Here is a NEW Interview with Terry Dresbach from Entertainment Weekly
From EW:
In Sunday’s episode of Outlander, Roger (Richard Rankin) quipped to Claire (Caitriona Balfe) that she will have her own utility belt to travel back through time, “just like the Caped Crusader himself.” So it’s only fitting that Claire’s handmade ensemble is nicknamed the “batsuit,” a fully-functional outfit that’s specially designed to help her survive the 18th century.
More after the jump!
“We wanted Claire to be a woman of the 20th century, who knows she is going back in time, ” explains costume designer Terry Dresbach. “I would ask every audience member the eternal question of time travel … if you knew you were going, what would you do? If I put myself in that position, I would make sure what I was wearing was waterproof and make sure it was warm. Claire knows where she is going to, she knows what the conditions are. So she being Claire, being the queen of all women, she figures out practically what she needs.”
The batsuit will end up serving several purposes, not just as a handy place to store Claire’s 20th-century medical tools. After all, Dresbach teases, it needs to last her through that big Caribbean journey with Jamie (Sam Heughan) later this season.
“There are a lot of layers to that costume on purpose,” explains Dresbach. “The original layer is a top coat and a cape. She doesn’t peel back all the layers until she and Jamie are back together and she’s available to reclaim that part of herself, which has been pretty much dead for all those years. She’s back with Jamie and that romantic side of herself is rekindled again. ”
Love her outfit. I would love a cape and fitted vest like the one Claire is wearing. On a side note – it actually would be very expensive to buy something like that. I loved the practicality of the outfit. As Claire might have carried some items from the 1960’s in the secret pockets, she wouldn’t be flashing them around when she went back or she would be having trouble