Ever feel like you're having a weird sense of déjà vu while watching a movie or TV series? Well, it might be because some studios opt to use a costume previously worn in another film or series. Talk about a cheap and easy way for the costume designers to dress a character!
From Glinda the Good Witch wearing Jeanette MacDonald's San Francisco dress to Vinessa Shaw donning Michelle Pfeiffer's Dangerous Liaisons gown in Hocus Pocus, some studios took the phrase "don't fix what ain't broke" to heart, reusing costumes from previous films and television shows.
This Brilliant Red Dressing Coat In Elizabeth & Camelot
If there was ever a costume needing to be reused, it's this beautiful red dressing gown. It's bright, regal, and has a complete "I'm the boss" feel, making Cate Blanchett and Eva Green's respective characters look like powerful women others don't want to mess with.
The gown was first seen in the 1998 film Elizabeth, where Blanchett plays Elizabeth Tudor, the queen of a divided 1558 England. It is seen again in the 2011 showtime drama Camelot, worn by Eva Green, aka the evil Morgan who wants the throne.
A Musketeer Hat Can Be Seen In Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl
It's hard to look at, let alone care about, a character's wardrobe when the person wearing it looks like a young Justin Chambers or Orlando Bloom. Alas, please fix your eyes on both men's heads, primarily the hat they're both wearing.
While Chambers wears numerous hats in the 2001 film The Musketeer, this particular one is seen once again. In 2003, Orlando Bloom's character Will Turner wore the same tan hat, silver buckle, and all, in the final scene of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
This Dress In Dangerous Liaisons & Hocus Pocus
In 1993, Vinessa Shaw walked onscreen as Allison in the Halloween movie Hocus Pocus. One of her costumes might look familiar in the film, namely the only "costume" the character wears, an 18th-century gown.
The peach robe à la française was originally designed for the 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons, in which Michelle Pfeiffer wears the James Acheson original. Obviously, a few modifications were made between the two films. But one thing remained constant; it was an Academy Award-winning design!
The Brown Gown In Snow White And The Huntsman Is Also Seen In Once Upon A Time
Considering Snow White and the Huntsman and Once Upon a Time are both based on classic fairytales, props to the costume department for deciding to recycle a very timely dress.
Ironically, while Kristen Stewart wears this brown number as the princess Snow White, a few years later, Adelaide Kane comes in, wearing it as one of Cinderella's evil stepsisters, Drizella. Talk about using a costume for two wildly different characters!
Rose's Pink Titanic Coat Is Also Seen In Tuck Everlasting
The pink and black accented coat Rose wears while running through a sinking cruise liner in Titanic might be the last thing people look for while watching the scene, but the coat is there! And it isn't the last time the coat is seen on the silver screen.
After the coat was sufficiently dried off, it was used a few years later on Alexis Bledel's character Winnie Foster in the 2002 fantasy film Tuck Everlasting
The Puffy Pink Dress In San Francisco & The Wizard of Oz
Classic movie lovers might have had a little sense of déjà vu watching the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz, primarily when Glinda the Good Witch walks onto screen wearing her signature puffy pink dress.
That's because Jeanette MacDonald also wears this statement gown in the 1936 film San Francisco. Apparently, Billie Burke, the actress who plays Glinda, wasn't too enthused with the recycled costume, though. In his book, "The Wizard of Oz FAQ," author David J. Hogan quotes Burke as saying, "I look like a refugee from a German opera!"
Yellow Velvet Dress In Head In The Clouds & Race
Charlize Theron plays an aspiring photographer in the 2004 romantic war film Head in the Clouds. In one particular scene, the actress's go-with-the-flow free-love character, Gilda Besse, is seen dancing around in a yellow velvet dress with black straps.
Well, hold on to your top hats, folks, because it's not the only time this dress was used in the entertainment industry. In 2016, Amanda Crew was seen wearing the exact same dress while portraying the character Peggy in the sports biopic Race.
The Space Jumpsuit In Doctor Who Is Also In Star Wars
Apparently, space travel requires one jumpsuit and one jumpsuit only. And it happens to be this particular multi-part suit first seen black and white 1966 Doctor Who episode "The Tenth Planet."
Don't worry, though. The costume design team for the 1980 film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back thought it best for fans to see the jumpsuit's color. So, they used it to clothe Bossk the Trandoshan Wookiee hunter. Of course, there are some minor changes, including the Bossk's utility belt.
The Tan Jacket From To The Ends Of The Earth Is Also In Emma
While it's not nearly as "in your face" as, say, some of the dramatic and elaborate dresses worn by actresses, this subtle tan jacket has made its rounds. First worn by a young Benedict Cumberbatch's character Edmund Talbot in the 2005 television miniseries To the Ends of the Earth, it pops up again in another BBC series four years later.
In 2009, the old tan coat was taken out of storage and used for Jonny Lee Miller's character George Knightley in the series Emma.
The Flowered Skirt In Manolete & Brooklyn
- G2 Pictures; Fox Searchlight Pictures
- G2 Pictures; Fox Searchlight Pictures
If you've seen the 2015 romantic period drama Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan, then you might have scratched your head a bit, trying to figure out where you've seen that lovely flower-printed skirt before.
Answer: in Manolete, better known as A Matador's Mistress in the United States. In the 2008 biopic, Penélope Cruz wears the romantic skirt paired with a red blouse and heels, making it a bit more flirty than Ms. Ronan's '50s style.
This Scarlet Dress In The Affair Of The Necklace & Marie Antoinette
A bright red dress is hard to forget, especially if it's one that happens to have a cage underneath the skirt. Ironically, when the gown was worn by Hillary Swank's character Jeanne de Valois in The Affair of the Necklace, it didn't win designer Milena Canonero an Academy Award.
Only garnering a nomination for the design in the 2001 film, it wasn't until the 2006 movie Marie Antoinette when the Italian designer won the award. Hello, Academy? It's the same dress!
The Fur Cape In Isabel & The Hollow Crown
If you're into British guys wearing crowns, then you might have seen the television series Isabel and The Hollow Crown, the latter of which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. But that's neither here nor there. We're here to let you know that you're not going crazy.
The fur cape worn by Rodolfo Sancho in the 2012 series Isabel is reused in the Shakespearean historical play adaptation The Hollow Crown, worn by Benedict Cumberbatch.
The Black Victorian Number In My Cousin Rachel & Victoria
- Fox Searchlight Pictures; ITV
- Fox Searchlight Pictures; ITV
Movie and television series makers might be on to something when it comes to reusing period costumes. For instance, this black gown was used in both the 2017 drama My Cousin Rachel and the British television series Victoria.
In both instances, the women wearing the gown, Rachel Weisz's Rachel and Jenna Coleman's Queen Victoria, are both in mourning, having to wear a respectable and historically accurate dress for the occasion.
The Elizabethan Hood Worn In The Virgin Queen Is Kind Of Everywhere
More than one Hollywood starlet has worn this particular Elizabethan hood. In fact, it's made its way to the Queen B herself, Beyonce. But before the singer donned the elaborate hood for an O2 Priority ad, it was worn by Anne Marie Duff in the 2005 drama series The Virgin Queen.
But something this beautiful and elaborate deserves more attention than one series, so it was recycled in 2007 twice. First in the film St. Trinian's and again in the Doctor Who episode "The Shakespeare Code."
The 18th-Century Dress In The Duchess & The Scandalous Lady W
A certain dress worn by actress Natalie Dormer in the 2015 film The Scandalous Lady W might look familiar. Well, that's because Keira Knightley wore the same 18th-century blue and yellow dress a few years earlier.
Knightley wore the soon-to-be recycled costume in the 2008 film The Duchess, where she played the role of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. It looks as though the latter's costume department took another page out of The Duchess styles, going with "the bigger, the better" for Dormer's hair.
A Purple Dress From Back to the Future Part III Shows Up In Far And Away
While Mary Steenburgen's character Clara Clayton wears many a purple dress throughout the third installment of Back to the Future, it's this particular ensemble that is seen once again a few years down the line.
Minus that fun hat Clayton's got going on, the high-necked purple and black dress can be seen in the 1992 romance adventure Far and Away. Technically no one is wearing the dress, but Nicole Kidman's character Shannon spots the number in a window while shopping.
The Brown Dress In Pride & Prejudice And Sense And Sensibility
Considering they're both Jane Austen-adapted period dramas, it's really no surprise that moviemakers decided to reuse one of the costumes Keira Knightley wore in Pride & Prejudice for the 2008 television series Sense and Sensibility.
In 2005, Keira Knightley donned a dark brown gown with white piping around the collar for her character of Elizabeth Bennet in the film. Charity Wakefield wore the same costume for her role as Marianne Dashwood in the TV series. Talk about keeping in the Jane Austin family!
Batgirl's Suit Is Seen In Batman & Robin And Birds Of Prey
Yes, this is one of those costumes that should have been left back in the '90s. No, the makers of the 2002 television series Birds of Prey didn't think the same way. And thus, fans of the DC comics were reintroduced to this weirdly anatomically-correct Batgirl costume once again.
The costume is first seen in the 1997 action film Batman & Robin, where Alicia Silverstone portrays Batgirl. After a bit of a paint job, the costume is recycled and worn by Dina Meyer.
The Pink '50s Dress In Mad Men & The Help
When it comes to the '50s, there's nothing quite like a pink checkered dress. So, it kind of makes sense that moviemakers would want to reuse Elisabeth Moss' Peggy Olson costume. It's a product of the time!
A few years later, the dress reappears on actress Anna Camp's character Jolene French in the 2011 period drama The Help. As pictured, the film's costume department opted to forego the white gloves and headpiece, choosing to do a Southern lady blowout instead.
Rachel's Wedding Gown In Friends Is Also Seen In Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party
Rachel is probably happy to know that her wedding dress from the pilot episode of Friends is being reused in a YouTube series. Seriously, who wouldn't be pumped to learn an Edgar Allan Poe-themed series is wearing their wedding gown?
In Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party, Sinead Persaud's character, the ghost Lenore, is seen wearing none other than Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green's runaway bride dress in "The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate."
Black Leather Armor In Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves & Braveheart
In the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Alan Rickman's character, the Sheriff of Nottingham, is seen riding around on his horse wearing ornate black leather armor. The costume design was so popular that it earned designer John Bloomfield a BAFTA nomination for Best Costume Design.
The same black armor is used once again in the 1995 war drama Braveheart. Hey, why make another suit or armor when this one almost won an award?
The Black Dress In Elizabeth Has Made Its Rounds
The black dress with paisley black and white sleeves worn by actress Cate Blanchett in the 1998 film Elizabeth has made its rounds in more than one Tudor-based drama. Coming in at actress number two to wear the costume is Imogen Slaughter.
She wears the Tudor-style number in the 2000 docu-series Elizabeth. Then, Natalie Dormer, pictured, wears the same costume as Anne Boleyn in the Showtime period drama The Tudors.
One Dangerous Liaisons Gown Is Worn In Madonna's "Vogue"
At the 61st Academy Award ceremony, James Acheson won an Oscar for Best Costume Design for his work on the period drama Dangerous Liaisons. One such design is this gorgeous gown worn by actress Glenn Close.
Being Madonna, it was most likely hard to pass up on an opportunity to wear an Academy Award-winning design. So, she didn't. The singer wore the gown on stage during her "Vogue" performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1990.
This Red Coat Dress Is Seen In Both Catherine The Great & Brotherhood Of The Wolf
Unfortunately, since Catherine the Great was a made for television movie in the '90s, the brilliance of this red riding gown isn't really seen on the stunning Catherine Zeta-Jones. Thank you, bad lighting.
However, the costume designers for Brotherhood of the Wolf decided the red gown needed to be seen in all its excellence. In the 2001 horror film, actress Emilie Dequenne's character Marianne de Morangais is seen wearing the costume in all its feathered hatted glory.
The Victorian Gown In Cold Mountain Is Worn By An Extra In Little Women
Nicole Kidman's character Ada Monroe wears a gorgeous deep blue dress with detailed cutouts in the film Cold Mountain. The dress is simple yet very easy to spot if you know what to look for.
That's the kicker, though. If you've never seen the 2003 film, then you most likely missed the split second in the 2019 movie Little Women when an extra is seen wearing the exact same dress! The distinctive cutouts can be seen on the bottom of the dress's skirt—sneaky moviemakers.
The Same Troop Uniforms Can Be Seen In Starship Troopers & Firefly
There are so many different styles used in film and television to depict soldiers. But why make a new design when there is a perfectly good costume that can be recycled? Well, that's exactly what happened in the case of the Alliance soldiers in the 2002 series Firefly.
Instead of making something new, the showrunners whipped out the Infantry troop costumes from the 1997 film Starship Troopers. Fun fact: in between the two, the same costume was used in an episode of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy!
The Green Coat In Pride And Prejudice And Zombies & Mary Shelley
It might come as a surprise, but Maisie Williams has worked on other projects other than Game of Thrones. Here, she is actually seen wearing a recycled costume from the 2016 action comedy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
How can a costume department not reuse a costume from a movie with that title? In this instance, the Mary Shelley actress is wearing a muted green dressing coat with an accented flower, as seen in the 2016 film.
A Lime Green Coat In Gossip Girl & The Carrie Diaries
This particular costume is hard to forget, considering it is literally lime green. Apparently, The CW didn't think fans of their young adult dramas would notice, though, since they used the same coat for Blair in Gossip Girl and Carrie in The Carrie Diaries.
The only difference is the big "C" pin on Carrie's lapel. Either way, the lime green coat made its way from fashionista to fashionista, making it a staple in the New York-based television series.
A Dress From Aristocrats Made Its Way To Doctor Who
In true BBC fashion, this Tudor-styled dress was used not once but twice in a network series. First, it can be seen worn by Jodhi May's character Sarah Lennox in the 1999 series Aristocrats.
The delicate white, silver, and gold embellished dress is then seen a few years later, on Sophia Myles character Madame du Pompadour in the 2006 Doctor Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace." Fun Fact: this dress has actually been recycled a total of five times!
This Dress Is Worn In Catherine The Great & Brotherhood Of The Wolf
In 1995, Catherine Zeta-Jones embodied the late Catherine the Great in a biopic film of the same name. And while the ruffled slate-grey dress doesn't look as though it would have a place anywhere else onscreen, Universal Pictures proved otherwise.
A few years down the road, in 2001, the French period horror movie Brotherhood of the Wolf had actress Monica Bellucci's character Sylvia wearing the same exact getup, minus the overly-feathered hat.
