one soggy corset
and an unfortunate curse
Outfit of the Week | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, dir. by Gore Verbinski)
alright, this week we’re paying homage to a younger Laurel by chatting about a movie she believed to be the best film ever created for an embarrassingly long amount of time.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl came out in 2003 when I was freshly 10-years-old, but i probably didn’t watch for the first time until the second movie (Dead Man’s Chest) came out 3 years later.
i was peak pre-teen, which meant that Orlando Bloom’s billowy blouses and sweat-slicked hair gave me a very unrealistic expectation of the hoards of men i dreamt of frolicking about with in my later years. (yes, hoards proved to be a miscalculation)
i was shocked upon viewing this movie for the first time at how many hotties managed to keep appearing on-screen! in early 18th-century garb, no less! what a treat!
so, we’re in Port Royal, Jamaica. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), a young blacksmith, delivers a freshly-forged sword to the governor’s home and watches with lovesick eyes as Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), the governor’s daughter, descends the staircase.
the two have known one another since they were kids after Will was rescued from a pirate attack by Elizabeth’s father. he wore a gold medallion around his neck that Elisabeth took from him, which later will prove to be a pretty ill-informed move on her part.
cut to present day: Captain Jack Sparrow (played by pre-problematic Johnny Depp) arrives in Port Royal to commandeer a new ship and continue on with his drunken escapades.
shortly after Captain Jack’s (perfectly timed, yet sinking) boat docks, Elizabeth is kidnapped by the pirates aboard the Black Pearl. they take her hostage due to the fact she’s in possession of a CERTAIN medallion they’re in desperate need of (yes, to break a centuries old curse, of course)!
thus begins the unlikely pairing of a greasy pirate and a determined blacksmith, who take to the seas in a stolen ship - both with very different motivations…
it’s a swash-bucklin’ good time and the costume design is really up my alley (and should be up yours too…or at least up a neighboring alley). but, let’s do away with the lavish gowns and pantaloons - instead, i’d like to talk about Elizabeth Swann’s undergarments this week because as we all know, it’s what’s on the inside that matters most.
when poor Elizabeth faints from inability to breath due to wardrobe constraints, Cap’n Jack rescues her from the water, rips off her heavy gown and debilitating corset, and delivers her back to her daddy dearest and his wigged cronies.
i love the slip dress she’s wearing underneath, especially paired with her linen stay (the modern-day corset). stays, back then, were worn by women as a supportive garment. they also gave shape to the outfit (while simultaneously crushing lungs)!
the detailing of her slip is so beautiful. it’s made of a translucent, soft cotton fabric called Dotted Swiss, which originated in Switzerland in the late 1700s. this fabric keeps coming back to me like the inevitable stomachache after i eat a buncha’ fries.
it’s textured look is forever mesmerizing and dreamy. plus, a natural linen paired with a bright white never gets old. UGH I LOVE IT OKAY
Honorable Mention of the Week | Elisabeth’s servant placing a pan of hot coals between the sheets at the end of her bed is honestly peak comfy cozy vibes
brb gotta go give my lovely boyfriend his to-do list:
get an Etsy account
purchase an 18th-century bed warmer from a grandma in rural Pennsylvania
proceed to pre-heat my side of the bed for me for the next 40 years
