Glamour on Board: Titanic Costume Exhibition

Warning: this post has lots of photos! And unfortunately they're not all sharp or properly exposed. But I was taking many photos in a short amount of time indoors without a flash. Some of my photography makes these vibrant costumes look washed out, but I wanted to share them for any Titanic costume fans - like me - greedy for any costume details.

As I mentioned in the last post, we were lucky enough to visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC and see the Glamour on Board: Fashion from Titanic the Movie exhibition on Easter. If you want to catch it, it runs until May 13, 2018. Titanic is one of my favorite films and absolutely my favorite film for costumes. Steven is a big Titanic fan too, so we were very excited to view this exhibition.

I was too young to see the film when it first came to theatres, but Steven - who is almost three years younger than me - was allowed to see it in the theatre at the tender age of eight. Not fair, right? Years later we saw it together when it came to the big screen in 3D in 2012.

Here's the infamous boarding suit worn by Rose, played by Kate Winslet, of course! And that amazing violet-colored hat.

Ahhhhh! The dinner dress and Jack's borrowed tux. How amazing is that rosey-salmon color through the black chiffon? Below is the Countess of Rothes's and the Captain's costumes. (Side story: one Thanksgiving, Steven and I - along with everyone else - were pressured to stand up and say what we were thankful for. It was a large, extended-family-and-friends event and neither of us liked being put on the spot. However, Steven stood up and gave Jack's whole "To making it count" speech without blinking an eye. If anybody realized he was quoting Titanic, they didn't say anything. Steven has an amazing memory and pretty much has the film memorized).I was thrilled to see the "elevator dress" in person - and full-length for the first time (above)! You can just barely see this gown in the film. Rose was wearing it while exiting an elevator and she was partially obscured. It's beautiful, though. I love the different textures of black and white contrasted with the large rose at the bust. And how pretty is that necklace with the amber teardrops? Whenever we're watching the movie I yell "ELEVATOR DRESS!" and point at the screen when it shows up, so Steven did the same when we saw it in person.

I wish my photos of the deck dress were better - the yellow was definitely richer in person. Costumer Deborah Lynn Scott picked some fantastic colors for Kate Winslet to wear. I always thought her hair color in the film went so well with this dress. Below are costumes worn by Frances Fisher as Ruth Dewitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Cal Hockley. I had never noticed Ruth's large butterfly detail in the film.The red dress Rose wore when she met Jack for the first time may be my favorite costume in the film. It was displayed in the beautiful library at the Biltmore house, along with Cal's tuxedo.There were a number of stunning costumes worn by background actors.Another costume worn by Ruth (above).

I was excited to see the Astors' costumes (above). I always look for the butterfly on the front of Mrs. Astor's gold-colored gown in the film - but it was missing here. Hmmm... the mystery of the missing butterfly??

Above are the costumes worn by Rose and Cal in the tense breakfast scene. Below is the dressing gown Rose wore when Cal gave her the "Heart of the Ocean." It was displayed in Edith Vanderbilt's luxurious yellow bedroom.

The three photos above show detailed costumes worn by background actors.Above is Rose's famous "flying dress," which I failed to capture in all its vibrant indigo glory. The information provided by the exhibition noted that it was a challenge to get the various fabrics in this costume the same blue, since they absorb dye differently.

Rose's light and airy "hero dress" and her pink coat. According to the information in the exhibition, Kate Winslet was a size 6, but the costumer wanted her in a size 8 coat to make her look more vulnerable.

"Draw me like one of your French Girls!" I love that the belt was dyed in a gradient.

Trudy Bolt's (played by Amy Gaipa) uniform was also on display. I love her elegant little watch.

Costumes worn by Fabrizio, played by Danny Nucci, and Helga, played by Camilla Overbye Roos.

Costume worn by little Cora, played by Alexandrea Owens.The exhibition ended with Jack and Rose's dream costumes. I knew that Rose's dress at the end of the film was a white version of her dinner dress, but I didn't know that the white fabric underneath had a faint paisley print. Outside of the context of the film, Jack's simple corduroys and brown collared shirt looked almost contemporary.

It was a delight to see details on these costumes that I never noticed - or couldn't see - in the film. As a Titanic fan the exhibition was so much fun and a special opportunity that I never thought I'd get to experience. I hope you enjoyed these photos and my perspective on the exhibit.

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