This is a story about the girl Beth Harmon, who was abandoned by her birth mother, went from an orphanage to become a world chess champion; if you are also a retro fan, you must watch the Netflix miniseries "Queen's Gambit"! The novel theme of the story and the dazzling fashion of the 1960s teach you how to dress fashionable and show your independent personality.
The 1960s was one of the richest styles in fashion history. It was a decade that was deeply influenced by the younger generation. It was a decade that London surpassed Paris to become a fashion center. Following Beth's game trajectory, we will be able to unlock important fashion elements in the 1960s. Beth's dressing process is his search for self and self-confidence. Don't "dress" for others, only "dress" for yourself, this is an attitude. "You're what you wear" not only represents the trend of the times, but also reflects personal characteristics. You must dress to make yourself comfortable and meaningful.
80% of the costumes are made by German designer Gabriele Binder and his team, especially the 60s dresses and coats in the drama are made now.
Queen's Gambit costume designer Gabriele Binder: "Every costume has their own story".
Binder is also a costume designer for the movie "The Lives of others" and a Vintage collector. Her collection in Berlin is a place for vintage lovers.
In the play, Beth relies on genius chess to achieve wealth and freedom. The same piece of clothing appears on different occasions with different collocations. It looks like you and me in reality. Isn't this kind of plot more real and vivid?
There is a clear timeline in Queen's Gambit, from the Kentucky State Championship in 1963 until Beth defeated the Soviet master Borgov to become the world champion in 1968.
1960-1963
Keywords: umbrella skirt, Oxford shoes, Peter Pan collar
Reference designer: Dior
Beth, who has just been adopted by the Wheatleys, wears an orphanage gown or an outdated product bought by her adoptive mother from the discount section of the Ben Snyder department store.
Beth's outfit was ridiculed by fashionable classmates wearing New Look at school.
The fashion style of the 1950s continued into the early 1960s. Dior's New Look design became a fashionable way for young girls in the early 1960s.
Shirts, umbrella skirts, black and white oxford shoes (saddle shoes) are very popular among female students. Saddle shoes are the most popular fashion items in the 20th century. Introduced to the United States in 1906 as men's sports shoes. From the Jazz Age to the 1950s, men, women and children were fans of saddle shoes.
Beth won the first pot of gold through the Kentucky State Championships in 1963. He bought himself popular Oxford shoes and the first striped dress, which symbolized Beth's first victory and began to be independent.
Beth's adoptive mother, Alma, is a traditional housewife in the 1950s and 1960s, wearing an elegant Kenedy Jacqueline suit with a delicate hat and white gloves.
Beth, who was with Alma in those years, wore a Peter Pan neckline and was a quiet and well-behaved daughter. Beth is wearing a blue Peter Pan skirt for the cover. Mia Farrow is wearing a photo of Pierre Cardin in 1967. Mary Quant's classic dress. Which one do you prefer? If you don't know what to wear, look through the old photos.
I always felt that wearing Peter Pan was a far-fetched sentiment of "I don't want to grow up", but now I feel that Peter Pan represents a kind of dignity and elegance. Peter Pan was very popular in the 1960s: Barbra Streisand wore a peter pan to lead the Oscar awards ceremony in 1969; Pattie Boyd wore a peter pan to lead the 1964 film A Hard Day's Night; the mother of miniskirts, Mary Quant, loved herself. Wear Peter Pan. Now even Princess Kate wears Peter Pan.
1964-1966
Keywords: New Look style, Peter collar
Reference designer: Dior
Beth, accompanied by her adoptive mother, Alma, challenged various regional chess games to earn money. At the Las Vegas Open, he competed with Benny for the first time. After participating in the Mexico City competition, he was defeated by the Soviet master Borgov, and his adoptive mother passed away unexpectedly. When accompanied by Alma, Beth's dress has soft colors, upper body Peter Pan neckline shirt with Dior style skirt or simple large skirt dress, standard lady.
The most beautiful set of matches was in Mexico and 13-year-old talented chess player Georgi Girev in the second round of the match. This game is more like a psychological warfare. Beth's outfit resembles the look of Georgi's favorite Elizabeth Taylor when she appeared in Vogue magazine when she was 16 years old.
At the US Open in Las Vegas, Beth wore a black checkered dress with a black Bolero blouse. The thick and drooping huge skirt and the V-shaped neckline decorated with the collar give Beth a slightly grown-up sexy.
When playing in Mexico, Beth wore a dress with a checkerboard pattern on the buttons, which can only be seen very carefully...
The water pink dress is very sweet.
1967～1969
Keywords: Mini skirt, Mod style, trousers
Reference designers: Andre Courreges, Pierre Cardin
Beth in this period is the most exciting and free-conscious. The simple line Mod style is very suitable for Beth who has a genius brain and is quiet.
After losing her foster mother, Beth began to wear pants and flat shoes. Driven by Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn in the 1960s, cropped trousers and smoking trousers became popular.
In the late 1960s, Beth, who lived independently, had a lot of trousers.
The combination of pants and knitted short sleeves, plush cardigans or thick sweaters will make the wearer look very lazy and casual.
In the Paris hotel, she wore a thick creamy white sweater to study the laziness of the chess game, which reminded people of the French New Wave goddess Jean Seberg.
In 1967, Beth, a chick wearing a blue miniskirt, a hair band and cat glasses, went to the Ohio Chess Championship alone and defeated the former American champion Benny.
In the 1960s, under the advocacy of designers Mary Quant, Pierre Cardin and Andre Courreges, young girls boldly wore miniskirts.
Beth's fashion taste has changed with her competition area, especially the most influenced by Parisian fashion.
In the seventh episode, Beth's spirit is in great chaos, wearing hippie-style bell bottom pants.
The strong eye makeup pays tribute to the socialite "bad girl" Edie Sedgwick in the 1960s. Edie Sedgwick, the muse of Andy Warhol, often wears bold checkerboards and triangle patterns, and is the most Mod-style fashion icon among the youth students. Peggy Moffit, a super personality model in the 60s, also likes such exaggerated eye makeup. Julietto Greco also adopted a similar painting technique in the late 1960s.
The French model Cleo in the play also has this makeup, and maybe Beth got the inspiration from Cleo.
Beginning in Paris, Gabriel Binder's creation borrowed from André Courrèges and Pierre Cardin's Space Age design, and the minimalist straight dress became the protagonist. The final battle took place in Moscow in 1968. Every outfit of Beth in Moscow is full of power.
1) Shift Dress
The shift dress (loose straight dress) of the 60s is inspired by the styles of the 20s, and can be held for work, sports or dancing.
In an interview, Binder revealed that the most difficult straight skirt in the show was the burgundy cake dress Beth wore when drinking with Cleo in Paris. This skirt has a layered design, much like Valentino's work in the 60s.
The most beautiful is undoubtedly the green velvet skirt during the Moscow match, shining against the lights.
2) Coat
The thick, wide, and simple coat is very prominent in the later episodes.
In the final scene, after Beth defeated Borgov, wearing a thick white alpaca coat, white smoking pants, and a white hat, walking on the streets of Moscow, Russia, like a white queen, the picture is full of fairy tales, the simpler, the more powerful! This is the most powerful look in the show, and it is Beth's power suit.
Binder is inspired by the futuristic designer Pierre Cardin.
Cardin: "I think of the dress. The woman doesn't matter."
Beth personal characteristics
Keywords: Plaid, symmetrical lines, checkerboard color, green
Binder has surveyed professional chess players and they are very focused on the game. For a genius who can play chess in the brain, the "asymmetric" element will not appear on her body; there will not be many trivial accessories such as earrings and necklaces. The most impressive Beth accessory is cat-eye oversized sunglasses. Since the film Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961, Hepburn has worn a pair of cat-eye sunglasses, and fashionistas have fallen in love with such oversized accessories. After Alma's death, Beth went to the pharmacy to buy a tranquilizer with a pair of oversized cat glasses when he was emotionally broken.
On the contrary, clothing elements such as the lines, squares, black and white blocks that symbolize the chessboard will make Beth feel familiar, safe, and comfortable.
The first dress Beth bought for himself was plaid; the blue dress that he wore when he met Townes and the swimsuit when he was swimming in the hotel were also plaid; not to mention those beautiful plaid shirts and short tops.
The thin line coat worn in the cold Moscow is also a plaid style, which obviously refers to André Courrèges; Courrèges had a large number of designs with similar lines in the 1960s.
The beige dress that Beth bought in Paris is divided by blue lines, referring to the design of Pierre Cardin.
Beth's T-shirt has simple lines, and it is not against the harmony to wear it directly. Refer to the Courrèges design.
Black and white also make people think of chess. In the early stage of the Moscow game, Beth's black and white straight skirt was a style on the Butterick pattern in the 1960s.
2. Objects with good memories
After the adoptive father abandons the family, Beth and her adoptive mother are dependent on each other, and Beth receives a lot of warm love from her adoptive mother. After the death of her adoptive mother, Beth wore the house gown that her adoptive mother used to wear no matter where she was: the clothes still had the breath of her mother.
The underwear and cardigan that Beth wore when he was drinking, the color matching is the style that the adoptive mother likes.
The pink/blue patchwork coat worn in Paris also resembles the color of the adoptive mother's robe; this color scheme was more common in the early 1960s. The combination of color blocks in the play is also a metaphor for the chessboard.
3. The most special color in Beth's life
Before 1963, little Beth lived with a mother who was a math genius. Beth had a light green linen dress with the words "Beth" embroidered by her mother. This was the love she had for her. After the mother who suffered from mental illness committed suicide, green was the special color in Beth's initial life. No matter suffering or happiness, it symbolized "home" and "relatives".
Beth became addicted to tranquilizers in the orphanage. The color of these tranquilizer pills was mint green.
When he confronted Borgov again in Paris, Beth just woke up from a hangover and hurriedly put on a very light rayon straight skirt. This skirt referenced Pierre Cardin's design had the same green as the tranquilizer pill Beth relied on. , Trimmed with black hem, with a bow tie drooping at the neckline. When Beth ran, the skirt deformed, completely different from the usual style of Beth.
Green expresses Beth's fragility and becomes an expression of Beth's strength. In the last episode, Beth defeated the Soviet player Borgov she had always been afraid of. After the game ended, she wore a green wool A-line skirt, symbolizing "back to the past", as if her mother had been with her. After going around for a while, Beth finally found himself. The green color represents Beth's inner freedom, a feeling of home.
Concluding remarks
Under the influence of the epidemic, many people's work and lifestyle have undergone tremendous changes. When I live at home, I often don't care about my image. Reawaken yourself: wearing beautiful and comfortable clothes will actually give us strength; when you are upset, you must wear the most exquisite clothes and tell the world that nothing can knock you down!
Beth's fashion started with her making money through competitions; smart , self-reliant women are the most charming , aren't they? !
View more about The Queen's Gambit reviews
