Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2018 - 18

country roads

Titantic at Biltmore
James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster movie "Titanic" won
a record 11 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Costume Design. Now, 20 years later, an assortment of fashions worn in the movie will soon be on display at Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. Glamour on
Board: Fashion from Titanic the Movie runs February 9
through May 13 and is included in estate admission.
Leslie Klinger, Biltmore curator of interpretation, says
around 50 costumes will be displayed throughout George
Vanderbilt's palatial home. The exhibit gives onlookers a
chance to admire the exquisite fashions, some of which
may have only appeared on screen for a few seconds.
There are also prominent costumes like those worn by
lead actors Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
"There really are some stunning designs," says Klinger.
"We spent quite a bit of time in 20th Century Fox's archives and their wardrobe. They had racks and racks of
clothing stored since filming. We were able to draw key
costumes, but we were also able to draw from stock of
support costumes."
She says one of the coolest finds in their research was
a 1912 ad in a copy of Les Modes, a French fashion magazine of that time period. The ad was apparently the inspiration for Kate Winslet's outfit when she was boarding.
"Edith Vanderbilt was a subscriber," Klinger says. "We
have all of those magazines from that time period. Edith
was taking inspiration for her own fashion from these
magazines and treasured them enough to keep the copies in our library. The connections are really deep with
what the Vanderbilts and their guests were wearing at
that time."
Ironically, George and Edith Vanderbilt were booked
on the ill-fated voyage of Titanic, but George decided to
make a last-minute change and they arrived back in the
U.S. aboard The Olympic.

-Marla Hardee Milling
18 BlueRidgeCountry.com

Twelve-year-old Brynjar Karl Birgisson
of Iceland has built a LEGO Titanic.

Titanic in Legos!
Beginning in March 2018, the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, will display the world's largest
replica of the RMS Titanic. But it's created out of something you might not expect-56,000 LEGO bricks.
A 12-year-old boy in Iceland conceived the idea
when he was 10 years old and spent 11 months building
the 25-foot model. Brynjar Karl Birgisson, who is autistic, has also gained international attention for his book,
"My Autistic X Factor."
Birgisson says on his website (brynjarkarl.com), "I'm
known as the LEGO boy. I follow my ship wherever it
travels and tell people how I built it and also encourage
kids to follow their own ambitious dream."
The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge is the first and
only location in the U.S. where the ship will be on display. A sneak peek is planned in February. For additional
details, visit titanicpigeonforge.com.

-Marla Hardee Milling

http://www.brynjarkarl.com http://www.titanicpigeonforge.com http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com

Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2018

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