Shadows in the Sun

by Sally Norton and Frannie Germeshausen, First published for the September/October 2009 issue of Finery

Dark Shadows, which aired every weekday afternoon from 1966 to 1971,  was one of the all-time great cult TV shows. It starred a vampire, featured time travel, and included witches, ghosts and even a werewolf. The GBACG will celebrate the show this year with a picnic on Saturday, October 17. 2009. So, what should one wear to a Dark Shadows picnic? There are so many choices!

First, there are the years the show aired, 1966 through ’71. What a watershed fashion era that was! Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, Mary Quant, paper dresses, the Tent! The rise of the hippie, with the introduction of ethnic and “gypsy” influences. And, of course, by 1971, the mini, the midi and the maxi skirt all existed side by side. Tie dye and Peter Max! Such color! So many barriers broken!

For those that prefer to wear something more antique, there were three main periods which characters traveled or were transported to. The most famous was 1795. For men, the Directoire look is very similar to that of the Regency. For women, it’s that transitional period, with round gowns and the
emergence of the high waist, which will become the Regency line. In the show, the women wear regency gowns, and in keeping with the shows, um, non-historical costuming values, accuracy does NOT earn you extra credit for this event! People can wear more historically-accurate Directoire gowns, through the Regency, ranging from hand-sewn perfect workmanship, to early efforts with – ahem – zippers up the back.

The next important period is 1897. Men can wear frock coats, sack suits, or more working class shirts, vests and suspenders. While the show named the year as 1897, they dressed the main female character in Natural Form. So, one may aim loosely at the last quarter of the 19th Century. Or, of course, you can wear the more accurate gored skirts and jackets or blouses with leg of mutton sleeves. Sporty young women may wear boaters!

A final option is 1840, destination for time travel in parallel time! Depending on the individual outfit, people could wear their Dickens Fair or early California re-enactment clothes, especially the men. For women, gowns with fitted bodices, full skirts over petticoats and long fitted sleeves are appropriate. Those are the choices for those that wish to accurately reflect the era. Remember, there’s always the other choice – synthetic fabrics and a zipper up the back. Vampires, ghosts and werewolves are always welcome!