Brought to you by Nuffnang and Labassa Mansion
For the many fans of the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries TV series one of the joys of the show are the amazing costumes designed by Marion Boyce (who was the award winning costume designer for the recent film starring Kate Winslet, The Dressmaker).
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is a TV title set in the 1920s and filmed in Melbourne. There has been 3 seasons of the series and it has been distributed to over 160 territories worldwide. It was released on Netflix in the USA late in 2015.. If you haven’t seen it, do check it out.
You can check out some of the costumes if you visit the exhibition that is touring around Australia with the National Trust. The most recent season was filmed at Labassa Mansion in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield, and it was there in her favorite room that I met up with Marion Boyce as she previewed the new Miss Fisher Collection – Marion Boyce with me plus answered a few of her fan (and some of my blog readers) questions. In this interview she shares her process for designing costumes, how she chooses trims, and why she designed many of the pieces.
Marion told me that the hardest thing she ever had to source for the costumes was was an acorn detail for Dr Macs ski hat. In the end after a lot off fruitless searching, her design assistant took it upon himself to hand sculpt the detail she was looking for and left on her desk as a surprise. Recalling this still moves her greatly .
How long does it take to create the costumes for each show is something that I’ve always wondered. Marion told me that they have 16 days to complete the construction for two episodes!
Watch the video and discover what 1920s clothes sounded like and how you can add a bit of this ambiance to your outfits today. Discover which is the first brooch Marion ever bought for the character Phryne (star of the show) and where she picked it up. Marion shares her how she designs for the characters and which elements are true period and which are modern options and why.
Marion believes that each of the shrugs and stoles can be worn in your everyday life, to dress up your simple pant and a plain top as they will add texture and elegance to your otherwise minimalist outfit.
Each pieces is made with care and attention to detail. Marion modeled this soft red lace, what she called a “cardigan shawl/scarf” for me. The ends have been sewn closed to form mini sleeves. The way it’s constructed adds weight to the garment to it sits well on your body. The ultimate and very stylish hands-free shawl.
Here are another two of the shawls that Marion and I spoke about in the video. The Statement Piece (left) and The Jazzy One (right). Marion collects the trims on her global travels to create these divine pieces.
Here are some close-ups of the decadent brooches. The marcasite Maple Leaf brooch can also be worn on a chain as a necklace (two for the price of one!). The bee is a copy of a brooch you would have found in the 1920s. It’s one of Marion’s favourites as she actually keeps bees! It’s made from green agate and marcasite.
A close-up of the divine earrings (and a pearl bracelet) from the collection. Made from pearls, agate, and marcasite they will shimmer on your ears and add class to your outfit.
You can enjoy wearing divine 20s inspired accessories from the Miss Fisher Collection – Marion Boyce which is available online at www.everycloudonlineshop.com who ship internationally, or from National Trust stores Australia wide. These limited edition pieces would make excellent Mother’s Day gifts too (just forward this blog post to your kids as a gentle hint).