Fashion Corner: It Was Designed for a Dainty Neck

[Serendipity]

My mom and I loved Blanche's outfits. Her gray suit in the Hunka Hunka Burning Love Club episode where she kicks Dorothy out of the unauthorized Elvis fan club, is my favorite.

I love the girls' jewelry as well. Big bold jewelry of the 80s made a comeback lately and I find myself staring at some of the pieces they wear.

[camom]

I'm always distracted by the earrings -- they're often huge!

[ShadowSixx]

Blanche did have one horrible outfit that I remember. It's that dress she wore when she confessed to Rose that she couldn't sell her her car and the episode where Dorothy first sleeps with Glen. That dress was so matronly on her and more suited for Sophia who seemed to have that same dress in The Flu episode.

[mightyalrighty]

I'm watching the episode with Phil's funeral and Blanche looks STUNNING in her red dress with the asymmetrical neckline.

 

How the hell did I never notice Dorothy's giant Chanel earrings after years of watching this show? And how the hell did a substitute teacher afford them?

 

Just a teacher...

 

a substitute teacher...

 

a divorced substitute teacher...

 

who can't even afford her own place to live...BEAM ME UP!

[keepwalking]

Blance had some wonderful night clothes! I think Dorothy's clothes were the worst sometimes, but Rose did have some awful sweaters.

 

I thought all the ladies looked good in the dance marathon episode.

[Aja]

Blanche had awesome nightgowns. My favorite was the one she was wearing when she delivered the "just enough water to barely cover my perky bosoms" line.

[legaleagle53]

She was only going to sit in an inch of water?

[TiffanyNichelle]

One thing I always liked is that the girls usually wore robes over their nightgowns and most of the time they matched, especially Blanche's.

[Miss Chevious]

I think the long black dress Blanche wore to go out with Ham Lushbaugh looked great. It was one of her best outfits.

[WhitneyWhit]

Dorothy had some clunkers, but my favorite Dorothy outfit was the one she wore when Dr. Newman came to dinner (short ribs). It was a purple top with ecru pants. It was casual yet dressy, she looked great in it.

[What In The]

I kind of liked Dorthy's last outfit of the Barbara Thorndike episode (where D makes friends with the stuck up writer.) i would have played oogle and flugle with Rose any noght wouldn't you?

[Miss Chevious]

The outfit Dorothy wears when Father Frank comes to dinner was one of her best. A black pantsuit with a sparkly top. So what if she looked like the mother of a Solid Gold dancer! Most of her clothes were too long, too flowy, or too baggy. That one actually fit her.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Miss Chevious

[Aja]

Yeah, sometimes Bea really looked like she was wearing the drapes. Betty had the worst wardrobe out of all of them, though...I know it was the decade that taste forgot, but lots of her clothes were really unflattering. The only thing I can remember seeing Rose in that really made her look great was the purple dress in the dance marathon episode. By the way, to those of you who, like me, have been fanatical about the series since its original run when you were a little kid, how many of you thought that was actually Betty White doing the front walk-overs the first time you saw it? 

[Maherjunkie]

Guilty.  And I really thought she was that fat in the Bob Hope episode.

[Blakeston]

Guilty.  And I really thought she was that fat in the Bob Hope episode.

 

I'm wracking my brain, but I have no idea what part of the Bob Hope episode this refers to.

[LilWharveyGal]

Dressing up like men in the golf club locker room?

[Miss Chevious]

Those plaid pants were awful!

[SHARON02840]

I used to have that pattern Sophia wore it alot in several colors button down with little popcorns and top was triangles anyone no where i can get that pattern

[MELISS682COMB]

HAS ANYONE EVER NOTICED THAT IN ALMOST EVERY SCENE, SOMEONE IS USUALLY WEARING EMERALD GREEN? IF IT'S NOT WORN, IT'S THE COLOUR OF THE SOFA CUSHIONS, OR THE BABY BLANKET. (EVERT ONCE IN A WHILE IT'S MINT GREEN.)

WHO HAD THE AFFINITY FOR GREEN?

[Miss Chevious]

I did notice that. They also tended to dress Dorothy in dark strong colors like burgundy, purple, black and brown. Rose was usually in pastels and Blanche, well...she was in anything low cut.

[Maherjunkie]

And those vacuum slacks!

[Aja]

This is an extremely nitpicky wardrobe nitpick, but I really hated that red sequinned top Blanche wore a few times. I remember that she wore it on the Grab That Dough episode, and it bugged me so much that I noticed it when it turned up again in other episodes.  The front has a "sexy" cutout below the neckline, but the cutout is actually flesh-colored fabric. WHICH BUGS ME. I don't know why, it just does. 

ETA: this one:

http://www.dvdizzy.com/images/g-i/ggs3-29.jpg

Edited February 2, 2015 by Aja

[Maherjunkie]

Don't ever become an ice skater then.

[Miss Chevious]

In the episode with Rex Huntington, the nasty boyfriend, Blanche wears a black v-neck sweater with gold spangly dots on it which is just gorgeous and looks great on her. I want that sweater!!!

[AndySmith]

I always thought Dorothy was supposed to be the frumpy one, hence she always dressed in outfits that made her body look like a block of wood. Rose's outfits weren;t always the best, and despite how dowdy they sometimes were, many of them still let her show her figure (Betty White back then was probably the curviest of the four).

 

In any case, I always thought this scene more or less sums up where Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy stood as far as fashion went. Just never ask Blanche or Rose for fashion advice...

[legaleagle53]

In the episode with Rex Huntington, the nasty boyfriend, Blanche wears a black v-neck sweater with gold spangly dots on it which is just gorgeous and looks great on her. I want that sweater!!!

 

Now you know why Rue had it written into her contract that she got to keep Blanche's outfits.

[SISTAHONTHEMOVE]

I watch The Golden Girls on Hallmark and Lifetime.  It was one of my favorite shows back in the 80's (my mom was Sophia and I was Dorothy) but my concern is who picked out Bea Arthur's outfits?  OMG, they were horrible!!  She never wore anything worth looking at, except a cute sweat suit once, and I believe she had bad feet because she wore super-flat sandals showing off those God-awful ugly feet.  Betty White had a lot of nice clothes and so did Rue McClanahan, even Estelle Getty had a few nice outfits for an old lady.  Lastly, I don't know who decided Rue was to the be pretty one of the four ladies...Betty White was the cutest with her dimples (but that's my opinion). 

Edited March 16, 2015 by SISTAHONTHEMOVE

[AndySmith]

I think the whole point was to give Dorothy the worst clothes to make her as "unattractive" as possible, since that was part of her character.

 

Nobody decided to make Rue the "pretty one", the point was the Blanche was supposed to be considered the most attractive, or at least, the one with the most active dating and sex life, the most outgoing, etc. And overall, she (Blanche) was the most stylish overall of the 4 girls. Just my opinion, but I think Rue pulled it off extremely well (even Betty agrees with me ;)

 

Don't forget, Betty was supposed to be playing Blanche originally, and Rue was supposed to play Rose.

[Maherjunkie]

I think Dorothy looked good in anything pink.  I hope she was buried in it.

[Miss Chevious]

I think Dorothy looked good in anything pink. I hope she was buried in it.

ITA. The pink lace dress she wore for Kate's wedding was one of her more flattering outfits.

[Maherjunkie]

And good for a gay funeral in New Orleans!

[Maherjunkie]

Now it's time to get dressed for that gay weddin'!  Butch, Sundance...

[Ria]

I think they all dressed and acted so old. I think Blanche was only supposed to be around 50 when the show started and Dorothy and Rose a bit older. Yet they dressed like elderly matrons from the 1950's (Aunt Bee anyone) rather than women in their fifties. And Sophia at 80 looks, moves and dresses far older than my 80 year old mom, who right now is in jeans and sneakers and spent the day mowing the lawn and painting her deck (she sees no reason to pay anyone to do these "simple" tasks). I'm 53 and I look at these women and can't imagine they are my age.

[legaleagle53]

I think Blanche was only supposed to be around 50 when the show started 

 

Don't let her hear you say that.  If you accuse her of being over 45, she'll give you a death glare that could burn a hole through solid lead.

[Maherjunkie]

I just  thought women looked older sooner then.

Edited June 27, 2015 by Maherjunkie

[AndySmith]

Women did look older then. They tended to color their hair less, and with our obsession for staying young (or young looking), most of today's fashions reflect that as well, even for older people.

[legaleagle53]

Same thing with men.  I'm 54, and I distinctly remember 54-year-old men looking (and sounding) a LOT older when I was in my teens and 20s.

[babyhouseman]

Don't let her hear you say that.  If you accuse her of being over 45, she'll give you a death glare that could burn a hole through solid lead.

Dorothy survived. 

 

Blanche: (Coming into the kitchen) I'm just a little depressed. For the first time in my life, I feel over forty.

Dorothy: You know why that is, honey?

Blanche: Why?

Dorothy: Because you're over fifty.

 

[ShadowSixx]

I did love Blanche's robe and nightgown when she was going to seduce the auditor. That's my favorite nightgown of hers and the way she made the robe flow when walking to the kitchen to write the check.

[ShadowSixx]

I watch The Golden Girls on Hallmark and Lifetime.  It was one of my favorite shows back in the 80's (my mom was Sophia and I was Dorothy) but my concern is who picked out Bea Arthur's outfits?  OMG, they were horrible!!  She never wore anything worth looking at, except a cute sweat suit once, and I believe she had bad feet because she wore super-flat sandals showing off those God-awful ugly feet.  Betty White had a lot of nice clothes and so did Rue McClanahan, even Estelle Getty had a few nice outfits for an old lady.  Lastly, I don't know who decided Rue was to the be pretty one of the four ladies...Betty White was the cutest with her dimples (but that's my opinion). 

 

Well before the show even aired, the people wanted Rue McClanahan to play Rose and Betty White was suppose to play Blanche, but Rue said the Rose part wasn't for her and felt Blanche fit her better so she suggested that she could play Blanche instead so they then gave the role of Rose to Betty.

Edited October 4, 2015 by ShadowSixx

[camom]

 

Well before the show even aired, the people wanted Rue McClanahan to play Rose and Betty White was suppose to play Blanche, but Rue said the Rose part wasn't for her and felt Blanche fit her better so she suggested that she could play Blanche instead so they then gave the role of Rose to Betty.

 

I think there was also a concern that the Blanche character was very similar to Betty White's role on the Mary Tyler Moore show.  Whether it was Betty or the producers who raised the issue I don't know.

[legaleagle53]

I think there was also a concern that the Blanche character was very similar to Betty White's role on the Mary Tyler Moore show.  Whether it was Betty or the producers who raised the issue I don't know.

 

Betty and Rue did.  Blanche and Rose were too similar to characters that they had each played before (and had pretty much specialized in), so they decided to swap roles to give each of them more of a challenge.  It worked so well that many people forget to this day that Betty once played bitchy, backstabbing Sue Ann and Rue played sweet, innocent, slightly naive Vivian on Maude.

[IamMrsD]

I loved Blanche's "negligee" she wore when Dr. Harry Weston came over to see the sick baby they were watching. Maybe the earrings DID top it off but I still think she looked beautiful. Too bad it reminded Harry of his mother :(

[Miss Chevious]

Blanche always had the best negligees. Another one I really liked was one that was light pink, light blue and a beautiful coffee color. It had black dots on the sleeves. She wore it a few times.

[Maherjunkie]

Was she saving it for Henry Barnsworth?

[link417]

I love Dorothy's flat slouchy boots and Sophia's cute cardi/cameo combos on her outfits.

[ShadowSixx]

In the episode Charlie's Buddy when Blanche and Dorothy both had the same dress for an event. Dorothy pulled off that dress so much better than Blanche. That dress is designed for someone who's as tall as Dorothy. Especially with the draping and ruching down the middle and arms of the dress. Blanche looked like a little piglet in that dress. I mean the dress wasn't anything to brag about, especially Blanche who has far more better event clothes than that dress. One of them should have been happy to take it back and get another dress. I mean the dress looked like a big sack and to top it off they both accessorized it with a long necklace that just didn't go with it and got lost in the dress. You wouldn't much notice the necklace. The design of the dress alone was enough to only accessorize with simple small earrings or a small necklace.

 

Edited October 15, 2015 by ShadowSixx

[FormerMod-a1]

I never liked that dress either. I agree that it did look better on Dorothy, but neither one really looked good. Not only the style, but the color was also bad for both.

[AndySmith]

I think it looked better on Blanche, actually. But only marginally.

[camom]

And the black and gold dress that both Blanche and Sophia ended up with in that same episode was no prize either.  We never saw it on Blanche, but it had a high collar -- no way would she have worn it.