Thursday, November 3, 2011

Governess Chic: Looking for Mr. Rochester

These evenings I have been in full rehearsal swing, as we prepare to perform the musical The Secret Garden. 

I play Mrs. Medlock, the housekeeper with an outrageous Yorkshire accent (yes; I think I'm throwing some PEI vowels in there too, as well as some Scottish brogue).

She's a stern woman, called a "spinster" actually (eek!), but fans the flames, I think, of a massive crush on her physician employer, who in turn harbours a crush on his brother's dead wife. 

Not a good situation.

I was outfitted with my costume last night, and am delighted with it, as it exudes governess chic: it's a long black fitted column, which I'll cinch with a wide black belt.   In front there's a white lace bib punctuated with a tiny, delicate black grosgrain ribbon.



Maybe it's a holdover from my boarding school days, maybe it's my love for Jane Eyre, maybe it's my wish to be a Parisian schoolgirl, but I do adore a chic-ly severe look: usually a navy dress or sweater with a strong white collar. 

And even though Mrs. Medlock's secret crush does not acknowledge the pleasures of her secret garden, as her personality is all barbed wire and thorns, her dress, for this actress, blooms perfectly.

2 comments:

Susan Tiner said...

What fun! Your costume description reminds me of Mrs Danvers.

I like that look as well, and in my case I get to wear something along those lines when I don my black button down cassock for choir on Sundays :).

Miss Cavendish said...

Mrs. Danvers, definitely!