horace-maggie:

Like all of us, I was on cloud nine yesterday with those costume pictures. Angel Coulby, wearing that Pendragon red velvet dress, wowed us. She really did. I’ve been around a long time and one thing that has always brightened up this world, even if only temporarily, is a pretty girl in a pretty dress. Honestly, if that ever changes and  nobody appreciates the brightening influences of lovely things such as this, I want out of this world. And did she ever. Brighten up OUR world that is. Now, I’ve been seeing on Tumblr that there have been some dissenters, definitely not the majority by any stretch, who have complained about this or that, some choosing to focus on the fact that her breasts have been showing for a few seasons, when of course those complaints are only levied against her, certainly not the other female characters, so for me I’ll not waste time on that as these folks are being sufficiently dealt with by Gwen/Angel supporters and kudos to them for handling the situation. Though there does come a time when you recognize a brick wall when you see it and at long last decide to turn around and head another direction.

Having said that, I love the femininity of that dress, the graceful look of the red velvet draping a curvy girlie girl, with the girdle belt coordinating with the gorgeous detail of the sleeves and neck. The bodice showing off pretty shoulders can only be pulled off well by some, and she’s among that “some.” The color red, loved by her husband and family, brings out her appealing light brown skin tone so beautifully it’s not even funny. As a little girl, which was many years ago, if someone would have given me a doll that looked exactly like that, I would have been tickled pink and purple. Actually, if someone gave me that doll today, I’d put it up on my shelf to brighten up my days. Obviously, it’s a special occasion dress, and of course we don’t know what the event was that’s being filmed inside the throne room, but I can’t wait to see what it’s all about. Also, I’m eagerly looking forward to the “everyday” outfits she’ll be wearing around the castle.

But that’s not even my main point about her in this dress. I saw a very lovely lady in a very gorgeous dress yes (good job costume department) but it wasn’t THAT which hit me most. What I saw most was  Angel putting the “confirmed” stamp on the decision by Merlin casting to cast her for the role. I saw in the “Maid to be Queen” video that when she walked in one day, they found what they were looking for—someone who could bring across the lowliness and humility of a maid but also pull off the nobility of a queen. They thought it was all wrapped up in this one person—Angel. And they were right. We saw the humble little giddy maidservant of Season 1, in her sack dresses and hero worshipping of Morgana, we saw her developing into a strong and courageous woman towards the end of that season, and more and more as the seasons went by. We saw her struggles with her relationship with the prince and her scrupulous behavior about that, with many examples such as 2x10, 3x06, 3x07 for a few. I defy anyone who would say she was anything but a woman of honor in all the challenges she faced with that situation. The necklines of that time period have nothing to do with what is in the heart of this principled woman. But it was yesterday, at least for me, that we finally got verification that Johnny and company knew just what they were doing. We saw photos of Angel walking from one place to another in a course of about two or three minutes. But that was all we needed to see to show us what we needed to see. The same person who was the giggly little servant is now noble, majestic, regal, stately, and every other adjective you can give to a QUEEN. Angel Coulby is believable. She is doing it. You cannot HELP but see it as she goes through the doors of the castle. It’s not the dress itself; it’s the woman in it. And if you don’t see it, it’s only because it hurts you too much to see it.