Picspam the second: Historical dress-up in The Vampire Diaries (38 pictures)

[bironic]

It's difficult to figure out whether this picspam/writeup belongs more in the "dressup" or "historical roleplay" category for my Kink Bingo card, because there's such an overlap in this case. Probably going with "dressup" after all to make a particular line.

All right, so we've covered how the characters on The Vampire Diaries love dressing up in evening wear and outfits from past decades and Halloween costumes and uniforms for school events, etc.; how they ogle one another in their unusual clothes, how we similarly enjoy looking at them, how they admire themselves in their mirrors, and how we get to glimpse them in the act of choosing and putting on clothes/accessories.

Now we turn to a related but distinct kind of dressup on the show: flashbacks to the supernatural characters in earlier eras. The Originals in their Viking-esque village or in the Middle Ages. Stefan and Damon in antebellum Virginia or the well-tailored 1910s. Katerina/Katherine weaving through it all. There is a fetish here for the historical settings and costumes, although this time it's more clearly on the part of the show creators for the benefit of (themselves and) the actors and the viewers, rather than a demonstration of what the characters themselves enjoy. In a way it's not quite historical roleplay, because the characters are the same, just younger; but in another way it is, because the actors are playing their characters in different settings. Different mannerisms, different locations, slightly different ways of talking. And of course, most marvelously of all, different clothes.

Because it's a lot of fun to switch between this:



And this:




Or this:



And this:





The multiple styles of dress are beautiful in themselves and call attention to (or heighten the enjoyment of) one another through the contrast. My favorite might be the long, flowing fashions of the Katarina/Elijah/Klaus love triangle. Reminds me of Edmund Blair Leighton paintings. I mean, even though the dudes' hair is usually ridiculous.

And now, the picspam.



"Ancient times"









900s











1114







1490





1492









1864

















1800- or 1900-something





1912











1920s

















1970s









The end. Hope you enjoyed! I know I do whenever we are treated to scenes like this on the show.

Comments

[alizarin-nyc.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that! I often take the costuming for granted with this show, but it is SRS BZNS. Gosh they are all so beautiful.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I knew they dressed up a LOT, but I maybe didn't grasp exactly how much until I started skimming episode summaries and collecting the screen shots in one place. Ah, this show and its kinks. So pretty. I just wish Bonnie were a doppelganger too, or something, so we could see her through the ages.