When watching a movie or television show, it comes fairly easy to disregard all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. Granted, what reaches the audiences is only the finished product. And we rarely pay a second thought to all the thinking and executing that goes into writing, producing, sets, and costumes. In a show like Outlander, the latter have a real chance to shine; because it focuses mostly on time-traveling, over the past four seasons we were treated to some serious design gems from the 18th and 20th century together.
But finally getting to the finished gowns and beautiful costumes we get to see isn’t an easy fit. It takes a whole lot of research, tons of painting, and even more sewing. However, in the end, it’s worth it. Very few shows on television have the attention to detail that Outlander offers when it comes to their costumes. So today, we’re taking a little break from Jamie and Claire’s love story, and rank the ten best costumes that have been featured on the show.
Dragonfly In Amber
The final episode of the second season was full of surprises. This is the first time we are introduced to an adult Brianna, and we see an older Claire back to the reality where she belongs. It’s 1968, and the show went above and beyond when it comes to providing the funs with some delicious pieces of ’60s attire.
Most of the show is focused on the 18th century, which undoubtedly involves much more complex outfits and costumer to bring to life. But we couldn’t let this moment pass without a nod to Claire’s elegant attire. She looks expensive, she looks like everything women want to be when they reach middle age, and she could storm a Burberry runway, no questions asked.
La Dame Blanche
Here’s the thing about season two: a lot of the episodes took place during the 18th century at the French court. And let’s be real for one second, when it comes to lavish, extravagant, exquisite fashion, no one can match French royalty at the height of its charm and opulence. As such, it’s easy to understand why so many of the costumes were so vibrant and detailed.
So, for your consideration, here’s a picture of Louise de Rohan and Jules de Rohan proving that when it comes to fashion, the Scots better take a step back. Also, Jack Randall can cry himself to sleep because this is an advanced lesson in how to absolutely rock the color red. The combination with the golden details is simply superb.
Faith: Claire
Outlander does a lot of things right. It captures the pain of love better than any other show out there. It masterfully combines romance, war, and complex relationships of several natures. And it has the power to break our hearts into a million pieces in a matter of seconds — which it has, many times.
One of those times was the episode where Claire and Jamie’s first daughter, Faith, dies before birth. Claire is also almost gone in the process. And in the midst of so much pain, at least we were gifted with Claire’s jaw-dropping mourning customer. The embroidery work in the veil is otherworldly, and the details on the dress, masterfully handpainted by the team, are simply stunning.
Faith: King Louis XV
Fashion has long ceased to be perceived as something only women care about. Any man who takes pride in taking care of himself is aware of the power of dressing well. Somewhere along the line, this notion was lost, and while it’s back, it was very much in the minds of royals at the French court back in the 1800s.
Take a second to absorb the opulence and style of Louis XV’s costume in this picture. It’s more than clear that a team of people probably took hours to get every single shape and line down to perfection. And this is one of those times where we can definitely say that hard work pays off. All the props to the amazing designers behind this!
Best Laid Schemes…
Yes, this is a three in one, but we simply had to. Honestly, with all the beauty that Outlander laid out on screen, choosing only ten costumes would be absolutely impossible, so bear with us. Let’s say Louise is the main star here, and we’ll call the other two a happy, visually stunning, coincidence.
Fun fact about the outfits the characters wear on the show: each costume we see takes months to make, and there is only one of each. It’s easy to understand how masterpieces like the dresses above can take several weeks to finally come to fruition. Especially considering that the team has to hand paint every detail, given how expensive fabrics would be otherwise.
Je Suis Prest
Did anyone order a tall glass of Scottish warrior? No? Okay, back to reality now. It took literally seconds for everyone watching Outlander to fall head over heels for Jamie Fraser. He came on screen, and that was it, everyone was instantly hooked. it’s undeniable that he is one handsome fellow, no matter what fabrics the costume designer decides to wrap around him.
But for Jamie, this particular costume from the second season elevated him in a wonderful fashion. Everything about it has been made to pay homage to his Scottish heritage, and he wears it like he was born to do so. It doesn’t look too comfortable, but who said fashion had to be comfortable, especially in the 18th century?
Untimely Resurrection
This picture just screams beauty. Obviously, it helps that the actresses are two of the most stunning women to ever grace our TV screens. However, the amount of detail in this particular scene deserves its own set of awards. The way the vibrant colors of the dresses work against the backdrop of the garden is masterful.
And then we have, of course, all the small details that make the bigger picture look like an actual painting. Claire’s long yellow gloves, the small flowers on her dress that go so seamlessly with Louise’s own gown, the hats — everything about it was obviously thought through and executed with unbelievable skill.
Useful Occupations and Deceptions
We don’t care what anyone says, if we owned this entire ensemble, we’d never take it off. This would go absolutely everywhere — to the store, the gas station, PTA meeting, bed, everywhere. This almost tempts us to say that yellow in all its variations is definitely Claire’s color. The problem is, the woman looks like a goddess in literally every color she wears.
This is the perfect picture to highlight the masterfulness of this particular costume. For starters, the painting on the dress is worthy of being framed and exhibited in an art gallery. The hand purse is a fantastic detail as well. However, the star of the show has to be the golden hood cape. Gorgeous, from head to toe.
The Wedding
Okay, we won’t attribute this entirely to the emotional elements attached to both these costumes. Even though these were the ensembles Jamie and Claire wore when they got married, they deserve to be on this list. And they deserve to place extremely high because they showcase how elegance and beauty can boil down to simplicity.
And while the costumes don’t seem to have anything in common, they blend together beautifully when put side to side, which symbolizes the union between two different souls into one. Puffy and over the top wedding gowns are gorgeous, yes. But they don’t come close to the delicacy of this dress. Just like an ordinary suit cannot begin to compare to Jamie’s ensemble.
Not in Scotland Anymore
Not, it isn’t one of Marie Antoinette’s gown, but it could very well be. If 18th-century French court fashion could be summarized into a single picture, this would be it. This dress probably took close to a year to get made, and if it were available for purchase, it would probably be somewhere inside a Dior store.
The colors, the details, the paintings, the textures. There’s not a single thing that was left to chance in the making of this costume. It screams perfectionism, lavishness, and regalness all at once. It’s probably not the most practical thing you can wear, but honestly, who cares? Out of every single phenomenal Outlander scene, this was an iconic fashion moment.
