.) would pay attention to the various interviews, perhaps they wouldn't have made fools of themselves as they have.

 

[Yorsch]

I noticed collars.... But come on. this is SF. Didn't anyone else notice that throughout the whole movie he wears the same damn tie. in 1925, in 1934,1935,1936. etc. There is nothing sartorially wrong with that, however it drove me nuts, that he was wearing the same tie all the time. Similar to certain type of people that have 1-2 ties for all occasions. However this is Duke, prince, king..royal blood and etc we are talking about. Costumes is one of the aspects to enjoy of historical movies.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Yorsch

Similar to certain type of people that have 1-2 ties for all occasions. However this is Duke, prince, king..royal blood and etc we are talking about..

 

[Pliny]

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum

- but to be fair, as an officer in the Household Cavalry he's gonna wear their blue and red tie a lot. Charles is a pretty classy dresser IMO - the epitome of style that's never out of fashion because it's never in fashion. Case in point: he has been wearing skinny ties for yonks, so he was out in the nineties and now he's back in. Still wears the Lobb St James he got when his feet stopped growing in his early 20s.

 

[TheButler]

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum

I know, St. David & the leek and everything but that's photo is almost as good as the banana pocketsquare.

 

[DerekS]

Great movie. But the thing that annoyed me the most were his ties. They were never tight enough. It was always too low and showing the top button. That's one of my biggest gripes.

A single man was incredible. Clothing was flawless.

 

[cronicmole]

I was more upset at the Duke of Windsors clothing...he was one of the best dressed men in history and it wasnt portrayed on the big screen.

 

[Yorsch]

Originally Posted by DerekS

A single man was incredible. Clothing was flawless.
I heard. Next one on my list. @Sanguis Mortuum I do see your point. But that tie would pass for classic and timeless. This one on the other hand I doubt...

I still think they could've dress up a bit better.