In Timely Fashion--Fashion in Film: Anne Shirley's Wardrobe

Picnic Dress Seen soon after she comes to Green Gables, Anne wears this dress to a party at the Barrys'. It's a lovely periwinkle-colored dress with slightly darker vertical stripes, sporting the ubiquitous standing collar (approx. 1.5" tall) with a narrow ruffle round it. The bodice has slight gathers under each breast at the waist and buttons up the front. The placket on the front of the dress extends about 6" below the waist. The buttons are a darker shade of periwinkle. The sleeves are long, set in at the shoulders, and gathered at the cuff. The cuff is narrow, probably in the 1"-1.5" range. The skirt is gently gathered all around.

	Tea Dress Grey with burgundy windowpane plaid, this dress sports a high collar with a square yoke. The yoke has a separate band on the lower edge at front and back of self fabric cut on the bias. There are also separate bias bands at the shoulder seams. The bodice gathers at the waistline, and the dress has slight fullness at the back waistline and buttons down the back. The waistband appears to be separate and is secured in the front with a button. The sleeves are gathered at the cap and also at the wide cuff. The skirt is six gores with a bias band applied near the hem.

Puffed Sleeve Dress

Anne's "dream dress" that Matthew purchases for her to wear to a Christmas party. The dress is made up in an ice blue fabric, most likely a lightweight silk taffeta or the like. The neckline is a gently rounded v-neck with a split-point collar with tape lace and wide, ruffled lace applied to the edge. The neckline is filled with a collar (most likely similar to a "dickey") made of vertical striped lace, sporting a short, standing collar edged with narrow lace. The sleeves are full, puffed at cap and cuff, and roughly 5/6 the length of the arm. A wide cuff edged with wide, ruffled lace at the wrist completes the sleeve.

		The bodice is lightly gathered at the waist. The skirt is also gently gathered into the waist and is trimmed with two rows of tape lace at the hem. A darker blue sash with a bow at the back finishes the dress. One thing I only noticed later while looking at pictures is that the sash has a band of white fringe on the tails. Lovely! The method of closure isn't evident, but I would suspect a more invisible method of securing the back of this dress would be appropriate as opposed to buttons. Hooks and eyes would probably be the best option.

Vest & Skirt Ensemble
This has to be one of my favorite outfits from Anne of Green Gables! The fabric is a muted blue and grey plaid, most likely a sturdy cotton. The vest is fitted with double darts and curved back seams and closes down the front with buttons. Unfortunately, the skirt isn't fully shown in the film, but I would venture to guess it is gored with some fullness concentrated in the center back.

There are two blouses worn with this vest and skirt. The first is a light floral print with a turned down, pointed collar trimmed with two rows of pink ribbon. The neckline of the blouse is filled with a standing collar lace "dickey." The sleeves are puffed at the cap with an approximately 3" cuff.

The second blouse has a high, turned down collar (sort of a high "Peter Pan" collar), edged with narrow, ecru lace and secured with a brooch. The sleeves are also gathered at the cap and cuff with a wide cuff finishing them off. The blouse buttons down the front.

River Dress
The dress which Anne wears while playing the part of The Lady of Shallot is also one of my favorites. It sports a white wide, "sailor"-style collar, notched at the shoulder and rounded in back. It is also edged with a white ruffle (not lace), roughly ¾" wide. The neckline is filled with a white lace "dickey." It has a stand-up collar with a lace ruffle at the throat.

The dress is a medium blue and white stripe. The bodice is gathered at the waist. The sleeves are long and full at cuff and cap with a wide cuff. The cuff has two buttons to secure it. There is a white placket down the front of the bodice flanked with lace on either edge and three buttons. The skirt is separated from the bodice by a waistband. The gored skirt is gathered into the waistband.

Pinafores

The first is a fairly simple blue stripe pinafore. It sports a round neckline with a squared yoke and placket in the front. There are three buttons closing the placket. The "skirt" portion of the pinafore is gently eased into the yoke and has two tucks at the hem.

The second is a white pinafore with a faint blue windowpane check. It has a square-necked yoke that ends right above the bustline. The skirt portion of the pinafore is gathered to the yoke and is divided at the waist by a waistband. It buttons down the back and is left open below the waistband.

The third of Anne's pinafores is another white one with a square necked yoke. This one is slightly more complicated and is my personal favorite. The yoke is narrow, and the skirt fullness is box pleated to the lower edge of the yoke. There is blue topstitching around the neckline, armholes, and around the top of the pleats. Two buttons secure the yoke at the back.

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