The Musketeers (BBC)...

BBC's The Musketeers- featuring Howard Charles as Porthos, Tom Burke as Athos, Santiago Cabrera as Aramis and Luke Pasqualino as D’Artagnan. The series also feature Peter Capaldi as Cardinal Richelieu, Maimie Mccoy as Milady, Ryan Gage as  King Louis,  Hugo Speer as Captain Treville and  Alexandra Dowling as Queen Anne. Images from BBC. The costumes were designed by Phoebe De Gaye.

Phoebe de Gaye has designed a wide range of period costumes - from the meticulous authenticity of The Forsythe Saga to the fantasy of Sinbad - but she’s never had to face a challenge like The Musketeers.

The brief sounded simple - seventeenth century with a contemporary twist. But the actual look was harder to achieve.

The Musketeers were soldiers, so their clothes had to be tough enough to withstand sword thrusts and hours in the saddle. But they also had to be wearable. They had to be real enough to give actors and viewers a sense of history - but they couldn’t look picturesque. These were going to be modern heroes, for a modern audience.

Drawing on both historical references and contemporary fashion, Phoebe evolved a style that combined romantic swagger and gritty realism. Leather boots, doublets, embossed armour. Hats that looked as though they’d been worn in rain and shine. Cloaks you really could sleep in.

The women too were a tough proposition. Their costumes had to convey the sense of power and spectacle that made the stories so thrilling. They had to look feminine - but not fanciful. These weren’t going to be passively beautiful characters - trophies for the men to fight over - but strong, assertive figures who could take the men on at their own game - and win.

Here Phoebe drew on contemporary role models - a blend of high, in-your-face fashion and wearable clothes that would enable the actresses to run, ride and - if necessary - fight.

She hopes the audience will have as much fun watching the series as she had designing it!

Phoebe De Gaye's designs are beautiful from the detailed leather work, to the lovely silhouettes and shapes of the leading ladies.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how the costumes are going to develop through this series, I love the mix of historical references with a modern twist. It just goes to show that we as a modern audience do not necessarily need historical accuracy (although it is lovely) to understand a character and get carried away with a good story.