A date!

Wow, hubby and I actually went on a date last week! We had passes to a sneak peak of The Duchess starring Kiera Knightley. I didn't know much about the movie, except for a really short blurb in some magazine I can't remember.All I needed to know was it's a period costume drama.

Bring on the fabulous costumes! Bring on guys with sexy accents. And there was a special cocktail hour at the fancy schmancy Ritz-Carlton Georgetown before the screening. I had a sexy drink called, what else, the Duchess. It was tasty, all I remember that it had fresh blackberries and raspberries in it. Hubby had the Duke, which had strawberries and fresh basil. We got there late and missed all the good swag from the party but hubby won the door prize, which was dinner for two at the Ritz! How awesome is that? My 30th birthday is coming soon, so I think that might be a good time for another date.

The Duchess was such a great escape. It's about the life of 18th century aristocrat Lady Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, played by Kiera Knightley. She was stuck in a loveless arranged marriage and unable to be with the man she loved. To top it off, social decorum also meant that she couldn't stop her husband from sleeping around. Whew! It definitely makes me appreciate the freedoms we have as women today. Kiera Knightley did a great job. In a role like this it's so easy to overact, but she didn't. And Ralph Fiennes, who played the Duke, is an amazing actor. I know he was the villain, so to speak, but he played the Duke with such subtle nuances.

If you're going to see the movie, definitely bring a hanky. It's a drama, I tell you! Did you know Lady Georgiana is an ancestor of Lady Di?

Let me talk about the costumes! They are beautiful. And sewn so beautifully. She had on a different outfit in every scene. The detail was amazing. This is the first dress we see her in, still an innocent young girl.
You can see more detail pictures at the official website, but The Costumer's Guide has some great stills from the movie too. I think the fashion from the 18th century is gorgeous, but I definitely would want to wear a corset all day! Not to mention, as royalty, the clothes were so complicated you couldn't remove them by yourself.

The movie is based off a the book Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman. She was quite a celebrity and politico for her day. I'd love to read more about her than just her love life. Off to add it to my list on Paperbackswap.com.