Sunday, June 23, 2013

Miss Lemon wardrobe files: 3. Blue pieces



As a redhead Miss Lemon prefers blue colored outfits. Have you noticed that most of her dresses are blue? She even has a matching coat and hat to complete the outfits!

Dark blue dotted frock with stylized bow
This dark blue dress almost seems black. It has short gathered sleeves with ruffles and is finished with a belt. The white collar goes 3/4 around and it is open at the back. Though it is almost invisible, the collar has a blue ruffled edge. 

  

  

Fitted navy blue jacket
Although it appears to be almost black, this is a very dark navy blue jacket with a figure-fitting silhouette. I think it is a very fresh combination with the dark blue dotted dress, and the matching hat of course! The fitted jacket has military details, like the big buttoned down lapels and accent buttons on the sleeves. The front closes with one single  button.


  

Blue flower dress
I assume this is another dress and not a blouse, though there is only one shot of it. The dress has gathered sleeves with cuffs, white collar and a jabot with ruffled finish. We only see this one in one scene, when Miss Lemon receives a phone call from Poirot from abroad.
   

Pastel blue ajour dress
One of Miss Lemon's favorites, this stunning dress appears in several episodes. The dress has raglan sleeves and geometric ajour detailing. There is no collar and the neckline is embellished with lace leafs. Nest to the ajour lines there are three seams running down the front middle too! The sleeves are wide at the upper-arms and then the fabric is folded in pleats to become fitted under the elbows. There is a very small off-white edge finish at the wrists. The skirt is slightly flared. A wide, fabric covered belt  completes the outfit. I would love to see this dress in real to study the details a bit!


  

  
Do you know what 'ajour' is?
'Plique-à-jour' is French for "letting in daylight". It is actually a sculptural technique where pieces are cut out in a pattern leaving lace like empty spaces behind which form the design. Ajour as I know it is either a lace knitted pattern (with holes) or a traditional 'thread counting' embroidery technique from the Hungarian folk art when a few rows of thread are pulled from the fabric and then the remaining thread is divided in groups and secured with embroidery. Traditionally it was used as an edge decoration on tableclothes. I've seen my grandma apply this technique often when I was a child. In the 2013 spring RTW collection of Valentino the same type of ajour details were used again, probably with another method when the pieces of fabric are sewn together with rows of thread.
Here is a close-up of the ajour details of Mis Lemon's dress. I think this is yet another method: there are strips of fabric inserted in the vertical cutouts with small holes between the strips:


In one of the later episodes Miss Lemon wears the 'Ajour dress' with a detachable collar. Recognize it? A big returner again:
    

The 'Might be black as well' blouse
This blouse could be either dark blue or black. It is hard to see since the hallway in Poirot's apartment has a little lightning and the scenes are placed in the evening/night hours. the blouse has a small standing collar with a tie in a soft, dark blue fabric.
   

    

Royal blue coat 
This blue, fitted coat has an asymmetrical closure with 2x3 buttons. The coat has a rectangular neckline and an elegant, asymmetrical fur collar in a light brown color. Miss Lemon wears it with brown accessories. You can see in the close-ups how saturated the blue color really is!
   

 

Blue-grey tailored jacket
The lighting in Poirot's hallway is generally very poor. Only when Miss Lemon steps out of her office can we catch a glimpse of the blue-ish hue of this fitted jacket with rounded front.
  

 

Electric blue skirt
Of course, Miss Lemon has a lot of skirts but this one has an unusual, really bright 'electric' blue color. Like all the skirts she wears also this one has a distinct A-line shape. Miss Lemon combines this color with black and white items.
   

Next up: the grey outfits!

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