Something I really appreciate in The Artful Dodger is the lack of focus on Belle’s clothing in the series. Not in the sense that the production didn’t focus on it they did a fantastic job with her costuming and I love it and am obsessed with all of her looks.
I just feel like in period dramas there’s usually at least one conversation about women’s clothing (that never happens about men’s clothing). The tone of it varies sometimes it’s the standard girlboss thing of “corsets are so stupid I can’t stand them” and sometimes it’s the opposite and defending the fashions, but either way there’s always this attention called to fashion surrounding female characters.
But in The Artful Dodger Belle’s outfits are simply outfits. There’s a couple instances obviously where like Jack tells her she’ll want to change clothes. But Belle never mentions her clothes when talking about her struggles as a woman. She never makes snide remarks about Fanny’s more frilly outfits. She doesn’t bemoan the impracticality of her skirts or corset and neither does anyone else.
We get vibes and characterization from the different aesthetics of characters clothing. The costuming is very intentional and well done and the work put into them matters deeply for the overall quality and effect of the show. However, Belle’s outfits and the female characters outfits in general are no more made a part of their personality than they are for the male characters. They’re treated equally for both the male and female characters as an extension of them and the setting and overall aesthetic of the show.
And to be clear I’m not criticizing discussion of women’s fashion in period dramas there’s a time and place for it and lots of interesting conversations to be had around it. But I just like that in this show they chose not to take that route and instead focused on other things. It’s really refreshing.
