Luna Lark Speaks: Musings of a Fairy Punk

Lusting After Morticia's Gown

By Luna Lark
QuailBellMagazine.com

I was supposed to swoon over Marilyn Monroe's white dress from The Seven Year Itch, the one that scandalously reveals her thighs as she stands over the air vent. At least Dorothy's gingham dress from The Wizard of Oz should've tickled me more. Instead, it was Morticia's gown from The Addams Family—1991, Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, kiddie Christina Ricci, you know the one—that mesmerized me. I was shuffling through the press preview of “Hollywood Costume” at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. It was the morning of my 25th birthday and, sheesh, this Scorpio could've gawked at that Ruth Myers goth gem forever. Aubergine and black brocade, tattered sleeve-ends, elegant train, black silk crepe scarf, etc. Delish.

I'm denying you a photo because you have to experience the costume in person. Seeing an underexposed cell phone pic here versus seeing the real deal is like the difference between exchanging a quick text and having a sincere, face-to-face conversation. Of course, if you've watched The Addams Family, you already have a frame of reference.

Keep in mind, however, that film costumes are designed for a two-dimensional world where they won't necessarily be seen from every angle. They're also designed to work with the lighting set-up the director and cinematographer have chosen. As such, many costumes lack that same cinematic magic in real life, while others are so elaborate that the screen cannot possibly capture their full glory. I was surprised to note that Morticia's gown, for instance, was much redder and far more detailed than I would've guessed. Hollywood get-ups also tend to be fragile; they're not made to last and they're not usually carefully stored once shooting ends. More often than not, they get altered and reused for another production or tragically thrown out. That's all a long-winded way of saying, catch the show.

Other pieces that struck me were Kate Winslet's costumes from Titanic and anything and everything Keira Knightley ever wore...ever. (Go figure.) All the other press hypes clothes from The Birds, My Fair Lady, Superman, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and The Dark Knight Rises, but I AM TELLING YOU: Do. Not. Miss. Morticia's. Gown.

“Hollywood Costume” is at the VMFA's NewMarket and Altria Group Galleries through February 17, 2014. Organized by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the show will also travel to the Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona in March. Richmond and Phoenix are the exhibit's only U.S. locations. So what are you waiting for DMV fledglings? Chances are you'll never see this again.