TV Thursday: Margaret Schroeder

This week, I felt like dreaming about vintage garments. I also felt like spreading the love about "Boardwalk Empire", a new HBO show. It is the chronicles the life and times of Nucky Thompson, the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City, who was equal parts politician and gangster during the Prohibition period of the 20's and 30's. That show has a fabulous photography and great costumes...

In the show, the men are wearing tailored suits, and the women look so effortlessly classy... I am going to scrutinize Margaret Schroeder (Kelly McDonald). In the show, she is an Irish immigrant married to Hans Schroeder, Margaret is a member of the Women's Temperance League, an interest inspired in part by her alcoholic husband's temper.Beautiful and intelligent with a survivor's spirit, Margaret can hold her own with powerful men, traits that serve her well given her rocky domestic situation. And, for our consideration, she wears gorgeous things!

I have picked all of my patterns from The Blue Gardenia. They have gorgeous things! Damn shipping costs! I am going to describe a skirt, a shirt, different dresses, and a coat and hat combination.

Very often, you see Margaret out and about. To keep warm, she wears a beautiful coat and hats. In the 20's, people wore hats. That is just how things were. I wish it would still be true! I love the hat on this picture. Also, the coat looks so well finished, even if it seems a bit coarse (she is meant to be poorer in the first episodes). I love the pattern that is inspired by this picture. It looks so classy, but fairly efficient and pragmatic in the same time.

The second combination is a basic that women wore a lot: a skirt and a shirt. I still love this combo. To me, nothing beats a nice skirt with a pretty, classy and flattering shirt. Margaret is so down to earth but she still always looks impeccable. Back in the twenties, there was no much attention paid to the collars... I love this blouse pattern. It is simple but still so nice and neat! The collar looks so nice too. The skirt pattern looks very straightforward, and I am sure that that is what women were going for.

Now the best: dresses! I love those dresses that are very subtle, pretty and classy. Once again, there is a lot of attention to details around the collars, the pleats, and the sleeves, for example. Weirdly, I love the straight lines of the dresses, with very few accentuation of the waist. It would absolutely not work for me, but I love it on Margaret.

The first dress I found has a gorgeous collar. OK, it is big, but that is why I love it! It makes the whole look smarter. The show covers one of the first elections where women were allowed to vote. Margaret is one of the militants. The pattern has the same dress shape AND that gorgeous collar. I actually think that green and white is a great combination of colors. I's love Mustard, and a shorter length.

The second dress is the one I fell in love with, as soon as Margaret tried it on (on screen). I just cannot ignore the soft buttoning at the back, the beautiful drape of the skirt, the bow at the back. It is so gorgeous, and effortless! The pattern is not completely similar but it has a nice draping on the front, and you can tweak it to add the buttons at the back.

The last dress I have picked has gorgeous pleats around the hips. Its color is so gorgeous, and, again, the collar is wonderful! The pattern has a very similar bodice. I really like that kind of "neckline".

All in all, I love this show. The evening scenes show men in nice suits, and women in flapper dresses. It is just so beautiful! Of course, I also like the storyline. Think Buscemi, Scorcese,...

And you, what do you think about 20's fashion?
Do you watch the show?

Tune in tomorrow for my (finished) Macaron dress ;)