If you have not seen this version of Nicholas Nickleby.... you have to.It is so much better than the new one (2002 Charlie Hunnam) and much longer too!! Yay for period films!
The story of Nicholas begins with a death and the burial of his father. The family left (Nicholas, his mother and sister Kate) travels to London to see their Uncle and ask for financial help.
However he does not seem to be ready to help in a way they thought... he sends Nicholas off to Mr. Squeers academy for boy's, and Kate to a dressmakers.
Nicholas finds his occupation teaching young boys who are starved and beaten to within an inch of their young lives, and Smike, a boy who is forced to work there finds his way into Nicholas's affections... and they soon become best friends.
When Smike is whipped for running away, both he and Nicholas leave the dreadful place to go back to London. Yet only to find that they are rejected by Nicholas's mother under the influence of their evil uncle.
Now they begin their journey to another place to find work, and they do... on stage.
As Romeo and the apothecary!
As this passes, in London Kate finds herself under cruel pressure at her workplace and dreadfully wronged by her uncle's investors.
Word get to Nicholas that this has happened and he and Smike leave for London immediately.
When there Nicholas confronts his Uncle and breaks all bonds to him, then comes the job of finding... a... job.
Twin brothers take him on as a clerk, enabling Nicholas to take care of his mother and sister.
Part of his job is buying paintings from a young girl the twins know, and as fate may have it he falls in love with her.
Many turns in the story (that's Dickens for you) give you a stunning movie that you won't fall asleep on (Dad!!) and amazing actors give you the characters you loved in the book.
Sofia Myles as Kate (how could it get any better than that?), beautiful costumes.... what more could one want.
I loved the setting, and the acting (though the Squeers family got on my nerves) and even most of the girls in it wear mourning clothes they were beautiful.
Watch it!
A scene (that is in the book) with a low scoundrel being bad, might ask young viewers to... be wary.
And it happens twice!
Anyhow...
Kate comes in wearing mourning clothes... and wears then most of the time. This has a maroon bodice and skirt, with black lace over both (I could not find a picture of the whole dress). 
The wedding dress (in the end of the movie) is absolutely gorgeous, don't know ho to explain it!
Here is the dress again, lace around the neckline and a cream waistband.
This dress is one of the first light coloured dresses Kate wears I wish I had a long shot.
This is another one, I love the slate blue skirt and the cream blouse she wears here.
Here it is again. Such a Romantic shot.
This is one of the dresses she wears as a model in her work. There are ruffled flowers at the bodice, and the underdress peaks out through the sheer overlay.
This is one of Kate's own dresses, love the sheer overlay on the sleeves. This is one I would recreate.
Here is a better look at the sleeves of the dress above, they have a slight pattern on them. And the bonnet is something she models, so you never see it again.
Here is the back of her everyday mourning dress.
And the front. There seems to be a darker black (if possible) layering the edge of the bodice.
This would be her cloak, and her bonnet... there is a very long pair of ribbons tying the cape together at the neck. And a bow at the back of her bonnet, that was kinda yuck. Anyways, there is Kate's wardrobe.
You have no idea how hard it was to find these!
And I found no costumes pictures of Nicholas's love interest. Real bummer too her dresses were wonderful!!
And there it is... boy was this one hard to post!
