![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizbeeVery frustrated this evening, because there's a journal article Out There In The Ether about Costume Designer as Author in Doctor Who, with particular reference to "Creature from the Pit", but I don't have access to the database. WOE IS ME.
"The Leisure Hive"
Ah, season 18, how I die a little inside every time I think of you.
"The Leisure Hive" features another one of Romana's iconic costumes -- it's up there with the schoolgirl uniform in terms of being instantly identifiable. It may or may not be coincidence that it has the same white-navy blue-red colour scheme as the school uniform, as well as another straw hat worn around the neck.
Anyway. Here we have a neck-to-knee Edwardian boy's bathing suit, paired with a woman's jacket from the same era, and some adorable little red shoes that I've never been able to get a close look at. According to the DVD, the original plan was to put Romana in a woman's Edwardian bathing suit, but the result was hideously ugly. Instead, costume designer June Hudson selected the boy's costume, which showed off Lalla Ward's figure without being overtly sexy.
If anyone's interested, a photo of the bathing costume-part on display may be found here or here.
"Meglos"
"Meglos" is the chilling tale of a potted cactus whose ambitions outstripped its ambulatory abilities. Despite featuring two Tom Bakers, some rather good cactus make-up, Jacqueline Hill (she was Barbara, y'know, back in the monochrome old-oldschool days) and one of Romana's nicer costumes, it's not very good. Which is probably the reason I couldn't find any full-length screencaps of this story's outfit. Boo. Boo-urns, I say!
Romana starts off in her bathing suit, but eventually changes into a ... well, I'm not quite sure how to describe it. A brocade jacket with matching breeches, puffy white undershirt ... it's all terribly cute, but I have this mental image of Lalla Ward going backstage at the local pantomime, locking Prince Charming in a closet and stealing his costume. It's a good mental image, but also slightly worrying.
Appropriate costume, though. Ward apparently liked to play Romana as a cheeky, old-fashioned kind of teenage boy, so it kind of fits together nicely.(Matthew Waterhouse liked to play Adric as an upper-class woman in her late twenties.)
We have another plunging neckline here, so it's worth pointing out that Lalla's ribs are no longer on display. She did Hamlet in the break between seasons, too, and looked un-emaciated, so hurrah for body fat?
Oh yes, one other thing. This one's red.
"Full Circle"
Another costume that has been undeservingly ignored by screencappers. Look at it! White, high-necked lace shirt, short red jacket that looks like it was modelled on a British army uniform, wide matching skirt with petticoats, little boots ... There is nothing wrong with this outfit. The whole thing is perfect.
Time to bring the E-space trilogy out on DVD, so we can all appreciate it properly!
"State of Decay"
Another two-costume story. We start off with more Edwardian cross-dressing (consider this a formal proposal that 'Edwardian cross-dressing' be added to the interests at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
otp_probably). It's a nice outfit, and practical, but a bit colourless. Did we learn nothing from the errors of season 17? Romana needs colours!
Late in the story, Romana is captured by vampires and prepared for sacrifice (right). Not only do the vampires have a gown handy -- in her size! -- but they're thoughtful enough to touch up her make-up and brush her hair until it shines. They're all right, thsose vampires.
Oh all right, the dress. The pattern on the bodice tapers down and ends just above the waist; the sleeves are long, the dress -- what little we see of it -- is of a nice cut, and overall it's very pretty. I like to think that it's still in the wardrobe room somewhere, just waiting for someone to come along and think, "Yes! If I find myself being sacrificed to vampires today, I will definitely wear that dress!"
"Warrior's Gate"
Tangent time! Rose Tyler's character growth was paralleled by a shift in her wardrobe -- from baggy pinks and greys to bright reds as she took on the persona of the Bad Wolf.Little Red Riding Hoodie. And as we've seen in these posts, Romana undergoes a similar transformation as she evolves from novice (white), to apprentice (school uniform) to a Time Lady in her own right. "I need to be my own Romana," she says as she leaves, and the costume June Hudson designed for her in "Warrior's Gate" was specifically constructed to reflect that journey.
Sadly, I couldn't find a single good full-length picture, so we'll have to go with the grainy behind-the-scenes shot at left. We have: a red silk Chinese blouse, black cropped pants, red stockings and black Mary-Janes. Strong colours for a strong character, in shades more vibrant than the dark burgundy worn by the fading Doctor.
"Warrior's Gate" derives a great deal from Eastern philosophy. At one point, K9 quotes the I-Ching. So Romana's Asian-inspired outfit is not coincidental. According to Reading Through Design, June Hudson constructed the outfit to reflect Romana's search for enlightenment.
I have to admit that, while I groove on the meanings, I don't wholeheartedly love this costume. I desperately want to cinch the shirt in with a belt; the pants are too short, and while the shoes are the very epitome of cute, I'm not in love with the red stockings underneath.
And finally: as the picture on the right shows, this is one of the relatively few episodes where Ward's make-up is visible. I'm not saying it's a bad job; I'm just saying that I noticed it.
And that brings our adventures in fashion to a close. Romana's only other on-screen appearance to date was in "Dimensions in Time". She wears a voluminous coat over some kind of dark outfit, if you're keeping track, but I strongly suspect it's just the outfit Lalla Ward turned up in that day. At least she did better than Louise Jameson. You can catch "Dimensions in Time" on YouTube, if you're feeling masochistic.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jonquil asked about Reading Through Design. Firstly, I'm a moron; the title is actually Reading Between Designs, and it lives on Amazon here. It's basically a critical examination of costume and design in British sci-fi -- The Avengers, The Prisoner and Doctor Who. And the Doctor Who pays a great deal of attention to Romana.
There's a copy in QUT library here in Brisbane -- I'm no longer a student there, alas, so I couldn't borrow or even photocopy it, but I did spend an interesting morning reading it, and it was the source of a lot of factoids in these posts. I desperately want to have a proper read of it, though -- not to mention scan some of the original sketches for Romana's costumes.
"The Leisure Hive"Ah, season 18, how I die a little inside every time I think of you.
"The Leisure Hive" features another one of Romana's iconic costumes -- it's up there with the schoolgirl uniform in terms of being instantly identifiable. It may or may not be coincidence that it has the same white-navy blue-red colour scheme as the school uniform, as well as another straw hat worn around the neck.
Anyway. Here we have a neck-to-knee Edwardian boy's bathing suit, paired with a woman's jacket from the same era, and some adorable little red shoes that I've never been able to get a close look at. According to the DVD, the original plan was to put Romana in a woman's Edwardian bathing suit, but the result was hideously ugly. Instead, costume designer June Hudson selected the boy's costume, which showed off Lalla Ward's figure without being overtly sexy.
If anyone's interested, a photo of the bathing costume-part on display may be found here or here.
"Meglos""Meglos" is the chilling tale of a potted cactus whose ambitions outstripped its ambulatory abilities. Despite featuring two Tom Bakers, some rather good cactus make-up, Jacqueline Hill (she was Barbara, y'know, back in the monochrome old-oldschool days) and one of Romana's nicer costumes, it's not very good. Which is probably the reason I couldn't find any full-length screencaps of this story's outfit. Boo. Boo-urns, I say!
Romana starts off in her bathing suit, but eventually changes into a ... well, I'm not quite sure how to describe it. A brocade jacket with matching breeches, puffy white undershirt ... it's all terribly cute, but I have this mental image of Lalla Ward going backstage at the local pantomime, locking Prince Charming in a closet and stealing his costume. It's a good mental image, but also slightly worrying.
Appropriate costume, though. Ward apparently liked to play Romana as a cheeky, old-fashioned kind of teenage boy, so it kind of fits together nicely.
We have another plunging neckline here, so it's worth pointing out that Lalla's ribs are no longer on display. She did Hamlet in the break between seasons, too, and looked un-emaciated, so hurrah for body fat?
Oh yes, one other thing. This one's red.
"Full Circle"Another costume that has been undeservingly ignored by screencappers. Look at it! White, high-necked lace shirt, short red jacket that looks like it was modelled on a British army uniform, wide matching skirt with petticoats, little boots ... There is nothing wrong with this outfit. The whole thing is perfect.
Time to bring the E-space trilogy out on DVD, so we can all appreciate it properly!
"State of Decay"Another two-costume story. We start off with more Edwardian cross-dressing (consider this a formal proposal that 'Edwardian cross-dressing' be added to the interests at
otp_probably). It's a nice outfit, and practical, but a bit colourless. Did we learn nothing from the errors of season 17? Romana needs colours!Late in the story, Romana is captured by vampires and prepared for sacrifice (right). Not only do the vampires have a gown handy -- in her size! -- but they're thoughtful enough to touch up her make-up and brush her hair until it shines. They're all right, thsose vampires.
Oh all right, the dress. The pattern on the bodice tapers down and ends just above the waist; the sleeves are long, the dress -- what little we see of it -- is of a nice cut, and overall it's very pretty. I like to think that it's still in the wardrobe room somewhere, just waiting for someone to come along and think, "Yes! If I find myself being sacrificed to vampires today, I will definitely wear that dress!"
"Warrior's Gate"Tangent time! Rose Tyler's character growth was paralleled by a shift in her wardrobe -- from baggy pinks and greys to bright reds as she took on the persona of the Bad Wolf.
Sadly, I couldn't find a single good full-length picture, so we'll have to go with the grainy behind-the-scenes shot at left. We have: a red silk Chinese blouse, black cropped pants, red stockings and black Mary-Janes. Strong colours for a strong character, in shades more vibrant than the dark burgundy worn by the fading Doctor.
"Warrior's Gate" derives a great deal from Eastern philosophy. At one point, K9 quotes the I-Ching. So Romana's Asian-inspired outfit is not coincidental. According to Reading Through Design, June Hudson constructed the outfit to reflect Romana's search for enlightenment.I have to admit that, while I groove on the meanings, I don't wholeheartedly love this costume. I desperately want to cinch the shirt in with a belt; the pants are too short, and while the shoes are the very epitome of cute, I'm not in love with the red stockings underneath.
And finally: as the picture on the right shows, this is one of the relatively few episodes where Ward's make-up is visible. I'm not saying it's a bad job; I'm just saying that I noticed it.
And that brings our adventures in fashion to a close. Romana's only other on-screen appearance to date was in "Dimensions in Time". She wears a voluminous coat over some kind of dark outfit, if you're keeping track, but I strongly suspect it's just the outfit Lalla Ward turned up in that day. At least she did better than Louise Jameson. You can catch "Dimensions in Time" on YouTube, if you're feeling masochistic.
jonquil asked about Reading Through Design. Firstly, I'm a moron; the title is actually Reading Between Designs, and it lives on Amazon here. It's basically a critical examination of costume and design in British sci-fi -- The Avengers, The Prisoner and Doctor Who. And the Doctor Who pays a great deal of attention to Romana. There's a copy in QUT library here in Brisbane -- I'm no longer a student there, alas, so I couldn't borrow or even photocopy it, but I did spend an interesting morning reading it, and it was the source of a lot of factoids in these posts. I desperately want to have a proper read of it, though -- not to mention scan some of the original sketches for Romana's costumes.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 09:35 am (UTC)And not just because I have a penchant for Asian inpired clothes with a belt around the waistno subject
Date: 2007-04-27 10:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 09:58 am (UTC)I, however, do. Is there some way for me to send it to you?
I've got to admit, I'd never really noticed character costumes that much before I read this series. A great job.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 10:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-28 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-28 07:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 09:58 am (UTC)I, however, do. Is there some way for me to send it to you?
I've got to admit, I'd never really noticed character costumes that much before I read this series. A great job.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 10:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 10:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 12:22 pm (UTC)(Matthew Waterhouse liked to play Adric as an upper-class woman in her late twenties.)*undiginified snort*
no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 12:40 pm (UTC)*clicks around some links*
*is speechless* =( (http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/webcasts/shada/extras/dance.shtml)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 06:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 04:16 pm (UTC)Yes to the Edwardian cross-dressing. (Also, huh. I could totally wear that "Leisure Hive" outfit, were I to ever want to take the cosplay past the pink and white. But that bathing suit might turn out to be a pain to find or replicate.)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 05:12 pm (UTC)And people walk around thinking RTD invented the Whovian Gay Agenda (tm). :-D
no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 05:43 pm (UTC)THE DOCTOR WRITES HIS NAME INSIDE HIS SHOESIES!
...sorry, I just died of the cuteness there.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-27 11:47 pm (UTC)*does so*
And now I'm all shallow and such and want to read more words about Romana's clothes so have ordered the book, yes.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-28 03:45 am (UTC)I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the "Full Circle" outfit. I think it's because I had a dream of the "possessed" (I use the word loosely, because I really need to rewatch the episode) Romana a week after I first saw it.
Anyway, when Romana returns you can do a post on what she wears each episode.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-28 09:55 am (UTC)http://www.library.qut.edu.au/community/
================
QUT Library is happy to help business and industry, the general community and past QUT students with their information needs.
All visitors can access the following from within any campus library without cost.
Books, newspapers and other resources in the collection
Selected databases via public access terminals
Help from librarians at the Information Desk
================
Some visitors may be able to borrow from the Library under the following memberships (fees may apply).
Students and staff from other universities
Members of the community and businesses
Past QUT students
Past QUT staff
Membership for external trainers
================
Unless I'm reading that wrong, I think you can?
no subject
Date: 2007-05-14 09:44 am (UTC)*bookmarks*