Historically Correct and Incorrect Costumes

You don’t need much context for the topic of today’s article. It’s likely that you yourself have made comments about how historically accurate a costume in a film or a TV show was. Well, even if you haven’t, this article will do just that.

We will discuss whether it’s important for period films and shows to have historically accurate costumes and then we will give you examples of costumes that passed the “test” and those that didn’t.

The Importance of Historical Accuracy

Period shows and films, even if based on real events, will always rely on dramatisation because you can’t make epic dramas with the little information available about the historical event and the figures associated with it.

The question is, does this apply to fashion? While we don’t know the contents of Napoleon’s private conversations, we do know what clothes he wore, thanks to his many surviving portraits, so should we abide to this portrayal?

There are many varying opinions on the matter. The purists would argue that costume designers should always strive to perfectly recreate a period costume (if there are enough paintings/pictures/description of said costumes).

The moderates would say that historical accuracy is important but that it cannot be always achieved (e.g., when there’s not enough contemporary evidence), or that it’s good enough for the costume to be “close enough” to the original.

The third opinion, in our experience, does not exist. Even people who don’t pay much attention to costume design seem to have issues with certain egregious examples of “period costumes”.

Historically Accurate Costumes

In this section, we will dissect some of the best examples of historically accurate costumes in film and TV.

Marie Antoinette – The Sofia Coppola film might not be the most accurate in terms of plot, but the costumes surely are (PS: Milena Canonero won an Oscar for them). There are even a few scenes of the servants dressing the French queen that show each piece of undergarments the real Marie Antoinette would have worn.
The Crown – The drama about the British royal family continues to impress with its historically accurate outfits. The show has recreated some of the most iconic outfits worn by the royals, greatly aided by the thousands of snapped photos over the years.
Downton Abbey – Another show about English nobility to nail the period it’s set in.
The Queen’s Gambit – The saviour of all those stuck at home during lockdown, The Queen’s Gambit managed to not only entertain us, but to also give us some of the best 1960’s costumes. Beth’s evolution is further reinforced by her ditching the late 1950’s dresses and skirts for the chic beatnik and mod styles of the 1960’s.
Titanic – The film features a rich variety of historically accurate period costumes (extra points for representing garments from different social classes). The only issue that we see is the corset Rose wears; 1912’s corsets didn’t cover the bust, so the silhouette of the dresses she wears also slightly changes.
Memoirs of a Geisha – The fashion is breathtaking and the film masterfully portrays and juxtaposes traditional Japanese garments with European dresses and suits, showing the new cultural swifts in Japanese society.

Historically Inaccurate Costumes

This section will deal with some of the worst examples of period costumes in terms of accuracy. We should note that some of these productions created beautiful garments, but that didn’t save them from the justified criticism.

Reign – Do we even have to comment on this one? The show about Mary, Queen of Scots doesn’t pertain to historical accuracy but even so, the costumes are too modern and chaotic to even call it historical fiction. For example, Mary wears a wedding dress straight out of the catwalk (more specifically, Monique Lhuillier Bridal Spring 2012) …wow, just wow.
The Tudors – The show is far from being historically accurate and the costumes perfectly show this. First, women from that era (or any other era) never wore corsets on bare skin. Second, women weren’t showing that much cleavage in the 1530’s or 1540’s. Third, many of the crowns (and headbands???) look modern and fantastical. There are many more critiques to be made, but we don’t have the time. There are some historically accurate costumes – mainly those worn by men, which is a trend in period films and shows.

300 – Again, this is quite an obvious one. Spartans didn’t go into battle exposing their perfect 6 packs and neither did Xerxes wear diaper-like shorts or had a million piercings.

Dirty Dancing – If someone hadn’t told us that the movie was supposed to take place in the 1960’s, we wouldn’t have known. Neither the shorts, nor the hairdos portray the authentic 1960’s era.

Conclusion

So, what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think there any films and shows that we should have included? Let us know!