Costume Remix #28: OUT OF AFRICA (1985)

As a baby costume designer, I’m so eager to learn and enhance my craft and I spend a lot of time studying other artists’ work.  I am always inspired by the costume pieces from some of my favorite films.  So, I decided to start trying to recreate, and in some cases, revamp or put my own spin on some famous and not so famous pieces from these films. 

Out of Africa is an amazing example of a film that is firing on all cylinders.  It is a great story, beautiful cinematography, “ass-off” acting and direction and, my personal favorite, costumes that help mold these characters. All of that aside, this movie is worth the two hours and 41 minutes just for that hair washing scene. 

But I digress…Anyway, I really loved when Karen, played by Meryl Streep, chilled out a little and threw on a pair of pants.  I mean, her Edwardian lady fashions were pretty luxe for the time.  But I felt like what really spoke to the evolution of her character was when her costume began to relax. That is, it wasn’t until she got down and dirty with her boo thang, that I said, now we’re talking.

So for this remix I decided to make a pair of jodhpurs.  I really love the wackadoodle silhouette of a traditional riding pant. I made them with a stretch denim and some corduroy for the contrast thigh panel.

The pattern I used was harder to follow than I expected.  Usually, I just use the pattern for the pieces, not the instructions.  I’ve been sewing long enough that construction is pretty intuitive.  But because the pattern is period accurate, it felt foreign AF to me.  So instead of breezing through it in one day…it took me three.  I had some extra time off work thanks to covid, so I utilized that time, in between naps, to knock these out.

Many thanks and kind regards to the always amazing work of Milena Canonero for her Academy Award nominated designs.