ALL ABOUT THE COSTUMES: This fall the Fashion and Textile Museum in London will be spotlighting the work of Cosprop, a costumier in north London that’s been behind the costumes of “A Room With a View,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.”
“Costume Couture” will open on Sept. 26 and run until spring 2026.
The exhibition will also include costumes from television series such as “Downtown Abbey” and “Peaky Blinders.”
Lesley Manville in “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.”
Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
Cosprop has been dressing the screen since 1965. The business was founded by costume designer John Bright, who has been nominated six times for an Oscar and picked up the award in 1987 for his work on “A Room With a View” starring Helena Bonham Carter.
The museum will exhibit rich costumes, from a belted wedding suit and embroidered silk hat worn by Meryl Streep in “Out of Africa”; the romantic costumes of “Pirates of the Caribbean”; the sharp tailoring of “Peaky Blinders,” and Cate Blanchett’s velvet robes from “Elizabeth.”
Helena Bonham Carter’s costume in “A Room With a View.”
“There’s a lot of fantasy in the story, but not in the costumes. We want these clothes to look like they’ve been slept in and worn forever. Aging and dyeing for a period film are absolutely vital,” said Penny Rose, the costume designer behind “Evita,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”
At Cosprop, Bright has put a real focus on the fabrics used with the use of natural wools, silks, cottons, muslins and satins.
Vanessa Kirby in a scene from “Napoleon.”
LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy Stock Photo
The exhibition will chart the importance of costume design for film narratives.
In the 1996 film “The Portrait of a Lady” starring Nicole Kidman, her clothes signify her oppression as she goes from being a young American heiress to an oppressed aristocrat.
Bright’s work in costume design has always dabbled in period dramas. He’s also worked on “Onegin” starring Ralph Fiennes and “Maurice,” which was directed by James Ivory, a longtime collaborator of the costume designer.
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