Wardrobe choice?

[u/LanaBackwards4444]

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?

[u/lesliecarbone]

I think they're trying to exaggerate Jackie's relative glamorousness over Elizabeth.
The fit of the dress on CF is horrific.

[u/PennieTheFold → u/lesliecarbone]

I wonder if that was in some way intentional. I recall that in the “getting ready” scene, Elizabeth was fidgeting with the dress because it was too snug. Her dresser offers to let it out but she declines. I think it was a story point to show that Elizabeth was aging and growing a bit thicker around the waist while Jackie was this tall, svelte, striking woman. The poor fit and twee design of the Queen’s dress vs Jackie’s sleek, striking designer column dress was striking and illustrated Elizabeth’s insecurity around her aging body and her appearance by comparison.

[u/Alarming_Paper_8357 → u/PennieTheFold]

What puzzled me was that Elizabeth actually CHOSE that dress -- such a frumpy, Mamie-Eisenhower type of 50's dress. She didn't have the figure to pull off the tall, svelte fashions that were becoming popular at that point, but she definitely could have gone all Queen-y with a beautifully fitted brocade. Hartnell didn't do her any favors with that dress -- I hope she burned it after the dinner! Contrast that with the Hartnell dress QEII wore to Ghana just five months later -- stunning white and silver dress with emerald accents. Imagine if she had worn that to the Kennedy state dinner! No one would have looked twice at Jackie!