6 Times Costume Designers Messed Up and Fans Noticed

Movie characters often have pseudo-historical costumes and hairstyles. But even fairy tale characters shouldn’t be wearing something random. For example, the classic Snow White, wearing a kimono, is quite unusual.

We still have certain expectations: princesses wear corsets and wide skirts, and princes are dressed in doublets. Of course, the origins of the films dictate costumes as well, as Belle is from a French tale, and Snow White is from a German one. Check out the bonus section, and you’ll see what we mean.

Corsets on bare skin, The Tudors

The woman in the portrait on the right is probably the maid of honor of Queen Elizabeth I. She’s wearing a gorgeous dress, and Anne Boleyn in The Tudors has a similar one. But in the series, Natalie Dormer’s character is wearing the corset over her naked body without an undershirt.

In this series, even men ignore undershirts. We feel for the actors because the thick fabrics were probably soaked with sweat, and they couldn’t have shot everything in one take.

Boots instead of shoes, Anonymous

Costume designers dressed the characters in boots, and they wore them in the throne room and bedrooms. But men would wear boots only when riding horses, and indoors, they liked showing off their attractive calves. The costume designers probably felt that boots made them look more masculine, and the extras had shoes.

Made-up jewelry, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth I didn’t attach such a flower to her hair. It was just the costume designer’s fantasy headwear in the second photo.

This is what her hair looks like in the portrait.

Doublet design, Anonymous

Men wore leather doublets in the sixteenth century. But they didn’t look like the cool biker jackets we saw in Anonymous.

Hands without gloves, Pride & Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice was written in the last decade of the eighteenth century. What’s strange is that Keira Knightley’s character doesn’t wear gloves, which were a must at the time. Maybe it was to highlight her freedom-loving nature. But the most attentive viewers noticed that the lady on the right had no gloves either.

Short hair, The Hollow Crown

It’s strange to see Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III with short hair. You can compare the on-screen character to his image in the portrait.

Bonus № 1: the design and fabric in Beauty and the Beast

Fashion historian Bernadette Banner says that the story was set in the eighteenth century, but Belle’s dress has nothing to do with the period other than being long. In the 1740s, the dress silhouette would’ve been utterly different, with wider hips formed by the framework under the skirt.

The fabrics were also different. They were heavier, with thick silk, brocade, taffeta, and no chiffon pieces.

Also, women would wear corsets that pushed on their breasts to form a straighter line, and Belle’s corset was built in a different way.

Bonus № 2: an open neck in Mirror Mirror

There’s still a lot of debate about the origin of this story, different people of the world had similar stories. But the classic story of Snow White, as we know it, is a German tale. There is a version that the prototype of Snow White was Countess Margaretha von Waldeck, who lived in the sixteenth century. In the portrait above, you can see her contemporary, Princess Sibylle von Cleves. Her loose hair and the jeweled wreath of orange blossoms indicate that this is a bridal painting.

Yes, the 2012 Mirror Mirror is not so much about historical accuracy, but the main character’s dress is nothing like the one the actual princess wore.

In your opinion, which is more important — the attractiveness of a costume or historical accuracy?