An initial disappointment for the Glenbow Museum has resulted in a rewarding opportunity for those film and costume buffs among us.

Calgary has received the exclusive Canadian showing for the CUT! Costume and the Cinema exhibit coming all the way from the esteemed costume house Cosprop Ltd. of London, England. This marks the fourth stop for the show, which showcases 43 costumes from 25 different movies, representing roughly 500 years of ‘high fashion’.

"We had a slot to fill when the Terra Cotta Soldiers exhibit was cancelled," explained Megan Bailey, communications specialist for the Glenbow Musem. "This is the first time [this exhibit] has been in Canada; after this it returns to the States."

"And it’s only here for five weeks," she continues, so come and see it while you can.

CUT! has no future dates lined up in the country, "And I don’t think there will be," says co-curator of the exhibit, Nancy Lawson. While the Massachusetts-born, now Manhattan resident says it would be lovely to line up a showing in the East, the western locale which she finds herself in now seems to suit the fashion exhibit just fine.

"Calgary is a nice city; it’s cosmopolitan, small, but quite fancy."

CUT! showcases the "crème-de-la-crème" of costuming in period films. The exhibit informs viewers that only the most affluent film production companies can afford to have several costumes made from scratch. The exhibit aims to showcase the craftsmanship and skill that goes into pieces we only see for mere flashes on film.

"These are some of the best of the best costumes that you’ll find anywhere," Lawson states. "This is the highest level of costume making you’ll see."

Show features include gowns worn by Keira Knightley in The Dutchess; Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow costume from Pirates of the Caribbean; Health Ledger’s Casanova red frock coat and cream shirt with lace jabot and cuffs; the cotton-muslin dress worn by Kait Winslet in 1995’s Sense and Sensibility, meant to illustrate her fall from a lady of fashion to gentile; the suits that mark the heroic duo Sherlock Holmes and Watson, as portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law; and my personal favourite, the Renaissance-period court gown of rich, emerald velvet and golden brocaded bodice, sleeves and underskirt, worn by Angelica Houston as the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent in 1998’s Ever After.

When asked to point out her favourite piece Lawson said she will change her selection every time, but lead me to a gown created to reflect the Deco Period in which it would have been worn. The silk, gold and black evening dress, designed by Alexandra Byrne, was dawned by actress Radha Mitchell, playing Mary Ansell Barrie, the wife of Sir James Matthew Barrie, in the film Finding Neverland  (2004), receiving nominations for the Academy Award and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for costume design.

"It was during this period that art started to inform fashion; artists like Cocteau and Salvador Dali started influencing designers," Lawson explains. "This is a really good representation on art deco, and a good example of the beadsmanship that was important in this period."

Nearly all of the designers, or craftsmen, employed at Cosprop Ltd. hail from Great Britain and its isles, and nearly all of the costumes were worn in pieces that take place there. The Cosprop team is what one could coyly call ‘close-knit’.

"In general it’s usually one person that does the entire piece," Lawson says. "It’s like your baby; your piece of art."

The exhibit explains that prior to beginning work on a piece, the designer – selected to design for the period in which they exemplify particular forte – will read the film script and envisage the character on which their garment will appear: their style, attitude and station in life.

Next they will routinely make a visit to the Cosprop house, home to roughly a quarter-million costumes and a museum featuring original period pieces, for additional inspiration and template. The museum only lends out its original pieces to film stars on extremely rare occasion, in order to protect their material fragility.

Though the company may use sewing machines, as much of the work as is possible is done by hand and in the method it would have been done in the period for which it is made to represent. This means finishing work and closures are implemented true to life; hooks and eyes or snaps in place of zippers.

Once actresses are strapped into their period-true corsets, wiry crinoline, pannier hoops, bustles, tights and stiffened petticoats, it becomes very uncomfortable to slouch or cross one’s legs. But such is the intention – to transpose the modern day actor into yester-century’s heroine, hero, ingénue or rogue.

"When actors put on those clothes, that is when the character comes alive," Lawson states.

The exhibit also informs the visitor of the art of distressing clothes; that is, making them appear as dirty or worn as is necessary to be believable en scene. Often numerous copies of the same costume need be made in cases where the original is sure to be destroyed during shooting.

For those interested, there are special event dates for this exhibit listed at the end of this article.

An initial disappointment for the Glenbow Museum has resulted in a rewarding opportunity for those film and costume buffs among us.

Calgary has received the exclusive Canadian showing for the CUT! Costume and the Cinema exhibit coming all the way from the esteemed costume house Cosprop Ltd. of London, England. This marks the fourth stop for the show, which showcases 43 costumes from 25 different movies, representing roughly 500 years of ‘high fashion’.

"We had a slot to fill when the Terra Cotta Soldiers exhibit was cancelled," explained Megan Bailey, communications specialist for the Glenbow Musem. "This is the first time [this exhibit] has been in Canada; after this it returns to the States."

"And it’s only here for five weeks," she continues, so come and see it while you can.

CUT! has no future dates lined up in the country, "And I don’t think there will be," says co-curator of the exhibit, Nancy Lawson. While the Massachusetts-born, now Manhattan resident says it would be lovely to line up a showing in the East, the western locale which she finds herself in now seems to suit the fashion exhibit just fine.

"Calgary is a nice city; it’s cosmopolitan, small, but quite fancy."

CUT! showcases the "crème-de-la-crème" of costuming in period films. The exhibit informs viewers that only the most affluent film production companies can afford to have several costumes made from scratch. The exhibit aims to showcase the craftsmanship and skill that goes into pieces we only see for mere flashes on film.

"These are some of the best of the best costumes that you’ll find anywhere," Lawson states. "This is the highest level of costume making you’ll see."

Show features include gowns worn by Keira Knightley in The Dutchess; Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow costume from Pirates of the Caribbean; Health Ledger’s Casanova red frock coat and cream shirt with lace jabot and cuffs; the cotton-muslin dress worn by Kait Winslet in 1995’s Sense and Sensibility, meant to illustrate her fall from a lady of fashion to gentile; the suits that mark the heroic duo Sherlock Holmes and Watson, as portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law; and my personal favourite, the Renaissance-period court gown of rich, emerald velvet and golden brocaded bodice, sleeves and underskirt, worn by Angelica Houston as the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent in 1998’s Ever After.

When asked to point out her favourite piece Lawson said she will change her selection every time, but lead me to a gown created to reflect the Deco Period in which it would have been worn. The silk, gold and black evening dress, designed by Alexandra Byrne, was dawned by actress Radha Mitchell, playing Mary Ansell Barrie, the wife of Sir James Matthew Barrie, in the film Finding Neverland  (2004), receiving nominations for the Academy Award and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for costume design.

"It was during this period that art started to inform fashion; artists like Cocteau and Salvador Dali started influencing designers," Lawson explains. "This is a really good representation on art deco, and a good example of the beadsmanship that was important in this period."

Nearly all of the designers, or craftsmen, employed at Cosprop Ltd. hail from Great Britain and its isles, and nearly all of the costumes were worn in pieces that take place there. The Cosprop team is what one could coyly call ‘close-knit’.

"In general it’s usually one person that does the entire piece," Lawson says. "It’s like your baby; your piece of art."

The exhibit explains that prior to beginning work on a piece, the designer – selected to design for the period in which they exemplify particular forte – will read the film script and envisage the character on which their garment will appear: their style, attitude and station in life.

Next they will routinely make a visit to the Cosprop house, home to roughly a quarter-million costumes and a museum featuring original period pieces, for additional inspiration and template. The museum only lends out its original pieces to film stars on extremely rare occasion, in order to protect their material fragility.

Though the company may use sewing machines, as much of the work as is possible is done by hand and in the method it would have been done in the period for which it is made to represent. This means finishing work and closures are implemented true to life; hooks and eyes or snaps in place of zippers.

Once actresses are strapped into their period-true corsets, wiry crinoline, pannier hoops, bustles, tights and stiffened petticoats, it becomes very uncomfortable to slouch or cross one’s legs. But such is the intention – to transpose the modern day actor into yester-century’s heroine, hero, ingénue or rogue.

"When actors put on those clothes, that is when the character comes alive," Lawson states.

The exhibit also informs the visitor of the art of distressing clothes; that is, making them appear as dirty or worn as is necessary to be believable en scene. Often numerous copies of the same costume need be made in cases where the original is sure to be destroyed during shooting.

For those interested, there are special event dates for this exhibit listed at the end of this article.