Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Costume Designer Terry Dresbach on Outlander's Sexy New Season
www.harpersbazaar.com: Starz's time-traveling epic Outlander—heralded as a "feminist Game of Thrones" and "the best sex on TV"—returns to screens tomorrow night with a long-awaited Season 2 premiere. Big changes are afoot; instead of the craggy, rough-around-the edges Scottish highlands, Claire [Caitriona Balfe] and Jamie Fraser [Sam Heughan] find themselves carousing with the crème de la crème of Parisian society, swapping tartans and chunky knits for fine silks and lace. Here, costume designer Terry Dresbach (already getting Emmys buzz for the season) walks us through some of Claire's most-anticipated looks, the challenges of adapting from a feverishly successful book series and how she managed to produce 10,000 pieces of costume for this season alone.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I can't even begin to describe how in awe I am of Dresbach's talent, skill, and vision. I came to costume design through fashion design, mainly because I felt that costume design had a substance and a purpose behind it that fashion could not provide me. Costuming isn't just about making pretty clothes - it's history, and character, and storytelling. It has so many more layers than "does this look good?" The way that Desbach blends iconic 40s fashion with that of the 18th century is incredibly innovative. From the obvious use of the Dior New Look as inspiration in one particular photo to the choice to leave Claire corset-less in the red dress, everything Dresbach does is so carefully thought out and concocted to perfectly blend all that the show asks of her, and the fact that she managed to do this for one character on top of thousands of pieces total shows her stamina and strength. It's no wonder Dresbach looks at the show through the lens of strong female storytelling - she herself is a powerhouse, and her work makes that more than apparent. I've never seen Outlander or read the books, but it's clear to me now that I have some catching up to do - Season 2 is going to be incredible, thanks in no small part to Dresbach's amazing design.
For a show that navigates such strange and tricky timeline content, hearing Terry Dresbach articulate the process through which they maintained Claire's origin while acknowledging the clothing of the period was fascinating. The intricacy of their planning of the individual details of the costume pieces really proves worthwhile in truly telling the story of each character. Rather than merely slipping Claire into a period-appropriate piece, or rolling over and manufacturing something that was simply aesthetically appealing (as has happened on other period shows like the CW's Reign), Dresbach's storytelling capabilities through cloth medium are excellent. I was however moderately surprised to hear that their overall process was so hodgepodge. That said, I had never really given thought - despite all the times I have watched Outlander - to exactly how items like 18th century cloth would, or could be procured. I also must applaud the team for taking on so many trainees, and utilizing people with artistic talent, though not necessarily costume training.
What an amazing, inspiring article. I am a massive fan of Outlander, and the reason I actually began watching it to begin with, was because of Dresbach’s costume design. I saw an interview with the marvelous designer just over a year ago, and the designs drew me in so much that I could not just appreciate the images alone, I had to learn the story the garments told. It is amazing to me just how affective costume design can be on an audience. I may be a little biased because I am a developing designer myself, but I never would have discovered the series if I did not see photographs of the actors in costume and think, “wow, I have to check that out!” It is so inspiring to me just how down to earth and grounded Dresbach is, and how she cares for her team and goes through her creative process. I have been hooked on the series since and I continue to be in awe of the talent on the show in general, not just the costume design.
Post a Comment