Field Trip to the Cut! Costume and Cinema Exhibit

As I mentioned in my last post, I thoroughly enjoy a good costume exhibit.  The Cut! Costume and the Cinema Exhibit at the Bowers Museum was no exception.   Most of the featured costumes were worn in period films that won their designers Academy and BAFTA awards.

Cut! is one of several traveling costume exhibits owned by Cosprop Ltd., a well-known and renowned British costumier for television, film, and theater founded by John Bright in 1965.  Do you remember the Starstruck field trip that I took you on in 2011?  The costumes in that wonderful exhibit were also owned by Cosprop.

The only complaint I have about this particular exhibition was the very low lighting.  The costumes were under spotlights against a backdrop of very, very dark gray walls. I felt like I was walking around in the dark!  Although this made for a dramatic overall presentation it was difficult to see the true color of some of the costumes; garments made in darker colors seemed to fade back into the walls and of course the lighting made it quite difficult to take decent photographs.  Please keep that in mind when you look at these photos!

Still, I enjoyed my trip.  I hope you do too.
 

Dress and hat worn by Emma Thompson in Howard's End (1992).

Back of the silk ball gown worn by Emmy Rossum as Christine in Phantom of the Opera (2004).

Costume worn by Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensibility (1995), one of my favorite films of all time!

Costumes worn by Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes (2009).

Costumes worn by Keira Knightley and an uncredited child actor in The Duchess (2008).
And yes, that muff is made of genuine fox fur.

Another dress worn by Keira Knightley in The Duchess.

Dress worn by Kate Beckinsale as Maggie Veiver in The Golden Bowl (2000).  The top layer of the silk muslin bodice on this dress was lifted off of the decayed lining of an original Edwardian garment (replaced with a new eau de nil lining). The lace at the hem is also vintage.

Evening gown worn by Kate Winslet in Finding Neverland (2004).

And finally, the absolute stand-out of the show (for me) was the gorgeous Arts and Crafts movement-inspired embroidered robe that was also worn by Kate Winslet in Finding Neverland: 

via The Bowers Museum

A few more photos from the exhibit can be seen at Flickr.  

As always I'd love to hear what you think about these costumes!  Just leave a comment.