While costumes in films are essential in helping to define a character, it is not often that a costume is a direct part of the story or plot. However, this green bonnet plays an important role in a scene from 𝑮𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒅.
In both the film and the novel, it is the piece of clothing that Rhett Butler uses to tempt Scarlett O’Hara out of mourning far earlier than appropriate.
Mitchell writes of the bonnet: 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌-𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒂, 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒆-𝒋𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚, 𝒕𝒐𝒐, 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒏. 𝑨𝒏𝒅, 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒑𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒔.
Designer Walter Plunkett re-created the hat for the 1939 production of 𝑮𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒅, where Vivien Leigh wore it as Scarlett O’Hara.
The piece would be used again in a promotional image for the 1941 Go West Young Lady, worn by Penny Singleton as Belinda Pendergast.
In 1942 it was worn without the ribbons on Helen Parrish as Ellen Sanford in the film In Old California.
See more reused costumes from Gone with the Wind at bit.ly/ReusedGWTW
