Outlander Wardrobe and language

[BThomHie]

LOL ... same boots & heather
life is toooo short .. we should be careful not to sweat the petty stuff or the converse... pet the sweaty stuff

[hylander]

LOL . . . good point! I'm not sweating any of it, life is way too short. ;)

[Pangur Ban]

Brand new here (at least as an account holder, though I've lurked for a time) but even before I dive in at the newbie forum, I wanted to take a moment to say how thoroughly I've enjoyed this thread, and to thank all those folks who have been filling it with their insights and expertise! An extra special thanks to Terry: this kind of behind-the-scenes perspective is such a treasure, and learning how much thought and care has gone into every detail really takes my enjoyment of the series to the next level.

[duke_19_62]

Me in Great Kiltl at the Dragon.jpg

I would love that!! It would depend of course what scene you were in.

This is the Great Kilt I mentioned.

[Bigkahuna]

I think it's a great series and I hope there is a plan afoot to continue Claire and Jamie's story.

[bonnie heather]

Certainly. We wanted to steer away from the clan tartans of the Victorian era. It just starts getting very complicated in a LOT of ways, too numerous to go into. The very first time we had all of our Highlanders walk on set, someone said, "they look like they just grew up out of the ground". scotland herself is a character in the show, and we wanted to honor her, and tell her tale and the tale of the people who so intimately lived on the land. Ron also wanted the only red in the show, to be on the Redcoats, the invaders of the land and its people.

Terry is such a treasure and it's so fascinating to hear the background and thinking behind the creation of such amazing and beautiful outfits.

When I first saw the Outlander tartan, it reminded me very much of a kilt I had made last winter. It's a weathered clan tartan (MacKay) and is just a little different than the Outlander tartan.

I understand about not wanting to use clan tartans, but I wonder if the Weathered MacKay had been an influence on the design of the Outlander tartan.

[terry dresbach]

About colour schemes, as a professional artist I think I understand where the costuming and sets are coming from.

Taking, say, landscape painting for example, untrained/unsophisticated painters will make one or both of two common mistakes 1) relying on 'local colour' and 2) relying on unmodulated colour as it comes from the paint tube.

Sophisticated/trained artists, rather, impose a colour scheme upon the scene. Probably the best artist who ever lived at this was Van Gogh.

This is what 'art direction' in film is all about. The colour scheme, the warms and cools, the lights and darks, saturation level, what artists call the 'palette' is decided beforehand and everything in the scene must work in coordination to create the overall 'painting' (as it were). Fabrics are chosen, sets painted, filters used on lights, makeup chosen, and many other things an outsider like me doesn't understand, to achieve the 'look'.

Yes we who have spent most of our lives looking at 17th and 18th century portraits and existing original clothing in museums etc have a very clear notion of what everything would have looked like. But the concern of a filmmaker is to make a beautiful film, not be a museum.

I believe a similar issue came up with the kilts in The King's Speech.

About accents, a Highland accent is far EASIER than a Lowland accent for non-Scots to understand, with its pure clear vowels and gentle lilt. It's much closer to a so-called "mid-Atlantic" accent than, say, a Glasgow accent.

Thank you for such an succinct description of our job.

[terry dresbach]

No, we made that. We have made about 90% of all the costumes, and everything for our principal characters. I love that piece!!!!

Is the Inverness Cape worn by Ned (The Lawyer character in Rent as I might not have the name right) off the rack?

It is gorgeous! I would love to see it in detail and maybe get a copy of the pattern or better yet buy one, although I doubt I could afford it at the moment.

[terry dresbach]

I'm curious about how the kilts are worn. It seems to me that many, if not all, are worn at "jeans waist" instead at the natural waist, where kilts are traditionally worn, and, if I'm not mistaken, historically speaking, all mens "lower" garments, including pants, were worn, until relatively recently ( say, since about 1960?).
Was this a consciously made decision?

I also noticed, in episode 5, that "Black Jack", while flogging Jamie, appears to be wearing pants that are at "jeans waist" level. Again, is this "historically correct", or an adaptation?

No, I am not sure that is happening, and definitely not a conscious choice. But those sneaky actors may be letting them slip a bit.
ALWAYS difficult on a period show. I will never do a film set in the 80s ever again, as the waist issue is an enormous pain.

Black Jack has a proper waist and seat, ABSOLUTELY.

[terry dresbach]

Oh wowsers, I am so tickled! I was just on Facebook looking at photos from the upcoming Episode 7, and lo and behold there's a tartan of MY clan, specifically the Weathered Douglas sett. Look at the far right of the photo:




And compare with the kilt I'm wearing here:





It feels almost like a guest appearance on the show.

The interior of Claire's cloak!