Outlander fans know what an amazing job costume designer Terry Dresbach did with the costumes in season 1. Things are on a whole new level in season 2.
Outlander season 1 featured an amazing array of costumes that ranged from 1940’s, post-war England to the 18th century Scottish Highlands, both daily and formal dress. Many were surprised when the series did not receive an Emmy nod. Game of Throne’s author, George RR Martin, even remarked, “And Outlander, how in the world did they overlook Outlander, with its music and its costumes and its cinematography…”
The season 2 costumes are quite simply going to be impossible to overlook. It’s hard to know where to begin with adjectives that adequately describe the Outlander season 2 costumes. Do regal, sumptuous, lavish, and breathtaking even begin to do Terry Dresbach’s work justice? It is a rare thing to see designs of this caliber in cinema, let alone on a TV series when the characters are just visiting France. If she is overlooked at the Emmys this year, it will be a serious injustice.
Thanks to a partnership with Saks Fifth Avenue, fans won’t have to appease themselves by ogling at the costumes on their TV screens. They will actually have the opportunity to see the costumes up close in either New York City or Los Angeles. According to Starz, “The partnership will feature exclusive Outlander-curated windows on display from March 22 through April 11 at Saks Fifth Avenue’s New York and Beverly Hills flagships in advance of the series’ April 9 premiere. Saks Fifth Avenue will bring Outlander to life by creating six window vignettes capturing the 18th century within Saks’ New York flagship as well as two window vignettes in the Beverly Hills store. The windows will prominently feature, with a Saks twist, the original 1700s Parisian fashion costumes and props from the upcoming second installment of the hit series.”
In addition to the costume display, Sam Heughan (Jamie) and Caitriona Balfe (Claire) are gracing the cover of Saks Fifth Avenue’s Spring 2016 Magalog. “Outlander is a drama both rich in romance and intrigue,” commented Roopal Patel, Senior Vice President, Fashion Director, Saks Fifth Avenue. “We are thrilled to celebrate the highly-anticipated second season by highlighting the stars in our Spring 2016 Magalog as well as exclusively showcasing the beautifully-designed costumes by Terry Dresbach and props from the series in our flagship windows for all to enjoy.” For fans wanting even more inside detail, Dresbach updates her blog with various tidbits on design and fashion.
With Sam Heughan having recently been named as the Grand Marshall of New York City Tartan Week, maybe he can stop by the Saks windows while he is in town to admire the display before tuning in to the Outlander season 2 premiere that airs later that evening on Starz.
Season 2 of Outlander follows the story arc of book two in the Diana Gabaldon series, Dragonfly in Amber. It begins as Claire and Jamie arrive in France, hell-bent on infiltrating the Jacobite rebellion led by Prince Charles Stuart, and stopping the battle of Culloden. With the help of his cousin Jared, a local wine merchant, Jamie and Claire are thrown into the lavish world of French society, where intrigue and parties are abundant, but political gain proves far less fruitful. Altering the course of history presents challenges that begin to weigh on the very fabric of their relationship. However, armed with the knowledge of what lies ahead, Claire and Jamie must race to prevent a doomed Highland uprising and the extinction of Scottish life as they know it.
Outlander returns April 9, at 9 p.m. on Starz.