Technicolor Merida and Pastel Princesses

Thank you all for being so patient with the long gap between posts! I hope this mega "Once Upon a Time" photo dump will make up for it. :)

So far we've gotten a boatload of new costumes, and this season promises many more to come. I'm sure I'm not the only one geeking out over this!

(All photos are edited from screencaptures here.)

Nice fake chainmaille, Arthur and co! Don't worry, I'm not going to be harsh on you for this one, chainmaille is tremendously expensive and you gotta do what you gotta do. I like the quilted undertunics, although the surcoats are a little plain. 

I imagine Emma's first "Dark Swan" costume was pretty fun to make, with all of those interesting textures. Sublety in costume meaning is not OUAT's strong suit, and this outfit screams loud and clear "My goodness is decomposing!!!!"

But man, it's the coolest thing Emma's worn since her red leather jacket.

Wheee train.

Here's a look at the sleeve detail.

Of course, the big new character entrance in episode 1 was Merida. Disapointingly, her costume was pretty much line for line lifted from the movie (guess Frozen wasn't the end of that). That said, it is one of the nicest renditions of the costume I have seen. I love the texture of the cloak and the dress border details.

Yeah, the colors were a little bright, but they're very nice colors.

Here's the best screenchot of the back - you can see the lacing, as well as the sleeve buttons.

A good look at her belt.

The very last scene in the episode gave us a tantalizing look at a ton of new costumes. What we can see of them looks totally drool-worthy and I cannot wait to see more of them! (I have seen set photos of Regina and Henry's pieces, so I know more is coming!)

Regina can wear those jewel tones like nothing else.

 

Even Grumpy gets a cool look!

We don't usually see Snow and Charming in this sort of bland gray/taupe/tan, so I'm very curious to see what they are up to when the new curse hits them!

Normally in these reviews I focus on the fantasy clothing, however I am ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE with Emma's coat here. Ugh, those sleeves...

...and that waist...

...and that skirt! So classy and awesome. I want to make this coat for myself at some point. 

But hold on, there's more! We got a new fantasy costume for almost every principal on the show, including a gorgeous ball gown for Emma - which from the flowers on her head and simple hair, total covering of every scrap of skin possible, and complete virginal white is trying to say "I am TOTALLY NOT THE DARK ONE, NO EVIL HERE, KEEP MOVING FOLKS!"

 

Oh man, it is such a gorgeous dress. Here you can see the back and the lace on the sleeves (and it's not a bad shot from a romantic perspective either). It's weird because this dress both suits Emma tremendously well, and fits uneasily on her - which is exactly what it should do.

Sleeve detail, waist detail, creepy hands detail.

While the Storybrooke crew is rocking the pastels as befitting their role of "the Savior's gang," Guinevere rocks some richer tones. OUAT tends to go overboard with the "off the shoulder" look, but otherwise this dress is gorgeous. Arthur's ball suit is pretty awesome too.

I have a pet peeve about magenta in medieval dresses - magenta dye was not invented until the 1800's. Yes, I know it's fantasy, but it just strikes me as too modern and "rock princess" and makes it hard for me to suspend disbelief. Costumes can make you drool, but ultimately they should draw you into the story, not out of it.

Belle is the one character that I'll give a pass on the off the shoulder look for, since it is a homage to her animated film. Wish we could have seen more of this pale blue gown!

It is JUST SO ADORABLE seeing Henry all medieval'd up! I especially love the subtle but elegant pearl beadwork. And his crush isn't badly dressed either!

Okay, her dress is pretty gorgeous. The bust ruching is crazy modern, but I get that they were trying to evoke a 'cool teen' vibe.

And she even gets another gown! Overall I'm not sure what I think of this one, but I do adore the texture of the lavender sleeves/underbodice.

Let's not forget the guys! Hook and Robin have endured woefully tiny wardrobes over the course of their storylines, so it is always exciting to see them in something new. I found the little bobbles bordering Robin's tunic to be distracting, but love the details on Hook's new coat!

Man, Regina's dress change scene was HILARIOUS. It's always weird to see her in pastel - I would have gone for cream or white rather than pink myself. 

 I always try to get a back view of the major costumes when I can!

It's been awhile since we've gotten a new court dress for Snow (not counting her reign as evil queen in the alternate reality) and I quite like this one. Again, I wish the neckline were more in line with the style and not off the shoulder, but otherwise I love the colors, trim and textures. Charming's style is always great, this is just another in a long line of awesome choices for him.

Mhmmm, I just love all that gold. 

So there we are, a few questionable choices but overall a LOT of fun new stuff, especially seeing the characters in more traditional medieval clothes as fits the visual theme of Camelot. I can't wait to see what next week brings!