*New* Interview with Terry Dresbach from Rue La La

Great interview with Terry Dresbach from Rue La La:

Meet Terry Dresbach, ‘Outlander’ Costume Designer

You could say that before Outlander, Terry Dresbach had pretty much retired from the world of costume design. Lucky for us, she was lured back in by her husband, Ron Moore (Outlander‘s showrunner), and this hit Starz series might just be her best work yet. We caught up with Dresbach ahead of the season two premiere to get the scoop on what we should expect to see.

Read the rest after the jump!

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Rue La La: You went from Scotland to France between seasons one and two. How do the costumes reflect that?
Terry Dresbach: Scotland and Paris are completely different universes. The basic silhouette is similar, as it was across the Western world. But climate determined so much more before the advent of electricity and the ability to heat and cool environments. If the people of Scotland had worn what they wore in France, everyone would have died of exposure.

We used heavy wool in Scotland as they would have in the 18th century. It’s still worn there today – it’s both warm and water-repellent.

For France we used silk and linen. The French Court was the center of Western fashion in the 18th century. Clothing was made with absolutely beautiful fabric then heavily embroidered, embellished. The detailing was just astonishing. We moved heaven and earth to get as close as possible to that standard.

RLL: What’s been the biggest challenge in costuming the series?
TD: Getting as close as possible to the standards of authenticity we insanely set for ourselves. For season two, we quickly figured out we were going to have to create most of our own fabrics and accessories. So we set up an embroidery team; we hand-painted fabrics; we made buttons, shoes, bags, and hats, as well as petticoats and gloves. We had to make it all.

We did the same for season one, but the fashions of the French Court are so elaborate and extravagant, we had to do it all over again… times a thousand.