We got this fashion historian.

Hi, I'm risa Britannia and I'm a fashion historian.

To walk us through what the notebook got right and what they got wrong about these looks.

The notebook is a 2000 and four romantic drama based on a novel by Nicholas sparks of the same title.

The film chronicles the love story between Ali Hambleton and Noah calhoun.

Ali and Noah are two teenagers who have a passionate summer romance, only to go their separate ways but rekindle the relationship later as adults.

The notebook is set in south Carolina and opens in the fictional town of Seabrook during the summer of 1940.

It was during the second quarter of the 20th century that saw the advent of the teenager prior to this period.

There was no distinct phase of life between childhood and young adulthood costume designer Karen Wagner captures this moment in history.

Let's get into the looks first up Team Ollie when we meet Ali Hambleton, she is 17 years old and would be considered a sub debutante, which was a term used for a girl in the years just proceeding her debut into upper Class Society Junior or Sub Deb styles typically featured designs that incorporated playful elements of Children's wear in adult silhouettes.

Let's draw this look layer by layer.

Starting with the undergarments.

We first see Ali's undergarments in the scene where Noah brings her to the abandoned house.

She wears a thin unstructured bra and a pair of high waist panties that resemble shorts.

These would have been aged appropriate undergarments for a teenage girl, Ali would not likely have been wearing stockings or a girdle at this age, although they were commercially available on the junior lingerie market.

Anything else, Ali might however, be wearing a full or half slip.

This would have provided a modesty layer between her undergarments and her dress up Next the dress, allie wears a knee length dress with a floral print and contrast collar, Which would have been accurate for the period.

Summer dresses for juniors such as this one were typically made from a lightweight printed cotton.

Ali's dress has short puffed sleeves, which was a distinctive feature of the fashionable silhouette in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Up next, the Cardigan, also known as the Bolero.

Ali wears a red heavy knit belted Cardigan, which would have been accurate for the 1940s.

However, it's unlikely that she'd be wearing one on a hot summer night in the south.

Instead, she could be wearing a lightweight cropped bolero.

Let's move on to hair and makeup.

First up hair in this scene, Alley wears her hair in loose curls, but later on, she wears variations of a more historically accurate hairstyle with a softer wave that's pinned back behind the ears.

This style was typically achieved using hair combs, which we see Alley wearing on another evening occasion during the day, she opts for more casual hairstyles like pigtails and braids and her makeup Alley's makeup is for the most part fresh faced and natural for more formal occasions.

She wears a light blush and coral lipstick.

Mhm And finally the accessories starting with the shoes Alley wears wedge sandals, but ones that look very contemporary to 2004 wedge sandals in the 1940s were not quite as high and likely not made of patent leather.

Instead, they would have fabric or straw uppers and a wood or cork sole in the hat.

Ali would not have been wearing a hat for several reasons, it would not have been required for a girl her age and it wouldn't make sense with the time of day and location.

She could however be wearing a small hair accessory like a bow or flower and finally the jewelry she wears, large clip on earrings which add the finishing touch.

Next up Team, Noah ali and Noah come from completely different socioeconomic backgrounds which is amplified through their costumes.

She goes through a dramatic sartorial evolution.

While his style of clothing, it remains largely the same.

Noah probably couldn't afford to purchase fashionable clothing via mail order.

And so the garments we see him wearing were likely purchased from a general store in town.

Let's draw this look layer by layer.

Starting with the undergarments we get to see Noah stripped down to his underwear at several points in the film.

Lucky us he wears button front boxer shorts, which are accurate.

However, they would have been much shorter and worn higher up on the natural waistline.

Noah also wears a cotton single it which serves as an undershirt.

It was for practical consideration to help absorb sweat and because undershorts were more easily laundered and replaced up next the shirt, Noah wears a standard button down shirt with long sleeves and a pointed collar.

This type of shirt would be made of a lightweight, plain weave cotton like sham bray.

However checked and plaid variations were also common during this period.

Noah wears the top button undone with no tie, which is in accordance with his laid back lifestyle.

He also tends to roll up his shirt sleeves, which is common for men in the working class and a habit he continues into adulthood.

Moving on to the pants.

Mhm.

During the 19 forties, trousers sat high on the natural waistline and featured a wide straight leg with a crease down the center.

Noah's trousers would likely be made of a sturdy cotton twill woven textile like gabardine.

They would be held up using a belt, which was the more common alternative to suspenders in the early 19 forties, especially among young and working class men Up next the jacket.

Noah wears a plaid wool flannel jacket, which is accurate for a lumber worker in the 1940s, but not in the middle of summer.

Moving on to the hair.

Noah wears his hair in a longer style that more closely resembles the shaggy and side swept trends from the early 2000s.

During the 1940s.

Men's hairstyles typically featured a deep side part and trimmed sides in the second half of the film.

Noah allows his hair to grow even longer and more unkept to reflect his state of mind after he loses alley.

This is further emphasized by his scruffy facial hair, which is a dramatic departure from the youthful clean shaven look earlier in the film and last his accessories.

Let's start with that hat.

Noah's signature accessory is a soft fabric cap with a flat crown.

It looks to be made of wool with a small brim likely stiffened with leather.

Such hats were ubiquitous in the 19 thirties and forties and we're a more casual alternative to the equally popular fedora.

Very cool and the shoes Noah wears a standard pair of sturdy leather lace up shoes.

These could feature a cap toe or wing tip design and would be a dark neutral color.

This was probably the nicest pair of shoes he owned worn for his date to the movies with ali.

That's so sweet.

So what do you think of this overall look?

Risa?

It was of utmost importance that Noah be portrayed as a swoon worthy romantic lead.

So concessions were made regarding the historical accuracy of his clothing, grooming and chiseled physique.

We'll let that one slide.

Moving on to look three adult Ali.

By this point in the film, Ali has fully grown into the role of society woman with access to the latest fashions.

This part of the film is set early in the post war era, meaning christians.

Yours.

New Look had not yet taken hold of the fashionable silhouette.

As a result, her adult looks still bear the hallmarks of World War Two era fashion that was defined by austerity and a focus on accessories over dramatic garments.

This ensemble is very casual by comparison, but appropriate given the outdoor setting and the tone of the scene, let's draw this look layer by layer.

Starting with the undergarments.

Ali would start with a sculpted breezier and a pair of panties over which she would also wear a girdle.

The girdle was a foundation garment that smoothed the abdomen and the hips to create the lien fashionable silhouette stockings were fastened to the bottom edge of the girdle via suspender garters.

Ali wears a pair of sheer nude colored stockings, Which is a significant clue that helps us determine the year Nylon became commercially available in 1940 and revolutionized the hosiery industry with its strength and sheer nous.

However, Nylon production was soon diverted to the war effort and stockings were virtually impossible to get a hold of during wartime in an effort to create the illusion of wearing stockings women took to wearing leg makeup and even used their eyebrow pencils to draw a seam up the back of each leg.

Very interesting.

Anything else, Ali also wears a full slip in a shade of blue that matches her dress.

This type of undergarment was a few inches shorter than the outer skirt and typically featured lace trimming along the neckline.

Moving on to the dress, Ali wears a simple button down short sleeved dress in a soft shade of blue.

Variations on the classic shirtdress remained fashionable throughout the mid 20th century.

The style lent itself particularly well to wartime era fashion, which was governed by rationing due to fabric shortages.

As a result, clothing became more slender, streamlined and unfussy.

Still, the dress that ali wears seems a touch too fitted for the period.

When skirts had a slight a line shape next the jacket, ali could have a coordinating jacket to wear over the dress to create the look of a suit for adult women during this period, the suit was the norm In daytime apparel, we see ali wearing a smartly tailored one while out and about in the city of charleston.

It has broad padded shoulders and a nipped waistline, Both of which were defining features of the mid 1940s fashionable silhouette because this scene takes place in a picturesque country setting.

The coordinating jacket could be a more casual variation with short sleeves and made of a lightweight fabric, moving on to hair and makeup.

Let's start with her hair.

When Ali arrives, she sports a soft up do with side swept peekaboo bangs, a style made popular by film actress veronica Lake.

When the US joined the war, veronica was encouraged to start wearing her hair up and out of her face in order to inspire female munitions factory workers to do the same hairstyles in the mid 19 forties tended to be quite sculptural and one popular style called Victory Rolls was said to have been named for an aerial maneuver in which fighter planes would spin horizontally.

So fun and the makeup cosmetics also took on wartime monikers, like the shade of victory red lipstick by Elizabeth Arden.

Ali's bolder makeup is instrumental in her transformation from spirited teenager to sophisticated adult and finally the accessories, starting with the hat, because clothing tended to be more understated.

Due to wartime regulations, There was a particular emphasis on accessories.

During the 1940s, hats were not subject to the same strict rationing as clothing and thus emerged as the defining accessory of the decade.

There were several prominent styles in a variety of dramatic shapes, from the small tilt hat that perched on the forehead to the wide brimmed halo hat, which sat back at the crown of the head and framed the wearer's face and the shoes Fashionable shoes of the 1940s featured an elevated platform sole, usually paired with a peep toe and secured with a sling back or ankle strap rubber was requisitioned for the production of military boots.

And so women's footwear designers turned to unconventional materials like wood and cork for civilian shoes, Ali would likely complete her ensemble with a pair of gloves and a coordinating handbag, as she does when she arrives in Seabrook.

So what do you think of this look?

Overall?

This look is pretty accurate, however, it lacks the additional layers of accessories that would have completed the ensemble.

Any final thoughts, writes it.

Designer Karen Wagner takes into careful consideration Each character's socioeconomic background, which enriches the conflict at the heart of the narrative.

Ultimately, the notebook provides a nostalgic version of the 1940s that doesn't fixate on the details of historically accurate dress.

This approach makes sense, since it is a heart wrenching love story told in flashback and romanticized by the characters.

Rose colored memories.

Yeah.