That’s not a Dynasty knockoff… This is a Dynasty knockoff! As most of my readers are old enough to get Crocodile Dundee references, I’m confident I do not need to explain that one. Yes, this Aussie TV film from the early 80s was an attempt to get in on that hot prestige nighttime soap action in the land down under. Skin Deep is about as deep as the title suggests, but they got the wardrobe right, at least.
Skin Deep – The Film
Soapy action set in the fashion industry, the plot is mostly irrelevant. Eagle-eyed browsers will notice the prominent face of Nicole Kidman and her name above the title, on the modern covers of the film. Don’t expect much from that, as this is one of the best examples of “bit part makes good” marketing where early superstar films suddenly decide to “refocus” the marketing. Also, spoilers: she’s not wearing any fur in this movie.
Skin Deep – The Furs
But on to the people who are, however briefly. First, perhaps most prominently, is Vanessa Corey (Carmen Duncan), our Alexis stand-in. Thus, she wears, well, two furs, both silver fox. The silver fox stole is little more than a brief flash in the credits, while her silver fox stroller and hat combo is slightly better represented.
The coat appears again in a very, very dark scene near the end, where lighting and pixelation defy most attempts to enjoy it.
In Gilligan’s Island season one opening theme terms, we quickly arrive at “and the rest.” There are various furs on various characters that I do not believe are anything but ancillary. One arrives at the party early in the movie, and a set of jaded “pro” models wear the next set.
And that’s it. This movie is better thought of as a Beverly Hills Madam knockoff because it has a lot of fabulous fur in it, but not for very long. As the stats reveal, there is a grand total of one-and-a-half minutes. That’s almost exactly what you got with Beverly Hills Madam, and they were both made-for-TV movies. Still, there are worse ways to spend a minute and a half than watching the furs in Skin Deep.
- Fur Runtime: 1:27 minutes
- Film Runtime: 92 minutes
- On-Screen Ratio: 1.58%
Find-a-Fur: Skin Deep, 1983
(All times are approximate and are affected by the cut of the film.)
- 02:33 – silver fox stole
- 04:00 – red fox coat
- 07:00 – silver fox coat
- 08:10 – ”
- 1:05:33 – double fox coats
- 1:07:55 – fox trimmed rabbit
- 1:28:55 – silver fox coat
Fur Fashion Gallery – Skin Deep, 1983
