Children of Paradise
clown dressing for the hopeless romantic
Not only are you rich, but you want to be loved as if you are poor.
The Children of Paradise is a truly wonderful film, it is spellbinding and tender… and very grand. It follows a cast of characters with questionable morals and misplaced passions in and around the world of theater in 19th century Paris. Four men, vying for the love of one woman, Garance, whose only love is freedom… until she is no longer free, and finds her heart belongs to Baptiste. I fell in love with the scene stealing Baptiste as soon as he made his first appearance and gave his first pantomime (see here). In this story of ill-fated love, my only wish was to see Baptiste get his way! Of course, for him to get his way and win Garance would make his character less virtuous, but in the end don’t you want to see the two lovers together, no matter the cost? There are so many reasons to put this one on your watch list. Beautiful scenes with swaths of extras— a sea of clowns for a carnival parade, or a busy section of Paris with an absurd amount of street performers. This movie was really fun and perhaps most importantly, it really let pantomime shine, with Baptiste and his talent for the art showcasing it throughout the movie. It’s a long one, complete with an intermission, but totally transportive and inspiring— named the greatest French film of all time, and new favorite of mine.
Clown-ish attire has been calling my name lately, and though it is October, I wanted to make something, inspired by Baptiste, that was more casual and wearable, not costume. Looking through moodboards of my own, I have been drawn to the aesthetic of the mime for some time, and how fashion can parlez it into everyday dress that is at once both playful and an expression to be taken in earnest… much like the contradictory serious art of playful pantomime!
Using the example of an early 1900s clown costume intended for an infant, I aimed to make a playful jumpsuit, toned down just enough that you wouldn’t question if it’s destination was a costume party! I had some heavy weight undyed linen, that I thought would ground the ensemble with it’s everyday nubbiness and neutrality. The silhouette was based on a more shapeless jumpsuit I already owned (here is a great podcast resource on "rubbing off" ready to wear to create your own patterns!). From there I was able to add the distinctly clown-ish details: a double ruffled collar, a puff sleeve, and a gathered ankle. For a little more fun, I painted on some stars and moons, as any hopelessly romantic clown is doing a lot of wishin’!
If you want to see where else clowns are showing up in my life, please give my husband’s EP a listen to, “Frown Town” :-)
Love this, Kacy! The outfit is perfect and the inspiration makes it more so.