Sir, · you · are · no · gentleman.

Iconic 'Gone With the Wind' dress faded forever

By Jim Vertuno
Associated Press
Published July 20, 2011

AUSTIN, Texas — Efforts to preserve and restore several iconic dresses from the Oscar-winning Civil War movie "Gone With the Wind" have uncovered what might be painful for die-hard fans: Some of them simply can't be made to look like they did on screen.

Stitching and holes can be repaired and extra feathers added years ago can be removed, but the dresses are old, badly faded in spots and in one case, just too fragile to handle.

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas announced a $30,000 effort last year to preserve five of the dresses acquired with the collection of film producer David O. Selznick in the 1980s. The goal is to have them ready for a 2014 exhibit to mark the film's 75th anniversary.

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What makes me the saddest about this article is not the fact that the dresses are ruined and discolored in some places. I have never understood the appeal of an old item being worth more when it is in pristine condition. To me, anything is worth more when it has been used and loved. It has more history that way. For example, I have a first edition 1938 copy of Gone With the Wind. The binding is tearing and I love it. I like to pretend that someone like me, years ago, loved this book as much as I do now.

The part of this article that is the most depressing is that it sheds light on the fact that these beautiful dresses Walter Plunkett designed simply will not be around much longer. Like Scarlett's wedding veil, they can not stand the test of time. I hope to see the exhibit in 2014 so that when my children and grandchildren love Gone With the Wind as I do, I can tell them how I saw Scarlett's dresses. Even though they won't be as perfect as they were in the movie, I know they will still be just as breathtaking — "brown mustard" stains and all.

(x-posted at my personal journal)

The University of Texas in Austin is raising money to make desperately needed repairs to Vivien's costumes from the film!

LINK to an article about the issue.

LINK to make donations!

Lets get the word out to help them raise the money! 

I thought that this would be cool and little different than all of the other Gone with the Wind related fan videos online. I like to think of it as GWTW with a little twist.

I being a musical geek and thespian as well as a "windie" naturally have taken an interest in anything I can get my hands on from either of the musical adaptations of Gone With the Wind. Recently I was the lucky winner of a program sold for the London production from the '70s in an ebay auction. I dunno about you, but I NEVER would have guessed this production was done in '70s ; ) Musically I think this version is the superior of the 2. Here are some scans from the program.