15+ Costumes That Designers Didn’t Make From Scratch But Borrowed from Other Movies

The costume is integral to a great performance. An outfit can do many things: determine a character’s personality, convey time period, and express social status and class. The costume is seen as a language and they’re as important as the script.
Depending on the size of the cast, the length of time reflected in the script, and whether the question refers to a major Hollywood film production or an indie movie, the budget for costumes can reach $1 million and of course, in some big projects, the number can be multiplied many times. Because of the huge budget that can negatively affect profit, many filmmakers decided to not create them from scratch but took from other movie sets. While some designers completely borrowed certain outfits, others changed them slightly. No matter what it is, we believe there’s nothing wrong with this.
We’ve rounded up 18 costumes that designers didn’t make from scratch but borrowed from other Movies and TV series. You can see more at these articles: 10 Movies That Costume Designers Created True Pieces Of Art, 12 Times That Movie Creators Turned a Blind Eye To Costumes, and 14 Cult Films Where Costume Designers Created Priceless Masterpieces.

#1 The green hat embellished with jewels

Source: © Elizabeth I / HBO Films and co-producers, © The Tudors / Showtime Networks and co-producers

This gorgeous hat was put on by Helen Mirren (Elizabeth I) in the 2005 miniseries, Elizabeth I, and Natalie Dormer (Anne Boleyn) in the 2007 series, The Tudors.

#2 The green and beige patterned waistcoat

Source: © Sense and Sensibility / Columbia Pictures and co-producers, © Becoming Jane / HanWay Films and co-producers

This jacket was worn by Hugh Laurie (Mr. Palmer) in the 1995 movie, Pride and Prejudice, and James McAvoy (Tom Lefroy) in the 2006 film, Becoming Jane.

#3 The floppy mesh bonnet

Source: © Pride & Prejudice / Universal Pictures and co-producers, © The Young Victoria / GK Films

The bonnet was worn by Rosamund Pike (Jane Bennet) in the 2005 movie, Pride & Prejudice, and Emily Blunt (Victoria) in the 2009 movie, The Young Victoria.

#4 The blouse with a floral pattern

Source: © Downton Abbey / Carnival Film & Television and co-producers, © Testament of Youth / BBC Films and co-producers

The blouse was worn by Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith Crawley) in the 2010 series, Downton Abbey and Alicia Vikander (Vera Brittain) in the 2014 movie, Testament of Youth.

#5 The red velvet jacket

Source: © Shakespeare In Love / Universal Pictures and co-producers, © The Tudors / Showtime Networks and co-producers

The jacket was worn by Gweneth Paltrow (Viola de Lesseps) in the 1998 movie, Shakespeare in Love, and Rebekah Wainwright (Catherine Willoughby) in the 2007 series, The Tudors.

#6 The orange gown of a medieval girl

Source: © First Knight / Columbia Pictures and co-producers, © Camelot / Starz and co-producers

The gown was worn by Julia Ormond (Guinevere) in the 1995 movie, First Knight, and Lara Jean Chorostecki (Bridget) in the 2011 Camelot mini-series.

#7 The beige muslin day dress

Source: © Emma / Miramax and co-producers, © Little Dorrit / British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and co-producers

The dress was worn by Greta Scacchi (Mrs. Weston) in the 1996 movie, Emma, and Georgia King (Pet Meagles) in the 2008 series, Little Dorrit.

#8 The hat with a yellow ribbon and an ostrich feather

Source: © Barry Lyndon / Warner Bros. and co-producers, © Marie Antoinette / Columbia Pictures and co-producers

The hat was worn by Marisa Berenson (Lady Honoria Lyndon) in the 1975 movie, Barry Lyndon, and Kirsten Dunst (Marie Antoinette) in the 2006 movie of the same name.

#9 The Spencer jacket

Source: © Pride and Prejudice / British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and co-producers, © Sanditon / Red Planet Pictures and co-producers

The jacket was worn by Jennifer Ehle (Lizzie Bennet) in the 1995 miniseries, Pride and Prejudice, and Rose Williams (Charlotte Heywood) in the 2019 series, Sanditon.

#10 The crown with spades and spikes

Source: © The Lion in Winter / Hallmark Entertainment and co-producers, © The Tudors / Showtime Networks and co-producers

The crown was worn by Glenn Close (Queen Eleanor) in the 2003 TV film, The Lion in Winter, and Jonathan-Rhys Meyers (Henry VIII) in the 2007 series, The Tudors.

#11 The paisley waistcoat

Source: © Onegin / Starz and co-producers, © Emma / BBC Drama Productions

The waistcoat was worn by Ralph Fiennes (Eugene Onegin) in the 1999 film, Onegin, and Jonny Lee Miller (Mr.Knightley) in the 2009 miniseries, Emma.

#12 The robe à la française

Source: © Dangerous Liaisons / Warner Bros. and co-producers, © The Last of the Mohicans / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers

The robe was worn by Michelle Pfeiffer (Madame de Tourvel) in the 1988 movie, Dangerous Liaisons, and Jodhi May (Alice Munro) in the 1992 movie, Last of the Mohicans.

#13 The heart-shaped earrings

Source: © Ghost Whisperer / Sander/Moses Productions and co-producers, © The Tudors / Showtime Networks and co-producers

The earrings were worn by Jennifer Love Hewitt (Melinda) in the 2005 series, Ghost Whisperer, and Natalie Dormer (Anne Boleyn) in the 2007 series, The Tudors.

#14 The muff made of pheasant feathers

Source: © Titanic / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers, © The Lizzie Borden Chronicles / Sony Pictures Television and co-producers

The muff was worn by Francis Fisher (Ruth DeWitt Bukater) in the 1997 movie, Titanic, and Christina Ricci (Lizzie Borden) in the 2015 miniseries, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles.

#15 The embroidered jacket

Source: © Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell / Feel Films and co-producers, © Le retour du héros / StudioCanal and co-producers

The jacket was worn by Charlotte Riley (Arabella Strange) in the 2015 series, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and Mélanie Laurent (Elisabeth Beaugrand) in the 2018 movie, Return of the Hero

#16 The white dress with puffy sleeves

Source: © Onegin / Starz and co-producers, © The Long Song / British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and co-producers

The dress was worn by Liv Tyler (Tatjana) in the 1999 movie, Onegin, and Hayley Atwell (Caroline) in the 2018 miniseries, The Long Song.

#17 The brown gown

Source: © Mansfield Park / Company Pictures and co-producers, © Les Miserables / BBC Studios and co-producers

The gown was worn by Billie Piper (Fanny Price) in the 2007 movie, Mansfield Park, and Olivia Colman (Madam Thenardier) in the 2018 flick, Les Miserables.

#18 The tiara adorned with large jewels

Source: © Scarlett / TF1 and co-producers, © The Tudors / Showtime Networks and co-producers

The tiara was worn by Joanne Whalley (Scarlett O‘Hara) in the 1994 mini-series, Scarlett, and Natalie Dormer (Anne Boleyn) and Annabelle Wallis (Jane Seymour) in the 2007 series, The Tudors.