Frock Flicks - Costume Movie Reviews

We review the film version of the Jane Austen novel starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esme Creed-Miles. We liked the 1790s costumes but found the plot heavy-handed.

We review the ninth and tenth episodes of this darkly comedic take on 18th century Russian Empress Catherine the Great starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. We have mixed opinions about the finale, make some hopefully interesting digressions, and give season one a solid B grade for absurdist history.

We review the seventh and eighth episodes of this darkly comedic take on 18th century Russian Empress Catherine the Great starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. Beautiful textiles and excellent fitting abound, but we are getting bored of all the repeats and want more from the court dress.

We review the third and fourth episodes of this darkly comedic take on 18th century Russian Empress Catherine the Great starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. Not much new happens in the costume department but we discuss it nonetheless.

We review the third and fourth episodes of this darkly comedic take on 18th century Russian Empress Catherine the Great starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. The designer's departures from historical accuracy work well with the show's comic tone and only loose relationship to history.

We review the first two episodes of this darkly comedic take on 18th century Russian Empress Catherine the Great starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. The series is similar in tone to show runner's Tony McNamara's The Favourite. Costume designer Emma Fryer's work is close enough to Catherine's era, and most importantly, it is well-made and well-fitted.

We review this late 18th century-set French, female-focused film. We agree it is a beautiful movie, with well-done, if non-specific, costumes. We also discuss what we are watching during quarantine.

We review the Crawley clan's jump from TV to the big screen. Fans of this historical soap opera will delight in seeing the aristocratic family and their servants again. While we adored the glorious 1920s costumes by Anna Robbins, we have some issues with the predictable plotting.

We review this attempt at a biopic about the famous 16th-century Scottish queen. This movie weirdly wastes time on a reductionist view of Elizabeth I of England at the expense of Mary's story. With costumes designed by Alexandra Byrne, whose designs feature denim, saddlebags, and a whole lot of WTF, we end up asking WHY a lot.

We review this tale of court intrigue set in the early 18th century. Two women (Sarah Duchess of Marlborough, played by Rachel Weisz, and Abigail Masham, played by Emma Stone) vie for the attention of English Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman). With costumes designed by Sandy Powell and a historically accurate view of female power and sexuality, we find a lot to praise!