telwoman

Part of the fun of writing this story was engaging with the fashions of the times, as the Dowager Countess shows pictures and cuttings from her scrapbook to her great granddaughter. I tried to find a picture on the web that gives some idea of each of her dresses. The links all work now (Dec 2017), but I guess they’ll become inactive over time, one by one. Also, you'll have to copy and paste the addresses into your browser until I can get round to inserting the links properly.

I also began to think of Dorian’s mother as a more complex character, who must have had all the conflicting thoughts and feelings that we all have. Aoike introduces us to Dorian’s parents in Midnight Collector, so we know what they looked like. She doesn’t give either parent a name. I pinched the names Helen and Theo from Cassie Ingaben’s wonderful story Postcards From Paris (which is on AO3). When I think of Dorian’s parents, those are the names they have.

Presentation at court, 1947: Helen made her debut in an off-white ball gown, chiffon over taffeta. The dress would have fitted in with these: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9R-sYqjE_hE/UW91i77XPHI/AAAAAAAAITo/nxRRu647HvU/s1600/Corbis-BE042917.jpg  

Tennis party, 1947: white tennis frock. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f1/cd/a5/f1cda5bd2b85de1d0c806c6eaebe7329.jpg

Engagement, 1948: apple-green cocktail dress, silk organza. The dress itself would have been something like this 1948 pattern, https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8e/53/78/8e53780dda6ceb06335ff86e6044185a--s-fashion-retro-fashion.jpg
but instead of the lace feature at the shoulders, I imagine a pintuck feature like this: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f6/51/df/f651df3d211b43d44b003df70352c09c--vintage-s-dresses-vintage-clothing-s.jpg

Bridesmaids party, 1949: a smart day dress in floral crepe de chine, pale yellow and pale pink roses on a lavender-grey background. Frock style: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/2f/71/5d2f71d90a536aaafc258da34356ae83.jpg
Fabric after this general appearance http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mPTMRDSttyqetKx8mlYd9Fw.jpg

Wedding 1949: The bride’s dress was ivory coloured silk satin, with an overlay of lace. The bridesmaids wore gowns of light blue moiré taffeta. Helen’s wedding dress may have looked something like this https://i.pinimg.com/originals/52/7b/f7/527bf71bb957df2ff0399a04fa95c3ea.jpg
Here is a dress with the button feature she mentions https://treasuredgarmentrestoration.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/1949.jpg

Garden party at home, 1950: a smart emerald-green dress featuring a slim waist and a wide collar.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/17/21/67/172167bc1a290560e866602d8bf0a7f1--vintage-nautical-vintage-chic.jpg

Christening of the first child, 1951: beige two piece suit in soft woolen fabric. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/62/72/a1/6272a145fc8f828ee40d95654c2fc2b5--vintage-vogue-patterns-vintage-designs.jpg

Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, 1953: Theo would have worn a cloak and coronet like this https://www.edeandravenscroft.com/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_0612-earl-lichfield-coronation-robe_1717ef2b71.jpg   And here are some of the ladies Helen should have been sitting with https://i.pinimg.com/originals/30/a8/ec/30a8ec39b2d59db845840adfbb63290b.jpg

Chelsea Flower Show, 1957.  Swing coat and a neat hat. This coat is woolen, and the Chelsea Flower Show is held in May, so Helen’s swing coat was probably made of lighter fabric. This picture shows the shape. (And the hat Theo didn’t like may have looked like this, too.) https://i.pinimg.com/236x/3c/4c/67/3c4c67342457383b8bc6cae041e3d3db--vintage-hats-cuba.jpg

Dorian’s christening, 1957. Ice-blue silk Shantung suit. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/19/f8/db/19f8dbbad162c4670ebc9948dfc017a7.jpg

Ball at Castle Gloria, 1958 Bronze-coloured satin brocade ball gown. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6c/a5/b4/6ca5b41330bec2e26a3da7d4ee3219b5--vintage-fashion-style-s-fashion.jpg

Summer at home, 1964. A simple day dress in blue and white linen. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/29/8b/39/298b398f9f68fc8a45d8835b7c51145d--black-shift-dresses-vintage-fashion-style.jpg

At home, 1964 – 1970. The silk gown Helen wore to the Opera was made in a similar style to this one designed by Yves St Laurent in 1969. (Imagine it in a plain saffron yellow silk. Of course, Helen also made her dressmaker put a border of little Indian mirrors around the hem, maybe along with some oriental-looking embroidery, as a nod to the origin of the material.) https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9a/8f/c5/9a8fc5dc109358e5ca8d339fb3d3e1dd.jpg

Separation, 1970. See the side story, ‘Midnight Collector’. The dress and hat described are the ones she is wearing at Sir Rex Price’s house when she insists that Dorian must come home immediately.

The Earl’s funeral, 1976. Helen doesn’t describe her clothes, other than to state that she and her daughters all wore black. This photograph shows members of the British Royal Family at a funeral in 2004. Of course, this is years later than the Earl’s funeral, but this is still the kind of look Helen would have gone for: very plain and sober, and all ladies wearing a hat. https://hips.hearstapps.com/toc.h-cdn.co/assets/16/42/british-royal-family-2004.jpg

Garden party at Castle Gloria, 1979. As Dorian’s guest, the Dowager Countess wants to make an impression on the people at the garden party. She is a middle aged woman; she has kept her sense of style and no doubt she is still slim. This picture shows one of the suits Queen Elizabeth II wore to Royal Ascot in 1979. Helen may have chosen a suit similar in design, perhaps in a softer, lighter Thai silk that draped less stiffly. http://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/queen-elizabeth-ll-and-queen-elizabeth-the-queen-mother-news-photo/515875390#queen-elizabeth-ll-and-queen-elizabeth-the-queen-mother-attend-royal-picture-id515875390

Imzy bit the dust, so here I am.