If it’s a period piece, I’m probably going to watch it, however… I won’t always like it. I can confidently say that when it comes to TV, The Great is my favorite in this category. Sorry Bridgerton bbys. I know I’ve mentioned it before in this newsletter, but it deserves more than just a quick threat on your life, from me, to watch it. It needs its own moment.
Although we’ll be focusing on the fashion, let me give you a little bit of background. The Great is a comedy/drama set in 18th century Russia, and it follows the story of Catherine the Great, played by Elle Fanning, and her rise as Empress of Russia after marrying Peter lll. Now, although it follows a real historical figure, it’s not actually very accurate. The shows tagline started as “an occasionally true story” and was later changed to “an almost entirely untrue story.” It’s a satire, it’s over-the-top in all aspects, and it’s a great fucking time. Essentially, you’re watching a fan-fiction romanticizing royals that were terribly cruel in real life and don’t deserve to be this likable!!! It is a crime I will continue turning a blind eye to.
Given that the show is not claiming to be an accurate historical depiction, I’m not too critical of it in terms of historical accuracy when it comes to fashion and customs. However, it doesn’t do a bad job in that department, if we’re being honest. This newsletter was not even a thought at the time of season one, so I’ll be discussing both seasons, because it’s only right, and because I want to, and I do what I want.
The costume designer for the first season of The Great was Emma Fryer. When creating her mood boards for the wardrobe, she drew inspiration from high fashion designers, like Versace, Alexander McQueen, and Dior, as well as 18th century silhouettes. She also introduced more of a modern feel by using fabrics that weren’t around at the time.
Upon her arrival to Russia from France, Catherine comes with the idea that she will embark on this pure romance with Peter lll of Russia. She has this innocence and naiveness that is represented in the outfits she wears. It’s evident right off the bat, that she does not fit in, in this new environment that she’s been thrust into. While everyone in court dons rich colors, jewel tones, and elaborate wigs, Catherine wears pastels and her hair is romantic and wind swept. The panniers of her dress are also a lot more slim and not at all wide at the hip like the other women in court.
In the middle of the season, she is given a lover, named Leo, to keep her happy and satisfied. Leo becomes Catherine’s first love, and as they spend more time with each other, you can see that they start to dress similarly. The two start wearing a lot of green, which makes sense because they spend a lot of time outdoors together, and Leo’s outfits are very earthy in color.
As Catherine acclimates to her new surroundings and becomes more sure in her plans for taking the thrown, her wardrobe starts to get darker in color and she trades her pastels for jewel tones. There’s a gorgeous hot pink gown that Catherine wears in the last episode during her coup against Peter. Emma Fryer said that this look was “an ode to what she can do” and I really think it holds so much power. There’s a scene where she rips the stomach of the gown open, telling Peter that she is pregnant with his heir, and therefore he cannot kill her. She said gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. Super manipulative and I love it.
Before we get into Peter’s wardrobe, can I just say that I hated no one more than I hated him in season one. I am literally still in shock that he has somehow become one of my favorite characters.
Anyway, Peter was very extravagant when it came to his clothing, and I think that makes perfect sense. He was Emperor, and he also did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. A toned down, put together wardrobe would not have been right. He’s always seen wearing gold or bronze britches with his outfits and lots of prints. Honestly very punk rock and something you would probably see Harry Styles wear in a photoshoot. There was also no shortage of furs when it came to Peter, which again, makes perfect sense. Furs were very expensive and he was very rich.
Although his style was all over the place, Peter did know how to clean up. Whenever him and Catherine had important matters to tend to, or he was supporting her decisions in something, their outfits matched. This showed that they were unified.
One item that we see Peter wearing on more than one occasion is his mother’s necklace. He wore it in times where he needed comfort, almost like a safety blanket. I really like this choice, because there’s no doubt that Peter was a mommy’s boy. I mean, he kept her corpse in a glass box in his room for a majority of the show, so. In season two, Peter stops wearing the necklace after he has a mental breakdown from being locked in his room. We love character growth!!!
I also want to quickly touch on Aunt Elizabeth. She’s not a regular aunt, she’s a cool aunt. In the show, Elizabeth was depicted as a very caring character that always wanted the best for Catherine and Peter. Her style was very eclectic and eccentric, and I honestly loved it. She wasn’t bothered with what other people thought, and I think that through her fun outfits, you can tell that she actually cared about fashion and the things she wore. Elizabeth also wore a lot of fun mouches, and at times dressed in a more masculine way. In real life, Elizabeth always had to be best dressed at the ball and definitely did care what people thought. Because of this, the real Catherine often leaned towards the more casual choices when picking her outfits in order to not step on Elizabeth’s toes.
Sharon Long was the costume designer for season two, and similarly to Emma Fryer, she also took inspiration from high fashion designers and intertwined them with vintage 18th century references. Fryer, however, focused on designers of the 90s.
In the beginning of the season, Catherine wears a traditional Russian sarafan. Although the sarafan became the most popular article of peasant women’s clothing at the turn of the 18th century in Russia, it’s first documentation of use was in the year 1376. When Catherine decides to wear the sarafan, Marial tells her that people are going to laugh at her because it’s what their grandmas wore and that it’s super outdated. However, all the little girls in court think she looks stunning, partially because they don’t know that this is a “vintage” and traditional look, but also because she truly does. She wants the court to stop seeing her as a German, mail-order bride. The sarafan Catherine wears is very opulent, and I can definitely see the Christian Lacroix influence. Although in reality Catherine would have worn a French coronation gown, she did reintroduce Russian fashion.
For a lot of season two, Catherine is pregnant, so a lot of the costume choices had to be accommodated to her bump. You can see that the sides of her skirts were less built up, since she was already larger in the front. Fryer mentioned they they tried making the skirts looser while still holding their shape, but it didn’t translate on camera. Fryer also notes Simone Rocha, Cecile Bahnsen, and early 1960s Balenciaga as an influence for Catherine’s outfits when she’s peak pregnant.
One thing I loved seeing was the use of maternity stays. You’re probably shocked that a pregnant woman was wearing a corset or a stay, but it was actually common practice. Women were used to wearing corsets and relied on the abdominal support, especially during pregnancy. Like is seen on Catherine, the maternity stay was designed to expand over the course of a women’s pregnancy and did not restrict the waist. When a woman gave birth and no longer needed the extra space, she would close the side lacing and the stay would fit her body tightly. I also appreciate The Great for using proper undergarments and not putting the corsets and stays on bare skin, which can’t be said the same for shows like Bridgerton.
There’s a scene where Catherine essentially snorts a line of what would be the equivalent of cocaine today, in order to have more energy. Here she’s seen running around in her under clothes. This would literally never have happened in real life, but I was honestly kind of into the look and it made me giggle. She was also wearing drawers, which were actually a 19th century thing.
Overall, Catherine is still sticking to her signature pastel colors when it comes to wardrobe, and tends to wear a lot of blue.
Her feelings for Peter start to develop in season two, and when she starts to fall more in love with him, her wardrobe becomes a lot warmer in color and she often wears yellow. When Catherine receives news in regards to Peter that upsets her, she puts on a heavy, dark, purple cloak and breaks down crying in the middle of the forest. The yellow of the dress is not seen again for the rest of the episode, which I think is a great representation of her developing hope and love being dimmed.
Peter spends most of this season as Catherine’s prisoner after her successful coup. He’s locked in his bedroom and isn’t allowed to leave unless given permission by Catherine and accompanied by guards. During this time, he also realizes that he doesn’t actually want to be Emperor. Peter is officially in his stay-at-home husband era. Because he’s spending most of his time in his bedroom, he wears a lot of underclothes. I mean, he might as well be comfortable!
Long mentioned that a photo of Cat Stevens was an influence in Peter’s wardrobe, and I can definitely see the rockstar feel in the clothing he wears. Peter is still as flamboyant and hedonistic as ever, so animal print and fur as wardrobe staples only make sense, and the color palette of his outfits continues to be darker.
One of my favorite things about Peter’s wardrobe this season was that it felt a lot more feminine. He wears a lot of lace and pearls, and being that he’s no longer the “breadwinner”, even if against his will, he is taking up the stereotypical “women’s role" in a marriage. He’s staying at home and taking care of their child, while his wife runs the country.
The textiles of Peter’s clothing also represent all the many interests and hobbies he’s taken up since being locked away. For example, there’s a coat that has a pheasant printed on it which aligns with his love of hunting.
One of my favorite moments of season two was the baby shower that Peter throws for his son. Everyone is so over the top and colorful. Peter also sports a pannier.
Overall, I loved the wardrobe in The Great, and I didn’t feel the need to be extremely nitpicky since the show doesn’t ever claim to be an actual historical representation of historical events. HOWEVER, there is a few things that I wish would have been done differently.
In the show, Catherine tends to re-wear certain outfits. In reality, this would never happen. She’s quoted as saying, “At public balls I usually changed costume three times. My jewelry was always very fine, and if the costume I wore attracted everyone's praise, I was sure never to wear it again, because I had a rule that if it had made a big impression once, it could only make a smaller one the next time. On the other hand, at court balls that the public did not attend, I dressed as simply as I could, and so I paid my respects to The Empress, who did not much like anyone to appear overdressed.” Not only was she royalty and had clothing being made for her on the daily, but she also actually gave a shit about fashion. It was political, it made statements, and she was very aware of the things she was wearing and why she was wearing them. Catherine in The Great… not so much.
I also noticed a huge lack of jewelry on Catherine. Russian jewelry was super flashy and glitzy, and was obviously regularly worn by royalty. The show rarely puts Catherine in jewelry. The most extravagant we get is at her coronation.
If you didn’t enjoy this newsletter, please don’t tell me. I rather live in ignorance than be told something I had so much fun writing brought you no joy. I’m fragile.
Please watch this show if you haven’t already. If period pieces aren’t your thing, I promise the cast, along with Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult’s chemistry alone, will keep you interested.
Let me know if there’s any other shows or movies you’d love a fashion breakdown on. I’m working on my The House of Gucci review, it’s coming, I promise.
xx