Save the costumes!
The Guardian reports that the BBC Costume Shop, which has provided costumes and wigs for many productions, including P&P95 and probably other JA adaptations, has ceased trading after a buyout bid fell through.
Last autumn the corporation announced that BBC Costumes and Wigs would be sold off as part of a wider disposal of assets, including BBC Resources.
But it is being sold separately from the rest of BBC Resources, the corporation’s commercial subsidiary responsible for studios, post-production and outside broadcasts.
A BBC spokeswoman said she could not comment on who had been planning to buy BBC Costumes and Wigs.
“BBC Resources had intended to sell the collection as quickly as possible and to make it available over the transfer period in order to cause as little disruption to its customers as possible,” she said.
“However, the arrangements [the corporation] was pursuing have not worked out and BBC Resources is currently inviting interested parties to consider making an offer to purchase.
“BBC Resources is hopeful that the collection will remain available to the BBC and other customers following its disposal. BBC Costume and Wigs will cease trading on Thursday, February 14.
“The department is unable to take any new bookings for hires. However, all outstanding commitments will be honoured up to and beyond the closure.”
Dorothy has plundered the sofa cushions at AustenBlog World Headquarters and will be passing the collection basket. Dig deep, Janeites!
Thanks to Alert Janeite Lisa for the heads up!
February 15th, 2008 at 9:04 am
This is pathetic. This finally spells the end of the British Empire. What’s next - Product Placement in Dr. Who? Freema Agyeman has to wear Carhartt jeans instead of being able to choose whatever she wants in the props cupboard??
February 15th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Well, just think of all the money Auntie Beeb could have made on official Dr. Who™ striped scarves during the Tom Baker years. Might have saved the public a few quid on their license fees.
February 15th, 2008 at 10:51 am
They could still do it if they made official striped scarves today. I know I’d buy one! There are so many other possibilities–official Dr. Who wilted celery (5), official Dr. Who impractical shoes (Romana I), official Dr. Who technicolor umbrella (6)…they have an untapped goldmine. Though I can’t say I’d be confident about their umbrella sales.
February 15th, 2008 at 11:14 am
You can make this stuff yourself, though. I just saw a pattern for crocheting your own Freema Agyeman tam, the one she wore in “Human Nature.”
Imagine owning a suit like this http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/lynchnut/docmartha1.jpg
I wouldn’t even go to work in that!
February 15th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I crocheted a tam recently and a woman accosted me on the train yesterday and demanded to know if I made it, how I made it, etc. I think she wanted me to offer to make her one, but I didn’t.
My brother thought my Slytherin scarf was a Tom Baker scarf, because it is very very long.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I thought the costumes from most JA adaptations including P&P95 belong to Cosprop: http://www.cosprop.co.uk/index.html
Hopefully Cosprop isn’t involved with BBC Costumes and Wigs. Rented costumes from other production have been spotted on the recent JA adaptations. Including at least 7 different costumes in the new version of Mansfield Park.
The BBC does own the costumes from the 80s production of Northanger Abbey.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
There might be a combination of sources, including the BBC shop AND Cosprop. Or perhaps the wigs from the BBC and the costumes from Cosprop?
February 15th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
In The Making of Pride and Prejudice by Sue Birtwistle and Susie Conklin, Dinah Collin explains that when she went to the costumiers to see what they had for the regency period, “the early 1800s rail was empty,” which meant that she would have to make most of the costumes for the production (p. 47). Then on page 48 she says that Cosprop is the costumier she used. On page 73 there’s a photo of Lucy Briers (Mary Bennet) having a costume fitting at Cosprop.
I wonder why Cosprop hasn’t already tried to buy BBC’s costume collection?
February 15th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Found info. on the wigs, too. P&P ‘95 had wigs custom made by hand for the principal characters, but for the lesser characters and supporting cast they sorted through the wigs in stock from previous BBC productions (p. 56).
February 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Talking about wigs, when I watch P&P ‘95 I’m always struck by that older guy who is sitting at (I think) the Meryton Assembly, who has what looks like a white cat sitting on his head. Anyone else noticed this?
February 15th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
No, but I do notice that Jennifer Ehle’s wig creeps me out. It’s just too perfect.
February 16th, 2008 at 12:01 am
This is totally non-related, but I’d just like to say it warms my heart to see so many random references to Doctor Who and Harry Potter in this thread…on a Jane Austen fan site
And yeah, Julie P., Ehle’s wig is a too perfect. Eehhhck.
February 16th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Re: JE’s wig
Don’t know if you can blame it on the wig–Jane’s hair in P&P95 was perfect also, and that was her own hair. Most of the other main characters were well-groomed to the point of perfection also. While I agree than total perfection is unrealistic, personally I’d rather have characters’ hair be a little too perfect than see the blowsy total inattention to grooming of many of this decade’s adaptations.
Haven’t noticed the white cat–I’ll have to look for it.
February 17th, 2008 at 7:40 am
I prefer the more natural look. Which is one reason why P95 (not from this decade, by the way) is my favorite JA adaptation. I love how the girls’ hair escaped from its ‘do, how their skirts were muddy after the Long Walk, etc. I thought that was very well done. I am not fond of the chocolate-box perfection of adaptations like P&P95 or S&S95, etc. They give people the wrong idea about how life was back then. It was, in fact, rather gritty, even for the wealthiest people.
February 18th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Maisy - the reason why Cosprop hasn’t made an offer for the BBC costumes is that they are being sold as a complete collection (i.e. including contemporary, Light Entertainment, uniform etc), and Cosprop being pretty much exclusively period means they might not really be interested in anything else.
Its true that BBC Costume didn’t do any costumes for P&P (1995), but they did have costumes from Emma (1972), Mansfield Park (1983), Northanger Abbey (1987), Persuasion (1995),Sense & Sensibility (1971 & 1981) plus both the 1967 and 1980 versions of P&P, and I know this because it was part of my job to hunt them down and archive them for future reference! Its a travesty that the Costume Stores has been closed, and I’m not just sad because I lost my job, but because the future is now so uncertain for the vast amounts of costume drama history hanging on its racks.
February 18th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I saw the costumes from Persuasion 95 at an exhibition at the Costume Museum in Bath in 2005. They were stunning. The film doesn’t do them justice. I know there is a lot of fuss about the Gritty Realism™ in P95, but the ballgowns that Anne and Elizabeth wore to the concert are so beautiful, I can’t tell you. They had a booklet where Amanda Root talked about her gown and she said how much she loved it, it was her favorite, because it felt bridal and it fit the scene so well when Anne meets Captain Wentworth being pretty sure he still loves her. Elizabeth’s red dress with the silver spots was so simple, but stunningly beautiful (I think it was my favorite in the whole exhibition). And Elizabeth’s gold velvet spencer and hat (she wears them in the Molland’s scene) are simply gorgeous. The spencer has beautiful embroidery around the collar and cuffs–I can’t tell you. They were simply the most gorgeous of the whole collection–and it covered a lot of Jane Austen films, including P&P95, S&S95 (which were second-best), MP99, and some older films. P&P05 had just been out at the time and some costumes were on display at Chawton and they really didn’t compare, they were so drab and badly stitched (though there was a gown that Judi Dench had worn that was quite nice). Too bad they didn’t have Lizzy’s Netherfield Ball gown. I also got to see some costumes a couple of years ago at Winterthur from S&S95 (Marianne’s wedding gown and Col. Brandon’s regimentals! I had a Lydia Bennet moment in front of Alan Rickman’s regimentals…oh my), P&P95, I think one of the Emmas, maybe? Can’t remember–it was a general costume movie exhibition so there were more than Jane Austen films, it was really a fun exhibition. I do love costume. Costumekitten, I hope things go well for the collection and for you.
February 18th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Hi Julie P–P95 (yes, not from this decade!) is also one of my favorite adaptations, but I don’t consider it to have the “blowsy total inattention to grooming” that I referenced. When it is appropriate for the characters to be disheveled, they are. When it is appropriate for them to be well-groomed, they are. And even Louisa, arguably the most free-spirited female character, wears a bonnet when outdoors. None of the characters constantly run around with their hair down around their shoulders, or without gloves and bonnets, thankfully. Attention was obviously paid by the P95 production team to the mores and manners of the times, which unfortunately does not seem to have happened with some of this decade’s adaptations. I agree that life was “grittier” back then, but Jane Austen did not write novels about anyone so low in status as to not need to care about society’s rules, nor anyone too poor to afford a hairbrush. I do understand what you are saying about P&P95 and S&S95 being too perfect, and even agree a little, but I prefer them to adaptations which pay little attention to era-appropriate manners and grooming. I guess pictures of perfection don’t make me sick and wicked!
February 19th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Thanks for the information, costumekitten. Please keep us posted on any developments.
P.S. If I was running Cosprops, I would jump at the chance to buy up all those wonderful period goodies in BBC Costume’s collection and then sell/auction off the items I didn’t want or need!