Meet Terry Dresbach, 'Outlander' Costume Designer

You could say that before Outlander, Terry Dresbach had pretty much retired from the world of costume design. Lucky for us, she was lured back in by her husband, Ron Moore (Outlander‘s showrunner), and this hit Starz series might just be her best work yet. We caught up with Dresbach ahead of the season two premiere to get the scoop on what we should expect to see.

Rue La La: You went from Scotland to France between seasons one and two. How do the costumes reflect that?
Terry Dresbach: Scotland and Paris are completely different universes. The basic silhouette is similar, as it was across the Western world. But climate determined so much more before the advent of electricity and the ability to heat and cool environments. If the people of Scotland had worn what they wore in France, everyone would have died of exposure.

We used heavy wool in Scotland as they would have in the 18th century. It’s still worn there today – it’s both warm and water-repellent.

For France we used silk and linen. The French Court was the center of Western fashion in the 18th century. Clothing was made with absolutely beautiful fabric then heavily embroidered, embellished. The detailing was just astonishing. We moved heaven and earth to get as close as possible to that standard.

RLL: What’s been the biggest challenge in costuming the series?
TD: Getting as close as possible to the standards of authenticity we insanely set for ourselves. For season two, we quickly figured out we were going to have to create most of our own fabrics and accessories. So we set up an embroidery team; we hand-painted fabrics; we made buttons, shoes, bags, and hats, as well as petticoats and gloves. We had to make it all.

We did the same for season one, but the fashions of the French Court are so elaborate and extravagant, we had to do it all over again… times a thousand.

RLL: Describe your process for us.
TD: A fair amount of deep-breathing exercises and meditation.

My job is equal parts creative and logistical. There is a lot of dividing and conquering and delegation when dealing with something as massive as costuming Outlander. We have to divide everyone into teams – or maybe workshops would be a better description. It’s a bit like it must have been in the 18th century. There is a millinery shop, cobblers, embroiderers, dressmakers, and tailors.

I determine the look, the palette, the feeling, and then my design team carries that out for the mass production needed. I design most of the principals. But it’s just not possible for one person to design all of it, so my incredibly talented assistant designers help by taking on a lot of the supporting cast, under my watch.

I try at some point at the beginning to get a couple of quiet weeks to sit and sketch. But that’s very hard to do on this show. So I spend a lot of time thinking ahead. I started planning season two halfway through season one. As we worked on season two, my head was already in seasons three and four. Outlander is ALWAYS present in my mind, I dream about it… it’s a bit much, actually.

RLL: Let’s talk inspiration. What sources did you turn to?
TD: Everything. I am always looking at everything I can. If I walk down the street, things catch my eye. It could be something someone is wearing, or a grate on the street, a bouquet of flowers. I look at a lot of 18th-century art, actual museum pieces, but also modern fashion and fashion of various times and places. The 18th century is omnipresent in couture fashion, and many of the techniques used are very historical. Some things translate very well into the 18th century. I don’t close any pathways of inspiration.

RLL: We can’t overlook the accessories. What details make them authentic to the period?
TD: The blessing and the curse of [18th-century fashion] is that there are so many incredible, actual pieces that survive and countless paintings and records of all the details. It gives us a lot of good resources but also makes it hard to cheat. But we can see an 18th-century bag (a reticule) or a pair of embroidered fingerless gloves (mitts) and copy them. We made thousands of accessories.

Jewelry was an interesting challenge. There was no way we could make all the jewelry we needed. But vintage jewelry of the 40s and 50s is VERY similar to what was worn in the 18th century. We bought a lot of really beautiful vintage pieces. We also used modern jewelry. It’s surprisingly similar.

RLL: Between all the principal characters and the all the background extras, how many costumes did you make for season two?
TD: That’s a hard one to calculate. We had to make so much in a very short period of time; there was no time to stop and count. We made about 10,000 garments. We made costumes for 1,000 extras. We dress everyone from the skin out. So we make everything from the underwear to the outer garments, as well as all the accessories.

On top of that, we made couture costumes for all cast. There was just no way to do anything less. We made about 30 – 40 costumes just for Jamie and Claire and probably another hundred or so for supporting cast. Each of those costumes takes weeks, from start to finish. It has been an absolutely monumental undertaking.

RLL: Wow. How many people does it take to get that all done?
TD: Our department fluctuates and can be as many as 70 people on a good day. We have makers, cutters, tailors, dyers, and then a team of costumers who teach themselves to make fans, do embroidery, millinery, everything.

There was no way we could make all of the extras’ costumes in-house, so we sent the foundations of those costumes out to local clothing manufacturers. Local wedding-dress companies made 18th-century gowns. THAT was a new challenge: to translate costume making to commercial manufacturers. Two entirely different languages and processes.

RLL: Was there a particular costume that took the longest to make?
TD: I am really not sure. They’re all so painstakingly done. One of Claire’s gowns might have taken ages because we hand-painted the fabric. King Louis’s suit is covered in embroidery. Jamie’s leather coat has an embossed story on it. Louise’s gown has yards and yards of hand-tied decorative trim. All of them just took forever.

RLL: Do you have an absolute favorite piece from this season?
TD: I just keep trying to figure that one out. The minute I pick one, I remember that other one. It really is impossible. I might be able to pick my top ten. Maybe.

If you’re not already an Outlander devotee, do yourself a favor and binge-watch season one right now. Season two premieres April 9 at 9PM E/P on Starz.

By Chrissy Waters, Associate Content Editor

SHOP STYLE INSPIRED BY OUTLANDER

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