Introducing The Gilded Age
Costume Designer: Kasia Walicka-Maimone
Marian Brook: Louisa Jacobson
Featuring an ensemble cast, season 2 of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” premiered on October 29th 2023 and is set during 1880s a.k.a “The Gilded Age” in New York City.
Season two opens on Easter, 1883 and set against the ‘Opera Wars’ which saw the opening of Metropolitan Opera against the ultra exclusive Academy of Music. However not all the characters are as absorbed in the rivalry.
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Where does Marian find herself in Season Two?
Marian is one of the characters who is above the Opera Wars. She doesn’t really see the problem of there being in two opera houses in New York City.
However following her season one heartbreak, she gets a job teaching watercolors to young ladies. One these girls is the daughter of a widower cousin of Agnes’ husband, Dashiell. Dashiell is taken with Marian but is enough for her?
Marian’s Second Season Outfits
As Marian is a teacher in season two her costumes are like more suit-like and in darker colors. She does experiment with silhouettes and some other colors but she typically maintains her season one color palette. She is keeps to her delicate sensibilities of floral.
Marian has about 20 new costumes in season two with some repeats from season one.
This page is a ranked list of Marian’s 7 best costumes from Season two of The Gilded Age. The costumes were ranked by aesthetics, memorability and how well they reflect Marian.
Subjective opinions did influence the ranking but there was an attempt to be somewhat objective.
List Subject to Change
Spoilers for Seasons One and Two
7. The Turquoise Evening Gown
Marian gets a few more formal evening looks this season. One is from the first episode when she goes to a party at the Russell’s. This party is seduce people to Bertha’s side in the opera war, which is the Met.
Her gown is a contrasting textural high-necked bodice which features silk satin with lace in matching teal with some beading at the shoulders. The skirt is solid teal with a bustle.
Marian opts to wear a silver stone encrusted brooch in a peacock plume design with a yellow stone at the center. She wears co-ordinating hair ornaments and earrings.
It’s a more experimental look for Marian that looks more akin to Bertha’s “new” way of thinking, a subtle sign that Marian is more aligned the Russells, if she cared more the Met.
She also rewears this costume in first episode of season three.
6. The Navy Blue Plaid
As Marian is teacher this season she has a few smart suits-like dresses in darker tones. This outfit is dark blue plaid but in keeping to her sensibilities it’s trimmed with a pretty daisy patterned ribbon, which adds some nice contrast.
Marian is wears this costume when Dashiell awkwardly proposes to her in front of her friends and family. Marian only accepts to save face and she is fond of him and his daughter.
Despite the awkward scene the plaid is very pretty and the darker blue works very well on Marian. It’s a smart and feminine.
5. The Yellow Opera Gown
Season two culminates the opening night for both opera houses which settles who will the war. The clear winner in the show and in history is The Met.
Marian attends the opening of the Met with Russell family. Marian’s opera gown is a little divisive. It’s a wide v-neck gown. The skirt is white with wide vertical yellow stripes and pink waist sash. There is white tulle draped across the arms as the shoulders and down the front of the neckline. The bodice is also yellow on white but it’s not striped, it’s more of floral pattern this fabric is also used for the bustle.
Another part of this looks that confuses people in her matching outwear. It looks like it uses the same floral patterned fabric of the bodice with high collar trimmed in yellow tulle which also trim the shoulder in a large scale ruffle.
Her jewelry has a bow motif and the necklace is also tulle which adds even more softness to the overall look.
It is her signature color palette but it does seem a little an odd combination of design concepts. As the final look plus her first kiss with Larry it does stand out as being memorable.
4. The Blue and Tan Outfit
This is another one of Marian’s smart dark blue that she wears in season two. This one a little more sophisticated than her other suits. This one is trimmed with in tan which plays off the blue so well.
The white bodice inset is pleated which is very classic Marian and the skirt is bustled.
Marian rewears this costume in season three.
3. The Newport Casino Dress
In episode two Marian is invited to Newport with her cousin, Aurora. One of the purposes of this visit to Newport is matching Marian with an eligible bachelor. Marian meets his at a tennis match at the casino and he proves to abysmal and Marian tries to avoid him throughout the game.
Despite the horrid man, Marian’s casino look is a breezy white outfit. The high necked blouse is made from an eyelet material while the bustled skirt is made from a soft light material.
The pop of color come for her bright red floral hat. And she also co-ordinates with Gladys outfit in this scene which is white with red accents.
It’s a lovely charming look that is perfect for the summer.
2. The Teal Corded Outfit
One of Marian’s stand-out outfits of season two is a daytime outfir. It’s a teal silk satin and brown velvet ensemble with myriad of cording. Cording is used at the front of the bodice, down the sleeves and along the skirt panels.
This looks fit into Marian’s color palette yet is great combination of experimentation and sophistication.
1. The Newport Ball Gown
While in Newport, Marian attends a formal party hosted by Ward McAllister at the casino. She adheres to his rule about no tiaras, just flowers and feathers by the sea.
Much like her opera gown, this gown is a yellow on white with low wide v-neck. The yellow satin bands are sewn on at a diagonal and the same material is used to form the bustle. The gown is sleeveless with drapes of tulle and single large lily at one shoulder with smaller flowers sewn on tulle which has a cascading effect down the bodice. White lace material skirt layer adds more texture and interest.
This a very classic look for Marian but it’s has a sense of ease and romance.
