9 thoughts on “TBT: Back to the Future III (1990)

  1. I’ve always noticed that some of the classic Muppets movies have surprisingly accurate costumes. The Muppet Christmas Carol has great 1830s/1840s costumes and Muppet Treasure Island is mostly fantasy pirates but a lot of the extras in the town scenes are dressed really well!

  2. I have always LOVED Back To the Future III for this very reason! It makes me so giddy to see historical costuming that actually looks RIGHT! It definitely adds to the time-travel feel as well. I just wanted to add that I always thought that Clara’s outfit when Doc “breaks up” with her (the green one with braidwork) was a wrapper, worn over her white nightgown. Her hair is down, and she’s alone at home in the evening, so it would make sense.

  3. Oh, also, the hair is good! It probably helps that both the 1880s and the 1980s were eras that appreciated curly, fluffy bangs. ;-) Our own era usually tries to make things look sleek, which is OK in certain eras, but not OK in eras that favored abundant, fluffy curls.

  4. Every time this movie comes on TV, my husband has to listen to me gush about how accurate the clothing is over and over! If they can get them so good in an 80s comedy, why can’t today’s big-budget costume dramas do it?

  5. I think it says volumes about the Hollywood mindset that the costumes from a sci-fi comedy are far more historically accurate than those of a big-budget historical epic. I wonder if that will be the case for the Jane Austen zombies movie, which I just saw a trailer for today. I think the actual title is “Pride and Prejudice Zombies.”

  6. Loved this article! So happy to have found this site. In the first dress in lavender, you can see the seam line between the bodice and the apron front in the right show of the side by side discussing the boning. In the last gown (in lavender too – I like how the began and ended her story with similar colors!), the sleeves are in the leg o’ mutton. And agreed – stripes stripes stripes forever!

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