Recycled Movie Costumes

With all the wonderful period costume dramas out there, it's no wonder that some of the costumes are reused from one film to another. I've been wanting to post some of the "recycled" costumes here that I've been surprised to find. These have been sighted by people other than myself since I don't have the eye to spot them until they've been pointed out to me! A new site Recycled Movie Costumes has been launched which I guess will be visited often by those of us who fancy these wonderful costumes!

(The Costumer's Guide to Movie Costumes is handing over the reigns on this project to the new site.)

These first two pairings are borrowed from Katie at the new site!

I thought I had seen that Jennifer Ehle (P&P 95) and Jemima Rooper (Lost in Austen) had worn the same hat but in the pics I had, the hats didn't look the same! Now I see I wasn't dreaming.















Kitty in P&P (2005) and Cassandra in Becoming Jane share the same frock. These two actresses also share a film since they both appear in Bleak House.













Here's another matchup with Amanda (Lost in Austen) and Elizabeth (P&P) withe the same spencer jacket.













Here's another matchup spotted on different sites. I definitely recognize this dress from Margaret Hale from North and South, and Gillian Anderson also wore it on Bleak House. Thanks to bluecabochon for reminding me!







Thanks to angelfish for spotting both Anne Elliot's of Persuasion wearing the same spencer jacket!






Thanks to Priceless for spotting this gorgeous dress!
Here is a costume worn by Lydia, and featured in Pride and Prejudice 1995:


And here it is again in The Count of Monte Cristo 2002:




A friend on C19 has the magnificent ability of spotting recycled costumes, even the quickest glimpse of a dress worn by an extra! In anticipation of Jonny Lee Miller about to take on the role of Knightley in Emma (2009), here are some recycled costumes from Byron, starring JLM in the lead role.

Augusta wears Mme Villefort's multi-colored gown (Helen McCrory) in The Count of Monte Cristo 2002.





Black striped mourning gown: Mrs. Dashwood (Jemma Jones) S&S 95
There are more matches for this dress, I've just posted four...


Lady Ludlow (Francesca Annis) in Cranford


P&P-05 Netherfield Ball (worn by an extra, center). (Thanks Anna!)

Lady Bertram (Gemma Redgrave) - Mansfield Park 07




Annabella (Julie Cox) wears Georgiana Darcy's pelisse (Emelia Fox) from P&P 1995..


Emelia Fox wears her costume again as Clara Copperfield in David Copperfield 1999.



This green pelisse with satin trim down the center of the back (right) is the same one Caroline Bingley (Anna Chancellor) wears in London when she calls on Jane Bennet in P&P 1995.





Lady Holland (left, played by Jane How) wears Fanny Dashwood's (Harriet Walter) purple velvet gown in S&S 1995





A male extra (left, background) wears a waistcoat found in several productions.


Albert Mondego (Henry Cavill) in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).



I was interested to find out the following from bluecabochon when I asked her about role of a costume designer...

"A costume designer is responsible for the costumes of a show, no matter how they have to be acquired. The 2 major costume houses in the UK are Angels the Costumiers and Cosprop, who both have a huge stock that all of the dramas we love are pulled from (Cosprop is a smaller company, and they're known for costumes that look like "real" clothes of the period, not stagey costumes.). Productions rarely have enough money to build anything more than principal costumes or costumes for very big folk who can't be fitted from rental stock. If a production is very stylized, like a fantasy, and rented costumes for its concept don't exist, then they have to be made. TV dramas are usually rented unless certain circumstances exist because the budgets are so small. If it's a recent period, like the 1950s, it's still possible to buy decent vintage clothing if enough can't be found in rental, and the new costumes are often sold to one pf the costume houses when the production is over, if they think they can use them again.

It's a challenge to designers who regularly do these period dramas, in the same periods over and over again, when there is a finite amount of stock. Imagine 3 Jane Austen dramas being prepped and filmed at the same time, and how thin the pickings would be to the designer who didn't reserve the stock first! "

Thanks for taking the time to explain it! Makes me appreciate the costumes even more!

>>See many more examples at the site Recycled Movie Costumes

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