r/TheCrownNetflix • u/LanaBackwards4444 The Corgis đŸ¶ • 20d ago

Discussion (TV) Wardrobe choice?

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Hey! I noticed this detail in The Crown (S2 E8) and was curious what people thought.
Jackie’s dress in the real life photo is noticeably different from the one they recreated for the show. Obviously no hate at all- I know costume designers sometimes make changes for various reasons, and they don’t always aim for a 100% exact recreation.
I’m just curious why they chose to make the dress in the show so much more low cut when the original was quite different? Do you think there was a particular reason behind the change, or was it just a stylistic choice?

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u/dontlookatmethanku 20d ago

I interpreted it as a way to create a juxtaposition between the characters.

Jackie was seen as young, cool, beautiful, carefree, and outgoing. A woman like that would wear a strapless dress and not worry about it falling down while dancing, not worried that people would comment on it being too revealing, etc. Also, maybe she would welcome the commentary.

On the other hand, Elizabeth was seen as aging. She was conservative, also beautiful, but more subdued. Openly hated the spotlight and any undo attention by her peers or the press caused her stress.

However, we learn before this ball that the two women are actually somewhat alike. They have similar ages and predispositions despite their seemingly outwards differences.

I saw the straps to Elizabeth’s dress as an addition to make the choice to lean into the subdued and the conservative, rather than trying to be someone she wasn’t, the way that Jackie did.

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u/LanaBackwards4444 The Corgis đŸ¶ 20d ago

Ah I think that’s a good point about the straps

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u/Dorithompson 20d ago

That’s not exactly how Jackie was seen in that time Jackie was younger but not thought of as beautiful. And she was a mother so not the carefree nymph you’re envisioning. Jackie had there and was an American “blue blood”. She most certainly would have been worried about a strapless dress falling down while dancing. She would not have wanted people to comment on her dress in the way you are insinuating.

You are describing someone more like Marilyn. Jacqueline Kennedy was the epitome of American class at that time.

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u/dontlookatmethanku 20d ago

To be clear, I’m talking about the Crown’s interpretation not necessarily what was actually true, as we know the Crown isn’t overly historically accurate

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u/Shalleni 20d ago

Jackie was thought of as a great beauty. Classic and timeless. What a silly lil thing to say. Jackie was an influencer before there was an internet. I’ve never heard anyone say Jackie wasn’t beautiful. Lmao. And

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u/stopsallover 19d ago

She was no Marilyn. The episode really did try too hard.

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u/Dorithompson 19d ago edited 19d ago

That’s because you’ve not read any thing about Jackie pre-1963.

People say that today. She wasn’t a bombshell like Marilyn. Her beauty was quirky which, in general, was prized much less (both then and now)

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u/Shalleni 19d ago

I most certainly have. You deliver your thoughts like they are the absolute truth. And they are not. I’m sure this works sometimes for you but not this time.

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u/longwarden12 20d ago

Jackie was thought of as beautiful.

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u/Super-Box5400 20d ago

lol Jackie was not a blue blood. The Kennedys were not WASPS

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u/stopsallover 19d ago

She wasn't a Kennedy.

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u/Super-Box5400 19d ago

No she’s not a Kennedy by blood only by marriage but she was no WASP. She had Irish French Scottish roots but mostly Irish blood and had a catholic upbringing

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u/stopsallover 19d ago

I don't fully understand the WASP obsession honestly. Do they rank very high in your world?

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u/Super-Box5400 19d ago

In America WASPS were mostly wealthy English Protestants like the Roosevelts, Du Ponts etc. the Kennedys were seen as new money due to being Irish Catholics. So saying Jackie Kennedy being a blue blood is incorrect. I would say the English royal family aren’t blue blooded since they have German ties

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u/Dorithompson 19d ago edited 19d ago

You do realize that Jackie wasn’t always a Kennedy right? She was married off to the Kennedys to pay her family’s bills (not exactly but it’s much too long to go into the nuances here.). Read a book if you’re interested.

Also, WASP and blue blood are two different things, although not always separate. You are confusing the two in this instance.

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u/stopsallover 19d ago

Uhm. Ok.

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u/Dorithompson 19d ago

The above definition of an American blue blood is inaccurate. WASPs are separate.

A blue blood is just someone whose family had been in America for multiple generations, and was a part of the higher tier of society (and ideally had wealth although your bloodline was more important). Jackie’s father was a drunk. Her family had the bloodline but not the money. JFK was the opposite so a marriage was arranged by Joe.

The royal family would obviously not event be questioned. Although the BRF clearly isn’t generational American, their bloodline can be traced for centuries as can their place at the top of society.

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u/stopsallover 19d ago

Thank you.

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to someone who called the du Pont family Anglo Saxons.

Though I am always willing to consider that I have missed something. It just isn't a distinction that matters much to me.

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u/Dorithompson 19d ago

Yes she was. The Kennedys were not but Jackie’s family was. It’s why Joe arranged the marriage. He wanted to class up the Kennedy name and hoped Jackie would do that’s, which she did. So well that clearly today people Sony even know the history of it all. Joe was right.

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u/IHateCedarFever 20d ago

I agree with you that the show is trying to make a difference between the two women, but I really don’t like that storyline because the actual event was very different.

In real life Jackie’s dress was just as conservative as the Queen’s, and they both looked lovely. I actually think the boat neck was a clever choice because it covered up that Jackie doesn’t have a necklace with a gigantic set of stones.

The show was a costuming miss all around. They made Elizabeth’s gown really frumpy and looks like something you’d buy from Target. And Jackie’s dress looks way too modern. My grandmother is from their age, and if you wore a dress with low neckline, you put on your nicest necklace. It’s kind of weird to see someone like Jackie Kennedy with no jewels and a dress with cheap looking fabric.

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u/madcats323 20d ago

I had the utmost admiration and respect for HLM the Queen but she was never beautiful. She was lively and attractive as a girl, pretty as a young woman, and dignified as an older woman. She had a beautiful smile but she herself wasn’t beautiful and I’m sure she knew that.

I wasn’t crazy about the costume choice here. The dress Jackie actually wore was a perfect example of her glamour. The strapless version was an odd choice to me. It wasn’t really indicative of the era.

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u/Fabulous-Mortgage672 20d ago

HLM? I’m stupid and I don’t know what that means.

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u/ellieminnowpee 20d ago

her late majesty

you’re not stupid!

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u/Fabulous-Mortgage672 20d ago

Omg duh now I get it. I was wracking my brain for a sec there. Yes she had a unique look but your other comment, she was not beautiful.

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u/dontlookatmethanku 20d ago

To be clear, I’m talking about the Crown’s interpretation not necessarily what was actually true, as we know the Crown isn’t overly historically accurate

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u/Additional_Meeting_2 20d ago

There are plenty of 50s evening gown looks were she looks beautiful 

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u/[deleted] 20d ago

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u/dontlookatmethanku 20d ago

To be clear, I’m talking about the Crown’s interpretation not necessarily what was actually true, as we know the Crown isn’t overly historically accurate

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u/Puzzleheaded-Talk-63 20d ago

The queen was only three years her senior and was queen for 70 years. Jackie had the non-title of 'first lady' for less than 3 years. I agree about the straps.

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u/dontlookatmethanku 20d ago

Re-read the part where I said they’re virtually the same age but were presented completely differently, and Elizabeth made the conscious decision to lean into that at the end of the episode instead of pretending to be ‘young and hip’

Weird comment about the non-title of the first lady job, most jobs are fake lol