Has anyone been watching "The Paradise"?

Oh I am very shallow if i watch the next series will depend upon if there any thing better on the other channel. It could end up more like a soap opera than a good old costume drama. The story line not that strong either maybe they were trying to appeal to every one at the same time.

 

I definately agree. Where do I find an address to write to this wardrobe department? Katharine's outfits are sooo bad. The rest are good enough and the men seem well done but for an aristocrat she is most horribly dressed. And just a little side note...you ask if anyone feels this way and a bunch of people answer not having even watched the show. That's weird. Guess they just like to see their name in print. As for the story, I like it. It leaves me with a good feeling. Not too much sadness or suspense; I can just relax and roll along with it.

 

I have started watching it. I agree the costuming is not the best, and Katherine's dresses in particular are lacking. I know the have a small budget and time constraints, but they could have spent a bit more money and time on Katherine as she is quite rich. They also tend to dress her in feminine colors and almost always with tiny flowers around her bosom, much like a young girl's clothing, which I feel fits her spoiled little girl persona.

Again, it is the small budget, but the hats look home made, (and not very well made) and the trims look pasted on and too modern and cheap, like like something they found a a local hobby shop. Hats are small and don't cost as much to make (generally) so they should have splurged a bit on them. And don't get me started about the cheesy flimsy ostrich feathers they made such a fuss about! Plumes back then would have been much more sumptuous and thick. Those feather "plumes" things look SO cheap, ugh.

I like the story, and the book was written by Emile Zola and I am sure they played with it. A soap opera, yes. It is not Downton Abbey and is not Mr. Selfrige, but I still like watching it.

WHO AM I KIDDING? I watch it because I am developing a crush on Mr. Moray. He needs a shave but who cares? Every girls' crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man......ZZ Top

 

I think the point of Katherine's garish dresses has more to do with character than history. She is the "IT" girl, and must stand out from her more conservatively dressed friends. I'll admit, this is an example where it is best to not have too much knowledge about historic styles, which describes probably 95% of the people watching the series, including me. I do think that some of her dresses have been showing a bit too much decolletage for day.

This series is about a department store, which was a new concept in the late 1800s. The Paradise has beautifully designed plate glass window displays, at a time when stores were still cramming as much merchandise as possible into their windows. Carefully designed windows did not come into favor until many years later. And plate glass was rarely used before the 1890s.

Another show that bugs is the The Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries. I love the show, but they have her parading all over Melbourne in pants. Unless Australia was very progressive, fashion-wise in the 1920s, pants on the street and in public buildings was not the style.

 

Even my husband commented on the terrible Glendenning dresses. "Is that a Halloween costume?" I think Lizzie is right, her inappropriate dress is an extension of her shallow insensitive character. Was aqua a color used in that time period. Denise's new dress is puzzling. The front seems to be from one period and the back from another.
Marian