Shaping culture and breaking barriers
While the early days of ‘The Crown’ were punctuated with extravagant gowns and the most enviable fashion sense of Princess Margaret, season four is all about Princess Diana. The season recreates many of her most iconic outfits, including the voluminous wedding dress!
Queen Elizabeth I, played by Robbie, was famously conscious of her appearance and we observe her physical decline as she destroys her face and hair with dangerous lead-based makeup.
This 1998 film cleaned up at the Oscars. It received seven awards, including Best Costume Design for Sandy Powell. Similar to ‘Gentleman Jack,’ the lines of gender-specific fashion are blurred as Gwyneth Paltrow disguises herself as a boy to get closer to Shakespeare, and she looks great doing it!
This hit film starring Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, and Jamie Foxx is set in the 1960s and 1970s, following a female singing group based on The Supremes. The real-life band wore some incredible outfits, and the movie took it to the next level.
This classic musical film is a visual feast, filled with incredible costumes from both Asia and Europe. It tells the true story of an English governess who worked for the King of Siam in the 1860s.
The series ‘Mr. Selfridge’ tells the story of the American businessman of the same name who set up the iconic Selfridges department store in London. Given the high fashion context and the pre-war era, the style is really exceptional.
‘Peaky Blinders’ is not your average period drama. The British series follows a family of Birmingham criminals shortly after World War I. The violent story, based on a real gang, also defies tradition in that the men’s fashion is even better than the women’s!
‘Hidden Figures’ tells the story of three talented Black female scientists whose groundbreaking work played an essential role in the Space Race. Set in the 1960s, the costumes are all about the iconic silhouettes of the era.
‘The Lion In Winter’ is an older one, but Katherine Hepburn’s Oscar-winning performance as Eleanor of Aquitaine is timeless. The medieval costumes are powerful, reflecting the forceful character who wears them.
Netflix’s hit drama ‘The Crown’ is an exceptional story that follows the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, from her coronation in 1953 at the age of 27, all the way to the 1980s where we’re introduced to Princess Diana.
The 2019 TV series ‘Gentleman Jack’ tells the exceptional story of Anne Lister, a land-owning English woman who openly married another woman in 1832. Apart from being a great show, it also offers a fantastic gender-nonconforming alternative to the standard period costume.
This heart-warming adaptation of the literary classic stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep. What more could you ask for? Perhaps some Oscar-winning costumes? Costume designer Jacqueline Durran grabbed the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 2020.
This 2019 TV series starring Helen Mirren tells the story of Catherine II from a later stage in her political career. Mirren sports an exceptional range of gowns, truly fit for an empress.
Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film is true to 15th-century fashion. Juliet’s Renaissance-style costumes include richly colored gowns in luxurious fabrics and jewel-encrusted headpieces.
Keira Knightley is the queen of period dramas, and ‘Anna Karenina’ is one of her most fashionable works. Knightley stars as a Russian aristocrat living in Saint Petersburg in 1874. Given the climate, we’re treated to some fantastic outerwear as well as spectacular ball gowns.
This Oscar-winning drama starring Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone has a rather bleak color palette that fits the Queen’s mood. Even still, the attention to detail of the costumes and the story they tell about the wearer is truly masterful.
The party scenes are a feast for the eyes, with Carey Mulligan’s Daisy at the center. Many of her dresses were designed by Miuccia Prada herself.
This epic period musical is an incredible costume drama on so many levels. Rather than focusing on one corner of society, we are introduced to a wide range of characters in different situations, from the gentile Cosette played by Amanda Seyfried, to Helena Bonham Carter's gaudy Madame Thénardier.
'Memoirs of a Geisha' may not be the most authentic depiction of Japanese culture, but it is certainly a vibrant and enthralling introduction to the art of geisha. It's fascinating to observe the painstaking process and attention to detail required for the final look.
The 2006 movie 'Marie Antoinette' starring Kirsten Dunst is an opulent masterpiece of costume design. Marie Antoinette was a fashion icon of the Rococo era, one of the most extravagant periods in history. This film certainly does her justice.
This British TV series that began in 2010 became a smash hit worldwide, taking off in the US after the second season. It follows an aristocratic family, which thankfully has many daughters, in the early 1900s.
Over its six seasons we got a wonderful journey through the trends as they enter the Roaring Twenties and the era of jazz.
This 2018 period film also stars Saoirse Ronan, alongside Margot Robbie, as the famous royal cousins who went to war in the 16th century.
The wonderful Emily Blunt stars as the young princess who would become Queen Victoria, one of the most influential monarchs in British history. Queen Victoria was later known for her conservative black dresses, but in her early days she was a lot more playful with her looks!
Sources: (Glamour UK) (Society19)
This 2013 film starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw tells the story of Dido Belle, the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of an 18th-century English lord. The movie fictionalizes her introduction to English society and aristocracy, and the outfits are glorious.
'Phantom Thread' stars the incredible Daniel Day-Lewis as an influential haute couture designer in the 1950s who finds a new muse in a young waitress. Think 'The New Look' by Christian Dior and you’ll know what kind of sartorial treats to expect.
Ready for a bit of opulent escapism? Click through this gallery to see some of the most stylish period dramas ever made.
The most fashionable period dramas of all time
For your 'Bridgerton' withdrawals...
CELEBRITY Costumes
The period drama has been a strong genre in TV and film for decades, but it's seeing a serious mainstream revival since the momentous release of Netflix's 'Bridgerton' in December 2020. This modern take on the period piece has renewed appetites for noble intrigue and extravagant costumes that transport you to another time.
Ready for a bit of opulent escapism? Click through this gallery to see some of the most stylish period dramas ever made.