| A Costume Study: Miss Penny Lane |
This is the Costume Study I did for the character of Penny Lane, the "Legendary
Band-Aide" in the film Almost Famous, a film from Cameron Crowe. The character is
played flawlessly by the actress Kate Hudson.
Costume Designer: Betsy Heimann
Designer's Inspiration: Shirley MacLaine's Coat in "The Apartment" (1960)
Books To Read: 50 Costumes 50 Designers: Concept to Character
Another Site For the Book (with a photo of the costume)
The UC Press Web Store Site (Penny's page in full pdf glory!!)
Visuals/Photos:
Alley Cat Scratch Site For Exhibit
Archangeli's Flickr Photo Page
Oscar's Page (not hi-res to public!?)
IMDB Page
Yahoo Movies Photos
Almost Famous Photos 1
Almost Famous Photos 2
My 1/6 scale doll sized version
Rolling Stone Issue: 851 OCT 12 2000 (Look for one on eBay, use Rolling Stone Kate
Hudson)*The article in RS magazine does not mention costuming. It does give you insight into
the film, and there is a good photo of Penny in the article, for some reason her shoes are more
detailed in that shot than in the photo available in the book mentioned above!
When you are searching on the Internet, do a search for Kate Hudson. Allot of times I find that
the "fan" sites for a particular actress or actor have the best supply of movie stills to browse
and or the most complete amount of available images. So in addition to doing an online image
search for "Almost Famous Costumes" do a search for "Kate Hudson" as well.
Go to eBay and search for: Almost Famous Lobby Cards German or Lobby Cards Almost
Famous. The Lobby cards did NOT solve the second necklace mystery, but they give an
excellent image of the embroidery on her blue silk tunic dress & boots mentioned at the bottom
of my page here.
And, of course, STUDY THE DVD! TRY TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THE VERSION:
UNTITLED: ALMOST FAMOUS THE BOOTLEG CUT (DIRECTOR'S CUT).
Clues About Costume Fabrics:
1.)"a 1970s wool coat with fur collar, silk camisole and velvet trousers, worn by Kate Hudson"
2.)"1970's avocado & cream wool coat with ivory fur collar, cream silk camisole, brown velvet
trousers"
3.)"All the fabrics were overdyed to look older" & "camisole reminiscent of a Victorian camisole".
My Study:
That's my drawing of her costume above, just a little sketch to get the mind going.
This page will mainly focus on the first version of her costume as shown in the book
mentioned above, from the first time we see her on screen, but I will talk about some
of her other costumes, as I am fond of several of them such as her blue silk shift dress
with embroidered boots, her cropped embroidered peasant top, and her awesome fur
hat.
As always, and I will repeat this to you frequently: If you disagree on a study point
strongly, please email me. I want this information to be as accurate as possible, and I
am always open to other's opinions on a costume study. That doesn't mean I will
agree with you. ;0)
Costume Elements:
The Eye wear
Penny is wearing some transparent purple/blue acrylic sunglasses with purple/blue shades when
we first see her. You can also see them in her hands when she is talking to William Miller about
his true age. The shape is not exaggerated like a typical "Elton John 1970's Bug Eye" style at
all. Just some gently up curved ovals. I used to wear a pair of clear acrylic sunglasses with
purple metallic lenses in the early 90's. Do a search on eBay for "Oakley Frogskins Sunglasses".
They would now be considered "old school" and to some- possibly even vintage! HA! That's not
funny. But they no longer make them. You'll have to find them used. The only problem is, the
Oakley logo is on the frames. Try doing an Internet search for sunglasses: aviator, granny
glasses. Or some newer Purple Oakley "Fate" sunglasses.
The Coat
The coat is 3/4 length. The center back stops right at the bum. There are two flounces after
that and the last flounce ends behind the knees. Long straight sleeves, with a wide fur collar
and big cuffs of fur at the wrists. The fur collar stops at the waist. The fur collar is probably
stitched on top of a wool collar under layer, you can see that the back side of the collar is the
wool fabric, the entire collar is not just made up of fur. The fur cuffs are also stitched on top of
the wool sleeve at the hems, I can see the hem of the wool peeking out under the fur. The
color is an over dyed avocado green.
The fabric is wool, I'd say a wool knit with a rib to it. Almost like a corduroy or a chenille. The
coat is either embossed or embroidered on the back panel, side panels, and sleeves with a tone
on tone color or slightly lighter color of thread used. The design has an ethnic feel to it, Asian
or Indian. My sketch of the embroidery design can be seen here. The pattern pieces are cut so
that the design flows from the neck to the hem. Continuations of the design overlap on the
flounces. The sleeves have a simplified version or a middle section only of the design. It looks
like the repeat on the design is diagonal (?). The coat has a closure to it, a silvery button
hidden under the end of the collar near the waist. The coat is lined with dyed to match cotton
or linen. I've asked around in groups and no one has a definitive answer as to what type of
fabric this is, or how it's made. It's possible that it is one of a kind fabric made for this film,
never to be found anywhere else.
The Jewelry
Penny wears two, not one necklace in the film, EXCEPT the scene where she is wearing the blue
silk sheath dress. She doesn't have them on. Necklace one is gold chain, possibly "s" or fine
box chain. It has one pendant on it which is an amber colored glass heart. It is transparent. It
has an aurora borealis iridescent shine to it. It has a gold band around it, covering the edge of
the heart. Possibly amber or topaz. Necklace two is a "y" necklace. Gold chain. It appears
twisted "box chain" or twisted "s" chain..but it's possible that the two necklaces always ended
up twisted up, as anyone who has every tried to wear two necklaces and keep them separated
knows how that happens. It has a "y" connector in the center and a dangle drop from the
center of the "y". The connector is gold colored and appears in the shape of a upside down
triangle, but more stylized than what I can make out. The connector looks similar to this item,
found online at Fancifuls. They have a brass jewelry finding connector on page 65 on their
online catalog, look for item number 1605. The chain is attached to the left and the right of the
triangle. It is possible this is filigree work. I would really like someone to email me a good photo
of necklace no. 2!! The drop is attached to the bottom of the triangle, more chain and then one
of two possibilities here..1.)round or oval shaped cloissone bead with a white background with
pink floral, or 2.)gold openwork in a round fan shape as a base, with a white and pink porcelain
flower or pink gold rose in the center. I just cannot get a good enough look at it, to determine
what this is. These are my best guesses.
Penny also wears a ring through the entire film. Silver setting with a large oval greenish cast
turquoise stone in the setting, wide silver band. She wears this on her left hand, on the middle
finger. She also wears tiny gold ball stud earrings through the entire film.
The Camisole
A cream or ivory colored lace and silk camisole with tiny straps. There are no seams on the
back, and none in the front. It must be side seamed with a hidden zipper under the arm, or it's
just stretchy/big enough for her to pull on. Shape is quite plain, not fitted to the bust no darts
appear. Cut like a wide straight band. The outer layer of her camisole is lace, the pattern can be
seen here. Or see my sketch here. The straps are the same color, almost as thin as a spaghetti
strap. The center has a under fabric layer of an ivory or cream silk. I do not know what type of
silk. It's possible that the fabric chosen for the top is all one fabric, not separate.
The Trousers
Chocolate brown velvet trousers. They have 4 pockets. They have belt loops. They have a tab
front closure, not a button. A front zipper. In the scene where Penny is talking to William Miller
about his true age, they appear quite tight fitting, hugging her body at the hips, waist and
upper thighs. They appear to be cut like a classic low waisted fly front tab closure trouser, with
regular wide jeans style pockets in the back instead of traditional besom pockets with buttons.
You can see a pair of classic trousers here.
The Undergarments
No bra. In fact, I'm not sure if we ever seen her wear one the entire film..We are talking about
the 1970's after all. There is a scene with Penny and Russell where she dances around basically
nude with her coat on and you get to see some red cotton knit panties. Red background with
white stars, white elastic edges and a white bow in the front center. These are also worn in a
publicity photo.
The Shoes
Penny wears platform wedge shoes. The heel is covered in cork from the side to the front on
both sides, but not in back. They have a rust colored t-strap style upper in leather with a side
buckle. Probably about 3" or more in height on the heel. The toe is open with three slits in the
leather on both sides. It would be very easy to find a pair of shoes similar to these today, as
they are STILL ever popular. A sketch of the shoes can be found here.
The Purse
Penny carries a rust orange and cream or tan vintage Plano Tackle Box about 13" long as a
purse. You can find these on eBay. Do a search for Plano Tackle Box in category fishing. The
bottom is orange the top is cream, they removed the maker's label. The handle is orange and
the hardware is brass with a center front closure.
Costume Fabric Suggestions:
The Coat
What really perplexes me about her coat, is the fabric that the coat is made of. If you know
exactly what type of wool this is, please email me because I would like to add the info in. The
fabric is quite luminous. When she moves, there is a nice shine like a velvet would produce in
the lights. To me, it looks ribbed and the ribs are shaggy on the edges. Not fine or even. After
looking at my copy of Julie Parker's All About Wool (see page 110 & 100) , I found something
that might be it. My best guesses are at Alpaca Wool: It is soft, drapey, sheeny, and
furry..just like her coat. Embossed then embroidered. The Alpaca comes naturally in a medium
brown color which would easily become avocado if overdyed- but my book says that Alpaca
does not take dye easily.. Maybe it is a blend of Alpaca with another fiber, woven to create the
ribbing. Or most likely: Mohair fabric which is from the Angora Goat (not rabbit). This swatch I
have already has a ribbed texture to it and it says here that it dyes easily. It is also furry. The
fabric of her coat has a nice drape to it, not stiff at all. Flowy. You could probably get away with
a wide wale corduroy here. If you intend to embroider the pieces, some of the pile is inevitably
going to flatten down and it might just end up looking just like the scrappy edged wool here.
I'm not sure. The width of the corduroy is commonly referred to as the size of the "wale". The
lower the "wale" number, the thicker the width of the wale (i.e., 4-wale is much thicker than
11-wale).
The coat collar is a Mongolian lamb fur most likely. You can see some here. Now, that link takes
you to an item which is a bit short on the pile length for this costume,I chose this fur for my
project because I needed the pile to be short for the right scale otherwise the doll would drown
in it.. but it gets you thinking about what you are looking for on the fur portion. I, personally
am opposed to real furs and try not to use them, but if you can afford the real thing by all
means go for it. Do a search on the Internet for Mongolian Lamb Fur Fabric.
The Camisole
I would go looking for vintage laces at antique stores, second hand stores and stores that
specialize in vintage clothing & textiles. You will have a hard time finding a match here, I know
this to be true. I had to make my own. I used cream colored silk organza and I machine
embroidered it using a regular sewing machine. This is what I suggest to you, try your hand at
making your own lace for this, because it might be easier than tracking some down or settle for
something that looks close enough.
The Trousers
To me, the color did not show as "brown" but more rust colored. When I began searching for
brown velvets I really liked the way the CHOCOLATE browns looked. Not too red, and not too
brown. Just perfect in my opinion. In the scene where she begins talking to William Miller back
stage, after the concert about his real age, you can get a good glimpse of her fabric, it has a
nice velvety sheen to it, and in the light there is a bit of red in it.
Construction Hints & Tips Found:
(These will be added as I stumble upon them)
Sewing with Faux Fur
Threads Magazine No.129 (Feb/Mar 2007) Great Article on Faux Fur!!
Dharma Trading Co's Tips & FAQs for Dyeing Fabric
My Own Dyeing Fabric Notes
*ALWAYS HAND BASTE VELVET WHEN SEWING WITH IT* Save yourself the headache
and go ahead and get that basting thread and needle out and go to it. Ah, sewing on
velvet--like sewing on a bar of soap!
*Fusing knit backed faux fur to light weight fusible interfacing before cutting out
pieces will equal less edge fur loss. You'll still loose some, but not as much.
Other Penny Costumes Shown During The Film:
The Ivory Fur Hat
It has a rounded cap, with a very wide brim which is folded up towards the cap all the way
around. The brim is so deep and furry you can barely see the top of the cap when looking at it
from the back. I would assume it is lined inside. It is very similar in style to a woman's Russian
Cossack Style hat. Made from ivory or cream real or faux fox fur. Do a search for fox fur or
faux fox fur. Do a search for Cossack Hat, Pillbox Fur hat, or fur hat. It is also totally possible
that this hat is an Alpaca hat. But to me, it looks like Fox. I look at the outline of the fur, how
the ends of the hairs appear gives me a tip to identifying the fur. The fur on her hat is spikey,
not fuzzy. Penny wears this hat in the scene where the rest of the band aides "de-flower"
William Miller. Recently, these hats have become popular again and I even witnessed Rachael
Ray of Food Network posing with one of them on her noggin on the cover of her own Magazine!
The Embroidered Peasant Blouse With Short Sleeves
Penny wears a vintage 1940's or 1950's embroidered Hungarian Peasant Blouse with front ties.
The blouse is short sleeved. The fabric is a sheer, cotton gauze fabric. The waist and sleeves
are smocked and elasticated. Embroidery in a floral motif in many different colors. A tie front
made up of some coordinating cords. Some of the similar tops I found on my studies had side
snaps at the waist. The embroidery on these tops is usually done by hand. Smocking is also
present on the back of the neck it goes from the left front opening around the back of the neck
to the other side of the front opening. I really identify with these type of tops as my mother
wore plenty of them! I always assumed they were from the 1960's or 1970's because they
were so popular--but really they are much older. Do a search for vintage Hungarian peasant
blouse or Hungarian Embroidered peasant blouse. Also do a search for Hungarian embroidery
techniques. I emailed Lmntl and asked them if they could give advice on any books pertaining to
learning the craft of Hungarian style embroidery, and here is what Donna told me:
"Unfortunately, there aren't very many books in print specifically on
Hungarian embroidery. However, the style you are showing is pretty basic,
so you could use any embroidery book or pattern to practice that uses
satin stitch and stem stitch. My kits are appropriate for beginners,
especially the doily and the handkerchief. They are a different regional
style (Matyo), but use the same basic techniques. The blouses like the
ones in your pictures aren't usually a particular regional style, but the
motifs look closest to embroidery from Kalocsa. The only thing that can
be difficult with these is working with the really fine fabric. You can
sometimes find out-of-print Hungarian embroidery books on eBay if you are
looking for patterns." -Donna
THANK YOU DONNA! ;0)
The Embroidered Blue Silk Shift Dress (Tunic) With Embroidered Boots
OK, I love this dress. I LOVE those boots. This ensemble is very ethnic, go-go style. It makes a
big contrast from the other costume pieces we have seen her wear, and this is most likely
because the point in which she wears it is pivotal in the storyline. The dress is very short, it's
possible this is a tunic she's wearing as a dress and that's why it's so short, tunics being worn
at about low hip level, right past the rear. It is a shift dress, classic 60's style. It has princess
seams. It is tight fitting, not loose fitting, close to the body. It is made out of a turquoise blue
silk possibly satin or charmeuse, and has an Asian style embroidered design in several colors in
5 places. After looking at the German lobby card I bought, I can identify that the center
medallion consists of the colors orange, red, light and dark turquoise, red, and possibly some
black. It looks like a landscape. The entire design is in the shape of a circle, it looks like various
landscape themes occurring on different levels of the circle. The other four small dragon/symbol
motifs appear starting about hip level spread like the four corners of a square around the larger
central circle design. I can see the colors of orange, red, white and possibly black. It looks like a
red symbol in the shape of a circle, and around them, some more of the dragons which appear
on the bottom hem trim. This design appears on the front and the back. The hem is split on
both sides up about 5". The Hem line has a white embroidered trim on the front and back. The
embroidery is of dragons with squiggly tails flowing behind them, or kites? The colors on the
trim embroidery are orange, dark green or very dark turquoise, yellow and silver/white or light
green. It also looks like the edge of the trim has black piping on the top and bottom edge. The
dress has a deeper neckline in back, and a higher neckline in the front. It is sleeveless. Most
likely, this has a hidden side zipper under the arm, but it could be pull on.
Penny wears a pair of sheer nude tone nylon stretch panties under the dress. She's also not
wearing any hose or tights or socks with her boots.
Penny is not wearing her necklace(s) with this dress on, but she is wearing the ring.
Penny wears a pair of high boots. They hit about 3/4 of the way up the calf, possibly about 17"
high. The boots look like the 1960's suede embroidered & beaded go-go boots by Jerry
Edouard. The heel is a stacked leather heel, 2.5" or higher. They have traditional eyelet lacing
from the toe to the ankle, and the rest of the way up the leg it is "speed lacing" with metal
hooks on either side to grab hold of the laces. The laces are probably suede leather or boot
laces. The boots are probably suede, with an embroidery design possibly including beads. After
looking at the German lobby card I bought, I can report that they are worn not laced up
properly. The toe box where the eyelets are, they are laced, but after that it looks as if they
wrapped the lacing around her calf, crossing them and then hooking them into a couple of the
speed laces, then they kept going, occasionally catching some hooks. They are tied off in front,
one set down from the top. Maybe they were authentic vintage boots and they really wanted
her to wear them, but they were a little too big and to keep them from falling down they
wrapped them like that. Or, it's a fashion statement! The background is cream. The metal is
silver or aluminum in color.
The design in the embroidery is of circles and snowflakes/circle wheel design. Colors in the
embroidery/beading are orange, brown or green, yellow, blue. The whole design is bordered by
an orange or yellow solid stitch which follows the boot upper shape, about 5/8" away from the
edge all the way around. The speed laces are on the outside of the border, the circles are on
the inside of the border. The theme starts off with a big circle with spokes in the center and
then branches coming out of it like a snowflake, with forked ends at the top near the knee, in
orange or yellow and brown or green. Under that is a series of repeats. A large circle, made up
of 7 tiny blue circles, inside that circle is another circle made up of 6 tiny yellow circles, and in
the center a tiny blue circle. The same pattern repeats itself again, but this time the colors are
swapped, larger circle with yellow circles, inner circle is blue circles, and center of it is yellow
circle. This could all be beading. The same pattern repeats itself again, with the color combo
mentioned first. They are most likely lined with a lighter or same color suede. Do a search for
embroidered gogo boots, vintage suede embroidered boots, gogo boots, or Jerry Edouard.
Band-Aide" in the film Almost Famous, a film from Cameron Crowe. The character is
played flawlessly by the actress Kate Hudson.
Costume Designer: Betsy Heimann
Designer's Inspiration: Shirley MacLaine's Coat in "The Apartment" (1960)
Books To Read: 50 Costumes 50 Designers: Concept to Character
Another Site For the Book (with a photo of the costume)
The UC Press Web Store Site (Penny's page in full pdf glory!!)
Visuals/Photos:
Alley Cat Scratch Site For Exhibit
Archangeli's Flickr Photo Page
Oscar's Page (not hi-res to public!?)
IMDB Page
Yahoo Movies Photos
Almost Famous Photos 1
Almost Famous Photos 2
My 1/6 scale doll sized version
Rolling Stone Issue: 851 OCT 12 2000 (Look for one on eBay, use Rolling Stone Kate
Hudson)*The article in RS magazine does not mention costuming. It does give you insight into
the film, and there is a good photo of Penny in the article, for some reason her shoes are more
detailed in that shot than in the photo available in the book mentioned above!
When you are searching on the Internet, do a search for Kate Hudson. Allot of times I find that
the "fan" sites for a particular actress or actor have the best supply of movie stills to browse
and or the most complete amount of available images. So in addition to doing an online image
search for "Almost Famous Costumes" do a search for "Kate Hudson" as well.
Go to eBay and search for: Almost Famous Lobby Cards German or Lobby Cards Almost
Famous. The Lobby cards did NOT solve the second necklace mystery, but they give an
excellent image of the embroidery on her blue silk tunic dress & boots mentioned at the bottom
of my page here.
And, of course, STUDY THE DVD! TRY TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THE VERSION:
UNTITLED: ALMOST FAMOUS THE BOOTLEG CUT (DIRECTOR'S CUT).
Clues About Costume Fabrics:
1.)"a 1970s wool coat with fur collar, silk camisole and velvet trousers, worn by Kate Hudson"
2.)"1970's avocado & cream wool coat with ivory fur collar, cream silk camisole, brown velvet
trousers"
3.)"All the fabrics were overdyed to look older" & "camisole reminiscent of a Victorian camisole".
My Study:
That's my drawing of her costume above, just a little sketch to get the mind going.
This page will mainly focus on the first version of her costume as shown in the book
mentioned above, from the first time we see her on screen, but I will talk about some
of her other costumes, as I am fond of several of them such as her blue silk shift dress
with embroidered boots, her cropped embroidered peasant top, and her awesome fur
hat.
As always, and I will repeat this to you frequently: If you disagree on a study point
strongly, please email me. I want this information to be as accurate as possible, and I
am always open to other's opinions on a costume study. That doesn't mean I will
agree with you. ;0)
Costume Elements:
The Eye wear
Penny is wearing some transparent purple/blue acrylic sunglasses with purple/blue shades when
we first see her. You can also see them in her hands when she is talking to William Miller about
his true age. The shape is not exaggerated like a typical "Elton John 1970's Bug Eye" style at
all. Just some gently up curved ovals. I used to wear a pair of clear acrylic sunglasses with
purple metallic lenses in the early 90's. Do a search on eBay for "Oakley Frogskins Sunglasses".
They would now be considered "old school" and to some- possibly even vintage! HA! That's not
funny. But they no longer make them. You'll have to find them used. The only problem is, the
Oakley logo is on the frames. Try doing an Internet search for sunglasses: aviator, granny
glasses. Or some newer Purple Oakley "Fate" sunglasses.
The Coat
The coat is 3/4 length. The center back stops right at the bum. There are two flounces after
that and the last flounce ends behind the knees. Long straight sleeves, with a wide fur collar
and big cuffs of fur at the wrists. The fur collar stops at the waist. The fur collar is probably
stitched on top of a wool collar under layer, you can see that the back side of the collar is the
wool fabric, the entire collar is not just made up of fur. The fur cuffs are also stitched on top of
the wool sleeve at the hems, I can see the hem of the wool peeking out under the fur. The
color is an over dyed avocado green.
The fabric is wool, I'd say a wool knit with a rib to it. Almost like a corduroy or a chenille. The
coat is either embossed or embroidered on the back panel, side panels, and sleeves with a tone
on tone color or slightly lighter color of thread used. The design has an ethnic feel to it, Asian
or Indian. My sketch of the embroidery design can be seen here. The pattern pieces are cut so
that the design flows from the neck to the hem. Continuations of the design overlap on the
flounces. The sleeves have a simplified version or a middle section only of the design. It looks
like the repeat on the design is diagonal (?). The coat has a closure to it, a silvery button
hidden under the end of the collar near the waist. The coat is lined with dyed to match cotton
or linen. I've asked around in groups and no one has a definitive answer as to what type of
fabric this is, or how it's made. It's possible that it is one of a kind fabric made for this film,
never to be found anywhere else.
The Jewelry
Penny wears two, not one necklace in the film, EXCEPT the scene where she is wearing the blue
silk sheath dress. She doesn't have them on. Necklace one is gold chain, possibly "s" or fine
box chain. It has one pendant on it which is an amber colored glass heart. It is transparent. It
has an aurora borealis iridescent shine to it. It has a gold band around it, covering the edge of
the heart. Possibly amber or topaz. Necklace two is a "y" necklace. Gold chain. It appears
twisted "box chain" or twisted "s" chain..but it's possible that the two necklaces always ended
up twisted up, as anyone who has every tried to wear two necklaces and keep them separated
knows how that happens. It has a "y" connector in the center and a dangle drop from the
center of the "y". The connector is gold colored and appears in the shape of a upside down
triangle, but more stylized than what I can make out. The connector looks similar to this item,
found online at Fancifuls. They have a brass jewelry finding connector on page 65 on their
online catalog, look for item number 1605. The chain is attached to the left and the right of the
triangle. It is possible this is filigree work. I would really like someone to email me a good photo
of necklace no. 2!! The drop is attached to the bottom of the triangle, more chain and then one
of two possibilities here..1.)round or oval shaped cloissone bead with a white background with
pink floral, or 2.)gold openwork in a round fan shape as a base, with a white and pink porcelain
flower or pink gold rose in the center. I just cannot get a good enough look at it, to determine
what this is. These are my best guesses.
Penny also wears a ring through the entire film. Silver setting with a large oval greenish cast
turquoise stone in the setting, wide silver band. She wears this on her left hand, on the middle
finger. She also wears tiny gold ball stud earrings through the entire film.
The Camisole
A cream or ivory colored lace and silk camisole with tiny straps. There are no seams on the
back, and none in the front. It must be side seamed with a hidden zipper under the arm, or it's
just stretchy/big enough for her to pull on. Shape is quite plain, not fitted to the bust no darts
appear. Cut like a wide straight band. The outer layer of her camisole is lace, the pattern can be
seen here. Or see my sketch here. The straps are the same color, almost as thin as a spaghetti
strap. The center has a under fabric layer of an ivory or cream silk. I do not know what type of
silk. It's possible that the fabric chosen for the top is all one fabric, not separate.
The Trousers
Chocolate brown velvet trousers. They have 4 pockets. They have belt loops. They have a tab
front closure, not a button. A front zipper. In the scene where Penny is talking to William Miller
about his true age, they appear quite tight fitting, hugging her body at the hips, waist and
upper thighs. They appear to be cut like a classic low waisted fly front tab closure trouser, with
regular wide jeans style pockets in the back instead of traditional besom pockets with buttons.
You can see a pair of classic trousers here.
The Undergarments
No bra. In fact, I'm not sure if we ever seen her wear one the entire film..We are talking about
the 1970's after all. There is a scene with Penny and Russell where she dances around basically
nude with her coat on and you get to see some red cotton knit panties. Red background with
white stars, white elastic edges and a white bow in the front center. These are also worn in a
publicity photo.
The Shoes
Penny wears platform wedge shoes. The heel is covered in cork from the side to the front on
both sides, but not in back. They have a rust colored t-strap style upper in leather with a side
buckle. Probably about 3" or more in height on the heel. The toe is open with three slits in the
leather on both sides. It would be very easy to find a pair of shoes similar to these today, as
they are STILL ever popular. A sketch of the shoes can be found here.
The Purse
Penny carries a rust orange and cream or tan vintage Plano Tackle Box about 13" long as a
purse. You can find these on eBay. Do a search for Plano Tackle Box in category fishing. The
bottom is orange the top is cream, they removed the maker's label. The handle is orange and
the hardware is brass with a center front closure.
Costume Fabric Suggestions:
The Coat
What really perplexes me about her coat, is the fabric that the coat is made of. If you know
exactly what type of wool this is, please email me because I would like to add the info in. The
fabric is quite luminous. When she moves, there is a nice shine like a velvet would produce in
the lights. To me, it looks ribbed and the ribs are shaggy on the edges. Not fine or even. After
looking at my copy of Julie Parker's All About Wool (see page 110 & 100) , I found something
that might be it. My best guesses are at Alpaca Wool: It is soft, drapey, sheeny, and
furry..just like her coat. Embossed then embroidered. The Alpaca comes naturally in a medium
brown color which would easily become avocado if overdyed- but my book says that Alpaca
does not take dye easily.. Maybe it is a blend of Alpaca with another fiber, woven to create the
ribbing. Or most likely: Mohair fabric which is from the Angora Goat (not rabbit). This swatch I
have already has a ribbed texture to it and it says here that it dyes easily. It is also furry. The
fabric of her coat has a nice drape to it, not stiff at all. Flowy. You could probably get away with
a wide wale corduroy here. If you intend to embroider the pieces, some of the pile is inevitably
going to flatten down and it might just end up looking just like the scrappy edged wool here.
I'm not sure. The width of the corduroy is commonly referred to as the size of the "wale". The
lower the "wale" number, the thicker the width of the wale (i.e., 4-wale is much thicker than
11-wale).
The coat collar is a Mongolian lamb fur most likely. You can see some here. Now, that link takes
you to an item which is a bit short on the pile length for this costume,I chose this fur for my
project because I needed the pile to be short for the right scale otherwise the doll would drown
in it.. but it gets you thinking about what you are looking for on the fur portion. I, personally
am opposed to real furs and try not to use them, but if you can afford the real thing by all
means go for it. Do a search on the Internet for Mongolian Lamb Fur Fabric.
The Camisole
I would go looking for vintage laces at antique stores, second hand stores and stores that
specialize in vintage clothing & textiles. You will have a hard time finding a match here, I know
this to be true. I had to make my own. I used cream colored silk organza and I machine
embroidered it using a regular sewing machine. This is what I suggest to you, try your hand at
making your own lace for this, because it might be easier than tracking some down or settle for
something that looks close enough.
The Trousers
To me, the color did not show as "brown" but more rust colored. When I began searching for
brown velvets I really liked the way the CHOCOLATE browns looked. Not too red, and not too
brown. Just perfect in my opinion. In the scene where she begins talking to William Miller back
stage, after the concert about his real age, you can get a good glimpse of her fabric, it has a
nice velvety sheen to it, and in the light there is a bit of red in it.
Construction Hints & Tips Found:
(These will be added as I stumble upon them)
Sewing with Faux Fur
Threads Magazine No.129 (Feb/Mar 2007) Great Article on Faux Fur!!
Dharma Trading Co's Tips & FAQs for Dyeing Fabric
My Own Dyeing Fabric Notes
*ALWAYS HAND BASTE VELVET WHEN SEWING WITH IT* Save yourself the headache
and go ahead and get that basting thread and needle out and go to it. Ah, sewing on
velvet--like sewing on a bar of soap!
*Fusing knit backed faux fur to light weight fusible interfacing before cutting out
pieces will equal less edge fur loss. You'll still loose some, but not as much.
Other Penny Costumes Shown During The Film:
The Ivory Fur Hat
It has a rounded cap, with a very wide brim which is folded up towards the cap all the way
around. The brim is so deep and furry you can barely see the top of the cap when looking at it
from the back. I would assume it is lined inside. It is very similar in style to a woman's Russian
Cossack Style hat. Made from ivory or cream real or faux fox fur. Do a search for fox fur or
faux fox fur. Do a search for Cossack Hat, Pillbox Fur hat, or fur hat. It is also totally possible
that this hat is an Alpaca hat. But to me, it looks like Fox. I look at the outline of the fur, how
the ends of the hairs appear gives me a tip to identifying the fur. The fur on her hat is spikey,
not fuzzy. Penny wears this hat in the scene where the rest of the band aides "de-flower"
William Miller. Recently, these hats have become popular again and I even witnessed Rachael
Ray of Food Network posing with one of them on her noggin on the cover of her own Magazine!
The Embroidered Peasant Blouse With Short Sleeves
Penny wears a vintage 1940's or 1950's embroidered Hungarian Peasant Blouse with front ties.
The blouse is short sleeved. The fabric is a sheer, cotton gauze fabric. The waist and sleeves
are smocked and elasticated. Embroidery in a floral motif in many different colors. A tie front
made up of some coordinating cords. Some of the similar tops I found on my studies had side
snaps at the waist. The embroidery on these tops is usually done by hand. Smocking is also
present on the back of the neck it goes from the left front opening around the back of the neck
to the other side of the front opening. I really identify with these type of tops as my mother
wore plenty of them! I always assumed they were from the 1960's or 1970's because they
were so popular--but really they are much older. Do a search for vintage Hungarian peasant
blouse or Hungarian Embroidered peasant blouse. Also do a search for Hungarian embroidery
techniques. I emailed Lmntl and asked them if they could give advice on any books pertaining to
learning the craft of Hungarian style embroidery, and here is what Donna told me:
"Unfortunately, there aren't very many books in print specifically on
Hungarian embroidery. However, the style you are showing is pretty basic,
so you could use any embroidery book or pattern to practice that uses
satin stitch and stem stitch. My kits are appropriate for beginners,
especially the doily and the handkerchief. They are a different regional
style (Matyo), but use the same basic techniques. The blouses like the
ones in your pictures aren't usually a particular regional style, but the
motifs look closest to embroidery from Kalocsa. The only thing that can
be difficult with these is working with the really fine fabric. You can
sometimes find out-of-print Hungarian embroidery books on eBay if you are
looking for patterns." -Donna
THANK YOU DONNA! ;0)
The Embroidered Blue Silk Shift Dress (Tunic) With Embroidered Boots
OK, I love this dress. I LOVE those boots. This ensemble is very ethnic, go-go style. It makes a
big contrast from the other costume pieces we have seen her wear, and this is most likely
because the point in which she wears it is pivotal in the storyline. The dress is very short, it's
possible this is a tunic she's wearing as a dress and that's why it's so short, tunics being worn
at about low hip level, right past the rear. It is a shift dress, classic 60's style. It has princess
seams. It is tight fitting, not loose fitting, close to the body. It is made out of a turquoise blue
silk possibly satin or charmeuse, and has an Asian style embroidered design in several colors in
5 places. After looking at the German lobby card I bought, I can identify that the center
medallion consists of the colors orange, red, light and dark turquoise, red, and possibly some
black. It looks like a landscape. The entire design is in the shape of a circle, it looks like various
landscape themes occurring on different levels of the circle. The other four small dragon/symbol
motifs appear starting about hip level spread like the four corners of a square around the larger
central circle design. I can see the colors of orange, red, white and possibly black. It looks like a
red symbol in the shape of a circle, and around them, some more of the dragons which appear
on the bottom hem trim. This design appears on the front and the back. The hem is split on
both sides up about 5". The Hem line has a white embroidered trim on the front and back. The
embroidery is of dragons with squiggly tails flowing behind them, or kites? The colors on the
trim embroidery are orange, dark green or very dark turquoise, yellow and silver/white or light
green. It also looks like the edge of the trim has black piping on the top and bottom edge. The
dress has a deeper neckline in back, and a higher neckline in the front. It is sleeveless. Most
likely, this has a hidden side zipper under the arm, but it could be pull on.
Penny wears a pair of sheer nude tone nylon stretch panties under the dress. She's also not
wearing any hose or tights or socks with her boots.
Penny is not wearing her necklace(s) with this dress on, but she is wearing the ring.
Penny wears a pair of high boots. They hit about 3/4 of the way up the calf, possibly about 17"
high. The boots look like the 1960's suede embroidered & beaded go-go boots by Jerry
Edouard. The heel is a stacked leather heel, 2.5" or higher. They have traditional eyelet lacing
from the toe to the ankle, and the rest of the way up the leg it is "speed lacing" with metal
hooks on either side to grab hold of the laces. The laces are probably suede leather or boot
laces. The boots are probably suede, with an embroidery design possibly including beads. After
looking at the German lobby card I bought, I can report that they are worn not laced up
properly. The toe box where the eyelets are, they are laced, but after that it looks as if they
wrapped the lacing around her calf, crossing them and then hooking them into a couple of the
speed laces, then they kept going, occasionally catching some hooks. They are tied off in front,
one set down from the top. Maybe they were authentic vintage boots and they really wanted
her to wear them, but they were a little too big and to keep them from falling down they
wrapped them like that. Or, it's a fashion statement! The background is cream. The metal is
silver or aluminum in color.
The design in the embroidery is of circles and snowflakes/circle wheel design. Colors in the
embroidery/beading are orange, brown or green, yellow, blue. The whole design is bordered by
an orange or yellow solid stitch which follows the boot upper shape, about 5/8" away from the
edge all the way around. The speed laces are on the outside of the border, the circles are on
the inside of the border. The theme starts off with a big circle with spokes in the center and
then branches coming out of it like a snowflake, with forked ends at the top near the knee, in
orange or yellow and brown or green. Under that is a series of repeats. A large circle, made up
of 7 tiny blue circles, inside that circle is another circle made up of 6 tiny yellow circles, and in
the center a tiny blue circle. The same pattern repeats itself again, but this time the colors are
swapped, larger circle with yellow circles, inner circle is blue circles, and center of it is yellow
circle. This could all be beading. The same pattern repeats itself again, with the color combo
mentioned first. They are most likely lined with a lighter or same color suede. Do a search for
embroidered gogo boots, vintage suede embroidered boots, gogo boots, or Jerry Edouard.
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