Film Costume Exhibition at Fashion Museum

Dress worn by Bette Davis in Death On The Nile

A few days ago I went to see the Dressing The Stars: British Costume Design at the Academy Awards exhibition at the Fashion Museum in Bath. It is an excellent exhibition in a beautiful setting-it is housed in the Ballroom of the Assembly Rooms, with beautiful eau de nil walls and sumptuous chandeliers. The costumes look gorgeous against this backdrop.

Another Bette Davis costume from Death On The Nile

I particularly liked the costumes from Death On The Nile, they were very elegant.

Moodboard for Death On The Nile

Laurence Olivier's costume from Hamlet

This costume was beautifully embroidered.

Moodboard for Tess

There were moodboards scattered throughout the exhibition, which provided an interesting insight into the process of designing costumes. They reminded me of my sketches, scribbles and notes when I am planning things to make.

Wedding outfits from The Duchess, worn by Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley

The wedding dress worn by Keira Knightley had so much detail, with pearls sewn onto it, ruffles, beading...it must have been very heavy to wear.

Costume worn by Judi Dench in Shakespeare In Love

This costume was incredibly beautiful, with ornate beading and embroidery, so it seems a shame that it didn't appear in the film for very long! I adored Shakespeare In Love as a teenager, I had such a crush on Joseph Fiennes.

Dress worn by Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech

This dress looks simple but it is deceptive-it is not until you get up close that you notice the subtle pattern in the fabric, the frill on the bust and the diamante belt buckle, which all give it an air of understated luxury.

More costumes from The King's Speech

The layout of the exhibition is very good, with large boards displaying information about the film the costumes came from (with a useful synopsis) and the costume designer. There are also film stills to show the costumes being worn. 

Colin Firth's costume from The King's Speech

Worn by Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria

There are many more costumes in the exhibition which I haven't shown pictures of, including Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow costume from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Worn by Emma Thompson in A Room With A View

I would really recommend this exhibition, it was well laid out, interesting, and in a lovely setting. You can find out more at the Fashion Museum website.