Show’s Outfits Woven in Time
By Butch Maier
The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and Sony Pictures Television partnered for Outlander: Costumes Woven in Time, a comprehensive display of clothing from the Starz television series at the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown. The exhibition revealed how iconic fashions became a powerful storytelling device on the historical fantasy drama show and the remarkable artistry of museum clothiers in meticulously dressing historical interpreters to authentically depict people of early America. The Outlander costumes are on display through May 18.
Actor John Bell, who portrays Young Ian Fraser Murray in Outlander, worked the scissors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the museum on the day the show’s eighth and final season debuted in March. “It is so cool to be here from Glasgow, Scotland,” Bell said. “Thank you so much to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown for having me here. It is so awesome seeing all these costumes again.”
Conversations with Sony Pictures Television about the exhibit started a year ago, according to Dr. Mariruth Leftwich, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (JYF) senior director of museum operations and education. “They were interested in finding a way to connect with fans in new spaces and celebrate the artistry of the show’s costume design,” Leftwich said. “So, for JYF, the exhibition offers an opportunity to bring in new audiences and…for exploring the cultural convergence of early America that is central to our mission here—in a new avenue, in ways that meet visitors where they might be.”
According to the Costumes Woven in Time exhibit, the costumes for the first four seasons of Outlander “were crafted with an emphasis on historical authenticity, hand craftmanship, and character storytelling. Under costume designer Terry Dresbach, garments were custom-built rather than sourced, using period-appropriate silhouettes, construction techniques, and textiles. Fabrics were often hand-dyed, distressed, and aged.”
Bell said: “Being here, in this part of the world, is awesome. I was walking through Colonial Williamsburg yesterday, and I felt like I was—literally—back on set. It was very, very, very odd, but very, very cool.” Bell posed with fans for photos in front of his Season 4 outfit. “One of the really special things about this exhibition is—personally, for me—Young Ian’s costume,” he said. “It really highlights the character and brings him to life. That one was from Season 4, so it’s been awhile since I saw those very tight leggings. But it was like seeing an old friend, truly.”
The Outlander costume team, the exhibit detailed, “produced thousands of garments during the filming of the series. Dresbach estimates that they crafted 10,000 garments for Season 2 alone, using as many as 100,000 buttons in their construction for just one season. All of the costumes created are one-of-a-kind and designed for both the character and actor who wore them. Each costume in this exhibition was worn during filming by the actors who so skillfully brought Outlander to life for a global audience.”
Not every piece from Seasons 1-4 was included in the collection. Bell said that at the end of filming Outlander, showrunner Maril Davis gave him one of Ian’s arm cuffs. The other arm cuff is on display in the Yorktown museum. That’s not the only prop he has. “Over the years, I’ve tried to…I wouldn’t say ‘steal,’ but happen to end up with them,” Bell said. “The first one that I managed to kind of sneak away from set was an amazing, beautifully carved wolf necklace….I actually did that by pretending to throw it into the river. I said, ‘Oh, I thought it was the prop.’ ‘No, that was the real one.’ All the time, it was in my pocket.”
For more information about the Outlander: Costumes Woven in Time exhibit, go to jyfmuseums.org/events/special-exhibits/outlander-costumes.
Butch Maier
