20 Outlander Costumes That Prove the Show Is a Visual Feast
20 Outlander Costumes That Prove the Show Is a Visual Feast
One of the many great pleasures of Outlander is the show's rigorous attention to detail. Despite the time travel-based premise, the show roots itself in realism by taking immense care over every time period it enters, and that's particularly evident in the costumes. Longtime costume designer Terry Dresbach, who departed the show after season 4, and her team have created some truly iconic looks for Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) over the years, as she's bounced between 18th century Scotland, 1960s Boston, pre-revolutionary Paris, and now Colonial-era North Carolina. Below, take a look back through 20 of Outlander's most memorable costume moments.
Claire's white dress in the Premiere
The very first time Claire travels back into the past through the stones at Craigh Na Dun, she's wearing a simple but beautiful belted white shift dress. Costume designer Terry Dresbach calls this one of the most difficult pieces she's ever had to design, because "it had to serve two very difficult and specific masters. Be a convincing 40s dress, and then change to an 18th century shift–two completely different structures."
Claire's riding outfit (Season 1)
Claire's riding coat, in particular, became so iconic that it inspired multiple real-life versions at outlets including Hot Topic. This forest green number with white fur trimmings cropped up again in season four, worn by Claire's daughter Brianna.
Claire's wedding dress (Season 1 Episode 7)
Claire and Jamie's wedding night is an unforgettable Outlander moment for reasons that have very, very little to do with clothing (*wink*), but Claire's wedding dress is an understated stunner. "I wanted a dress that would be incredible in candlelight," costume designer Terry Dresbach told Variety. "We also needed a dress that a modern audience could believe was a wedding dress from a period where they didn’t really have wedding dresses. People weren’t wearing white gowns. We needed something that could straddle that line."
The color red is used in a very specific way on Outlander.
Moore specified during season one that the color red should not be used anywhere in the show except for in the British Redcoats uniforms. And even in this, there was a catch–Moore didn’t like the color of actual Redcoat uniforms, and instead asked the costume department to create their oown. “The one costume we could have rented lots of was Redcoats, but we couldn’t because Ron didn’t like the color of red,” costume designer Terry Dresbach (and Moore's wife) told the Herald. “Instead, we had to dye fabric to his color specifications and make our own Redcoats. He wanted a deeper, richer red rather than a bright cherry/candy apple red.”
Claire's Dior-Inspired Day Dress (Season 2)
This unforgettable look Claire wears during her first scenes in Paris was a deliberate homage to Christian Dior's "New Look," which premiered in 1947, Dresbach told InStyle. "That costume is based on one of the most famous pieces of fashion called the Dior bar suit... It's the first time we see her in Paris and I really wanted it to make a statement: this is Claire and let us never forget that she's a woman of the '40s."
Claire's red dress (Season 2)
This stunning gown which Claire wore to the court of King Louis XV was a focal point of the season two ad campaign, and for good reason: The dress is described in exquisite detail in Diana Gabaldon's novel. “I knew how important that dress was. I knew it was important to the fans,” Dresbach explains. "But I also know that I have to design the best dress that I think is going to work on screen.” In contrast to the book's description, the on-screen dress is simple, elegant and unembellished.
Claire's Versailles ensemble (Season 2)
When in Versailles, wear a dress this iconic. As memorable as Claire's ostentatious floral look was, though, it paled in comparison to the dress that comes next.
The Nipple Dress (Season 2)
Some unusual jewelry was required for a memorable scene featuring King Louis XV's mistress. “There’s not a store that sells pierced nipple jewelry with giant swans with pearl-encrusted eyes,” Dresbach told Vulture, on the difficulty of recreating this unique outfit as described in the book. "My kids were going, ‘What are you doing?’ And I was saying, ‘I’m making swan nipple rings.’ And they would be like, ‘Oh God, we can’t even talk to you.’”
Outlander’s audience isn’t as all-female as you might assume.
Though the show has been deservedly praised for targeting an older female audience that has often been underserved by primetime television, its fanbase is more split gender-wise than you might expect. “Something like 50 percent of our audience in the U.S. are men,” Heughan once told Elle. “And that's interesting. The show wasn't made specifically for women, you know. It just happens to have a female lead character. I think there's something in there for every guy. There's a lot more graphic scenes, but not just intimate scenes. There's violence.”
Season 2, Episode 13
Claire (and Brianna's) jump back into the future in season 2 was truly devastating and a complete game-changer in every respect, not least for the costumes. During a brief visit to 1960s Scotland, Claire wears this elegant check bouclé coat and a single grey streak in her hair, because who says you can't look absolutely stunning even when you're heartbroken over being separated from your 18th century Scottish lover?
Claire's Jackie O-inspired funeral look (Season 3)
Attending a memorial for her late husband Frank during the 1960s, Claire wore this striking black outfit that paid homage to Jackie Kennedy–complete with pillbox hat and leather gloves. This was far from her only Jackie O moment of the season.
Claire's "Batsuit" (Season 3)
Claire's second journey back to the 18th century required a different approach, which was reflected in her wardrobe. "She has to figure out how to time-travel in a way that makes her inconspicuous," Dresbach told Syfy Wire of the costume which was jokingly dubbed the "Batsuit." "The only believable solution that I could come up with was that she would make this suit herself." Claire famously built in pockets to hold smuggled 20th century medical equipment, and memorably taught Jamie what a zipper is.
The Batsuit, Unravelled (Season 3)
Though the Batsuit looks drab at first, Dresbach designed this season three ensemble with multiple layers that are revealed at different moments. "There's not an ounce of glamour to Claire's suit to start with," Dresbach explained. "But I knew that it would get glamorous down the road. When you see her on the ship, with the belted blouse and a skirt, it's like the most romantic costume on Earth."
23 Gifts Ideas for Die-Hard Outlander Fans
If you have someone in your life who swoons at the sight of Jamie Frasier and can sing "The Skye Boat Song" from memory, this is the gift guide for you. Read on for ideas like an Outlander-themed calendar, bookmarks for the most avid reader, and even a cookbook.
Repurposed Parisian outfits (Season 4)
In further evidence of Outlander's commitment to realism, these characters reuse and repurpose their clothes.“Obviously, a lot of the cloths would have been imported from France and England, which was great because then we were able to reuse costumes we had,” costume designer Nina Ayres told Elle. "At the time, one of the things people did was to re-work and re-make old clothes, so we were able to reuse some of the Paris costumes and just reduce the size of the bum rolls and make everything a bit more practical. That helped sell the pioneering look."
The Red Dress 2.0 (Season 4)
In-keeping with the theme of reusing Parisian outfits, this red dress from season 4, episode 2 is a direct callback to the iconic red gown (though not actually the same garment). “When she’s at River Run, she’s still in that classic period dress,” Balfe told Elle of this less comfortable ensemble, which Claire wears to visit Aunt Jocasta. “The minute she’s in Fraser’s Ridge or on the road she can relax.”
Brianna's 1970s festival outfit (Season 4)
Bringing Brianna (and Roger) into 1970s America gave Dresbach a chance to inject more of a personal touch. "For Brianna, I've always dressed her in my clothes," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I had this jacket; I remember when I got it, I was salivating, I could feel it in my stomach: 'I have to have that jacket.' I went insane with her wardrobe."
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Jamie's favorite suit (Seasons 1-4)
Between his gender and his notable lack of time-traveling, Jamie has less show-stopping wardrobe moments than Claire. But one standout piece is his favorite suit, which he brought with him from Scotland into the new world. “We added layers and layers of darning into it,” Ayres told Elle of tweaking the suit to make it look appropriately well-worn. "It takes weeks. It’s hand-stitched. We purposefully ripped the fabric apart and then stitched it back together again to make it look like it’s been repaired and repaired and repaired."
Brianna's wedding dress (Season 5)
Brianna's wedding dress from the season 5 premiere, which is embroidered with orange blossoms, has a touching backstory. "We make a point of showing that this is one of Jocasta’s dresses that has been reconfigured for the wedding," Sophie Skelton told Vogue. "It's a hand-me-down, which is quite sweet." The flowers = embroidered on the dress were a nod to Brianna's native time: "There's also a reference to orange blossoms, which I think was quite a '70s thing, which is sweet. It's nice that they've brought that into the day," Skelton told T&C.
From Scottish riding coats to Claire's Jackie O moment, this show roots its time-traveling tale in historic reality through sumptuous costumes.