The historical costume drama is a staple of both film and television. Ultimately, the costume part — especially women’s dresses and hair from bygone eras — is just as integral to success as the drama part.
There’s been lots of conversation about the relatively drab outfits and unkempt hairstyles in the new version of Jane Austen’s 1790s-set Sense and Sensibility, currently in theaters.
Then, on Nov. 1, HBO launches a new season of its current costume epic, The Gilded Age.
We take a look at that production, and a few others who have spun fabric, feathers, leather, and ribbons into dramatic gold.
Check JustWatch.com to see where you can rent, buy, or stream all the below.
The Gilded Age (2022-)
About 5,000 historical costumes were created accurate to New York and Newport society in the late 1800s, with corsets, bustles, shirtwaists, and jackets, patterned and embroidered. Some women lean into older, somber silhouettes, while others stun in bright colors and tailored shapes.
Young Marian Brooks’ costumes have the most noteworthy progression, going from simpler country fare to signature Edwardian drapery over slim silhouettes. Many of the show’s costumes are directly inspired by portraiture of the era. Watch the new season on HBOMax, starting Nov. 1.
While tame by HBO standards, it's still adult fare, and most suitable for older teens and up.
Pride and Prejudice (1995 miniseries)
Nobody wore muslin quite like Jennifer Ehle as the spirited Regency-era gentleman's daughter Lizzie Bennet — both her casual prints and the cream dress she wore during that tumultuous proposal scene.
True to 1810s fashion for both men and women, the costumes highlight Empire-waisted dresses and sophisticated male ensembles in deep colors, made for sturdy regular wear.
Watching wealthy landowner Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) have the valet hand him his green wool tailcoat is a delight (and there's also that damp, poet-sleeved shirt).
No objectionable content, but at six one-hour episodes, littles will drift off. However, preteens and up could be drawn in to Austen's theme of the cost paid for both pride and prejudice.
War and Peace (BBC, 2016)
As Russian gentry, everyone is attired splendidly, particularly the men. Silver military embroidery, bright waistcoats, and loungewear appear in ornate fabrics. Helene’s (Tuppence Middleton) dark, daring styles contrast with Marya’s (Jessie Buckley) country simplicity.
And young Natasha’s (Lily James) light fabrics and loose hair mature into dark silhouettes and complex brocade. The Internet disagrees about the costumes' historical accuracy, but they’re always beautiful.
Some sexuality, brief nudity and violence, recommended for high-schoolers and up.
Emma. (2020)
In this stylish Jane Austen adaptation, wealthy, genteel Emma (Anya Taylor-Joy) wears classic Regency Era styles, from lightweight cotton day dresses to my favorite, her chocolate evening gown.
Polka dots, roses, ribbons, and lace accentuate her girly vibe ... and oh, that yellow pelisse (scroll many other looks here).
Costumes also delineate social status, from higher-class Emma's exquisite tailoring, and school-parlor-boarder Harriet's red wool hooded cloak (Mila Goth), to top hats for landed gentleman Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn), and sturdy boots for amorous farmer Robert Martin (Connor Swindells).
The movie has been called the best-costumed Austen adaptation, incorporating faithful fabric and styling details for both men and women.
Arch, witty, and rated PG (one-and-one-half bare bums are briefly shown), Emma. is fine for preteens and up.
Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)
Actress Carey Mulligan’s fair skin and auburn hair are set off to advantage by dark earth-toned fabrics in this adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel.
She wears both striking business clothes and practical work-dresses, mostly in natural-form silhouettes. Nineteenth-century hues glow in her red leather riding jacket and my personal favorite, the blue striped dress — which she promptly ruins by climbing into the sheep-shearing pool.
Her suitors are dressed according to character: one in reserved, sorrowful gentleman’s suits; another in obnoxious military garb, complete with brass buttons; and the last in hardy linens designed to make him look gorgeous while saving sheep from imminent death.
Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and violence.
Cinderella (2015)
More fairytale fantasy than historical fiction, director Kenneth Branagh's take on the classic tale is widely beloved, not least for the dresses.
While Ella (Lily James) mostly wears her signature blue peasant’s dress, her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) shows her true colors in terrifying grey and green, topped by a jaunty hat parallelling her cheekbones.
But they save the best for all with Ella’s ballgown, recreating her mother’s silken dress into an off-the-shoulder masterpiece of layers and layers of drifting fabric, adorned with butterflies. Don’t forget her lacy wedding dress too: elegance incarnate.
Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief intense or frightening sequences, but generally good for school-age kids and up.
Image: The Gilded Age, HBO
Sophia Sariego is a Los Angeles native working in the pro-life movement. She loves Eucharistic Adoration, making music, and hitting the beaches in her spare time.
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