Tower Fashions (1953)

London. Various shots of a group of people walking about the Tower of London gardens. Four mannequins parade about showing off the latest fashions, influenced by the costumes of the young Queen Elizabeth I in the film ’Young Bess’. The models wear swagger coats, suits and small, cap-like hats. At the Traitor’s Gate we see more models in swagger coats. One has “push-up melon sleeves and is lined to the hemline with quilted gold satin“. People crowd around to watch. A Beefeater stands on one of the Tower ramparts as a model sashays past. C/U of actor dressed as King Henry VIII, drinking from a silver cup and smoothing his moustache. Models in Tudor-influenced evening gowns walk about the grounds with the King. Model Sylvia Shelley poses with a Beefeater in the gardens. She compares her own ruff-collar with the Beefeater’s own. Note: correspondence, cuttings and notes on file. This publicity stunt took place shortly before the London premier of the MGM film ’Young Bess’. FILM ID: