It was so nice to see a movie of substance like The Help hold it’s own against the CGI-laden Rise of the Planet of the Apes this weekend. The film has grossed over $35.3 million since Wednesday night’s opening and demonstrates the power of the female pocketbook since 74% of its ticket buyers were women.
And while I’m sure the majority of women seeing the film had already read the book and loved the powerful story bearing witness to the complicated personal relationships between women and their maids in the early-1960s South, it didn’t hurt that the film delivered over two hours of drool-worthy vintage fashion, too!
I have yet to see the film but I’m eager to witness the work of Sharen Davis, the Oscar-nominated costume designer for Dreamgirls and Ray. Her job was to capture the small-town innocence of rural Mississippi and that was no easy task.
To fashion the look of the film she built 50 costumes and sourced the rest from vintage stores and costume rental shops, plus the LA Times reports that she spent $15k just on period accessories like handbags, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses and hats.
Her style inspiration?
It wasn’t Vogue magazine, which she claims was “too fashionable for everyday people.” Instead she admits that she turned to Sears, JC Penney and Montgomery Ward catalogs of the early 1960s.
And if you love the color palette of the film, which Sharen has described as “Easter egg” and “lollipop,” then turn to today’s VPOD.
This vintage 1960s sequin-covered wiggle dress in sherbet silk chiffon is an extra-sweet find for a Vintage Crusader!
Available at Mill Crest Vintage.
Image Credit: The Help Official Movie Site
(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)
