Cinematic Couture at Somerset Mall: A serendipitous visit reunites us with Jane Austen costumes (and more!)

A bit of "serindipi-tea" brought us to another great costume exhibit at Somerset Mall

With less than a fortnight before we leave on our own Jane Austen adventure across the pond, we connected once again with costumes from the screen adaptions of "Pride and Prejudice" and "Emma" as we had over a decade ago at Somerset Mall. Although this wasn't a planned outing, and I was without my daughter and BTS Marketing and Ops Manager, Rachel, it was a worthwhile experience to take in this exhibit featuring over forty costumes, spanning forty years, of period dramas.  And, while Jane Austen films are well represented, they aren't the only ones featured in the "Cinematic Couture" collection.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma  (left)

Anna Taylor Joy's Emma

In a serendipitous adventure, or as we at BTS prefer to call it, "a bit of serendipi-tea", I had a regularly scheduled hair appointment this weekend with my favorite stylist, Mari, at the third floor salon in Somerset. While adding a bit of color to a few grey tresses, Mari asked if I had seen the costume display on the first floor.  I hadn't - at least this year. In fact, it was so long ago that I wasn't in need of Mari's color magic.

Barb next to Mr. Darcy's coat

Rachel points to Kiera Knightly's "The Duchess"

In 2010, Rachel and I planned a trip to Somerset Mall to see another costume display, this time, the focus was on wedding dresses from period movies  (see our blog: And the Oscar for the best Austen bride goes to. . .).  While the highlight for me was having such close proximity to Mr. Darcy's jacket, worn by the handsome figure of Colin Firth, what struck us both was the very petite sizes of most of the dresses. 

 "The Duchess" costumes - another Kiera Knightly dress in current exhibit

While there is no suit coat of the quintessential Mr. Darcy in the current display, there are still many gowns worn by women portraying Austen's leading ladies. Viewers can compare the dresses worn by both Gwyneth Paltrow as well as Anna Taylor-Joy's in their respective portrayals of "Emma".

The outfit of another imposing Austen character, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is also featured. Worn by Judi Dench in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, the director, Joe Wright, as noted in the exhibit, worked with costume designer, Jaqueline Durran, to adjust the fashions to a slightly earlier era than the novel's publication date of 1813. Wright found the empire style "very ugly", so looked to the time Austen finished her first draft, 1797.  At that time, the waist was lower and closer fitting which Wright found much more attractive. 

Bette Davis' dress (far right) from "Death on the Nile" (1978) is one of the oldest costumes on display.

And, while there are no gowns of Kiera Knightly as Elizabeth Bennet in the same 2005 "Pride and Prejudice", she is not forgotten. Two different dresses worn by Knightly in "The Duchess" were on view:  one in the 2010 exhibit and another in the current display.

Other period films in "Cinematic Couture" range from as far back as 1978's "Death on the Nile" (dresses of both Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury) to as recent as 2021's "The Electric Life of Louis Wain" (costume of "The Crown" actress, Clair Foy).

A recent add to the collection, dress worn by Claire Foy in "The Electric Life of Louis Wain" 

Kate Millea,  General Manager of The Somerset Collection, quoted in The Detroit Free Press (Julie Hinds/September 12) referred to "Cinematic Couture" as "reatailtainment", a mix of retail and entertainment.  The exhibit comes from Cosprop, a renowned London costume house, which was also responsible for previous displays at Somerset, including the bridal dresses Rachel and I viewed in 2010.

The Free Press article notes that with the popularity of recent blockbusters, "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie", there's a renewed excitement about going to the movies. It's a great time to connect with the costumes that contribute almost as much to the story as the writers and actors.

With that in mind, I'm thinking, could there a be a Barbie fashions experience on the horizon? If so, I'll surely plan to attend in advance - leaving less to serendipity and, surely, much more to Mari. 

The Cinimatic Couture on display at Somerset until October 1

Cinematic Couture  is currently on display at The Somerset Collection's North Grand Court and runs until October, 1, 2023.