Fashion and Mourning in Lady Susan

Fashion and Mourning in Lady Susan

Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh, the costume designer for the film adaptation of Jane Austen's Lady Susan, has been speaking about the choices she made to show Lady Susan's transition from mourning widow to social butterfly.

"If you actually laid out the costumes, it goes from black to black and grey to mauve, more of the mourning colors for the time, and every time she's in the country she's affecting the widow and trying to be discreet, but when she goes to London, the colors change."

At this point when Lady Susan goes to London she opts for more brighter hues, and wears corseted gowns in light pink, scarlet, and purple (but with black lace, as purple was still a common mourning colour). We at the Jane Austen News think it's nice to see this progression from mourning portrayed on screen. Mourning was a common state to be in at the time, but not one that is very often expanded upon.

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