Mary's rule began when she was 6 DAYS old...

I think what annoys me the most is the fact that the producers of Reign think that no teenage girls would ever possibly want to watch something based on facts. And realistic female Renaissance fashion is beautiful, so I don't see what their problem was.

Reign makes "The Tudors" look like a BBC documentary.

The dresses looked a bit too modern but they where absolutely gorgeous.

My favourite costume is the red and gold dress Mary wears at her and Francis' coronation. I just think it's so beautiful :D

It really weirds me out that a fantasy series like Game of Thrones has costumes that actually stay truer to medieval fashion than a show is based on an actual historical character. Also, what the heck is the mentality that teen girls only like prom dresses and ditzy romances? The whole thought is problematic, ugh. Anyway, good work as always. Never thought I'll see a 43 min video on anything remotely related to Reign, but oh, well.

"Many of the costumes were bought from everyday stores" I KNEW IT I FREAKING KNEW IT. I could NOT get into the show at all because the costumes looked like they went to the local mall for them and I couldn't STAND it.

Personally,I cringed with Reign's costumes.I know I know,I am overreacting bla bla bla but honestly,I can't watch 16th century people going around in prom dresses.Marie Antoinette and the Tudors had a good set of costumes imo...I only stayed to the show for Francis...cute as hell :D

the costumes throughout the show are mixed and modern the only period costume used that are accurate of time are in the posters only...😀

I tried to watch this show because i will watch anything period or historical but i was disappointed in the adaptation but as you mentioned i am not the target audience. Season 1 costumes put me in the mind of if an Anne Boleyn went shopping at Forever 21. Some of the dresses were beautiful though

Was anyone else a bit annoyed that in the final Mary wears black to her execution instead of crimson red? Great video BTW!

It's obviously historically inaccurate but that doesn't really bother me. I think when they use modern music and sort of a fictionalized, dreamy renaissance motif it helps communicate what the real people would have felt in the context of the modern age. So for example, what Mary would have worn, which by today's standards would come off constricting and sometimes dowdy would have felt chic and fashionable to her. So by dressing these characters in clothes that look fashionable to modern audiences, it helps communicate what it would have been like for them, if that makes sense. That's just what I think and I know a lot of people disagree. This was a really good review! Nice job!

I think I was more distracted by the actresses gorgeous faces and makeup and hair that I didn't even notice the costumes 😂 I'm sure women didn't look so pristine back then.

The thing that kills the historical vibes for me (just that aesthetic, I know they weren't really trying to be actually historical) is the hair. All the girls have like, beach waves with their hair down. Even most queens today just... don't do that. It doesn't really put across a very professional image. But also, their hairstyles all look so similar. Just some slightly more interesting and historically inspired hairstyles would have been nice.

I absolutely love Reign and I'm not an expert on fashion or history but I immediately noticed the use of modern fashion and music. Personally, I think that is one of the reasons I like the show so much because it allowed me as a viewer to connect more with the characters and the emotion. For example, when the characters are at parties and there's a hit song playing and dresses that I find gorgeous and would totally wear if I had occasion to, it's much easier to find myself enjoying the party as if I was there. Had the music and fashion been historically accurate, I think many viewers who aren't particularly interested in history and politics would be much more inclined to be bored and uninterested overall. Also, it's just a TV show for entertainment purposes only, nobody is expecting or caring about every detail being historically accurate. Why not just have fun with it? (Again, not an expert by any means this is just my take as an average viewer)

I _love_ historical fashion but I'm also a slut for this mock-historic fashion that Reign has. It actually influenced me to buy a skirt much like something I've seen Mary wear, and everyone who sees it loves it (if only I could find more clothing like that!). Still, I wish more shows were more in line with historic fashion because it was so stunning. I also agree that Reign has potential, and it does have its good moments (for example it can be very funny, which is sometimes scarce in historical based shows), but it does lack in a lot of areas. It shies away from being a show that can be taken more seriously if it had a better plot (imo Bash's entire pagan Scooby Doo type investigations are just too ridiculous and too overdone) and better developed characters.

The Tudors definitely took some liberties with the historical accurateness of the costumes and I understand that, it looks more sexy and interesting than real Elizabethan clothing. They've done this in movies too but Reign didn't even try to make it look similar to the 1500s. It's so irritating because I think it just takes you out of the premise completely.

I always assumed that they split the design three ways. More historically accurate and warm tones in England to reflect 'the golden age' of Elizabeth, more historically accurate but cool/dark/earthy tones in Scotland to reflect the climate and create contrast with England, and more varied and modernly fashionable in France to reflect it being like a safe haven in Marie's memory, like she's looking at her childhood through rose colored glasses. Plus I thought maybe they were leaning into France's association with being high fashion. As Marie got older and she became more savvy and hardened, her style changed and became more rooted in reality. I always assumed in her first wedding she wore a more delicate, bright, fashionable gown to reflect her being young, naive, and in love, and her second gown was more constricting and austere to reflect how she had matured and felt obligated to wed. If you look at her "almost" wedding gown for the Spanish Prince, she's wearing a red satin gown, which I thought fit well with her anger and deviousness as she laid a trap for the would-be regicide. It probably was all because the costumers had more to pull from like you said, but I think the shift in fashion worked with plot.

I've been watching Reign since the beginning, and I never noticed any of this stuff. I knew that the costumes were not authentic to the time period but I never took particular notice, when you mentioned the leather pants for all the male characters that reminded me that they all do have leather pants, but mostly I just got wrapped up in the story. Oh and she was Queen from 6 days old. it's a pity there are only four seasons. it's been fascinating to hear your assessment of how the costumes have developed.

I would love to see you tackle Claire Randall Fraser of the Outlander series, since she is in both 18th century scotland and post war england. You coulod touch on Jamie Fraser too, for the traditional scottish male 18th century garb.

I am 46 years old, love the show and never missed an episode. Loved the costumes.

Tbh what I loved about the show was actually how they didn't take the historical accuracy too seriously and had fun with the costumes. Seeing "Queen Mary" in D&G and Alexander Mcqueen literally gave me life, if only the royals actually dressed like this today.

If only Reign didn't look like its actors raided a prom dress shop. What a shame, a wasted opportunity for the world to know more about Mary, Queen of Scots.

Honestly I feel like they use 'younger demographics' as an excuse to cut corners; similar to what you said. It's very dumbed down and repetitive in its dialogue and story. With the costumes some feel like they throw some incredibly cheap looking lace and jewelry on to make it more seem more extravagant or distracting. There's a lot of dissonance in the quality of fabric and construction, too which makes it even more obvious. It really bothered me one episode when there was a tag sticking out of the back of a dress. I like the show but definitely agree with your suggestions and analysis. Thanks so much for these wonderful videos!

I'm their target audience, and I was very well aware from the very first moment that the show wasn't historically accurate. I knew *nothing* about that time period mind you XD They definitely didn't give us enough credit. I'd rather see some historical accuracy than 16th century people in prom dresses having affairs all over the place. And it's not like the real story was boring either! Thanks to the show I am now informed on the actual history behind it, so to me it doesn't really matter if the show provided it or not. I really hope other viewers did some research as well

Don't care if it's historically inaccurate. The whole show is all fictionalized, so it's okay. They all looked beautiful

Ha I’m their target audience... and man after seeing their grossly inaccurate costumes I’ve been deterred from even considering watching the show, because I know the costumes would thoroughly bother me the entire time I watched it. I feel like people would agree that like, why would I watch a “historical drama” if I can’t even GUESS what time period they’re going for from the costumes? Like if I’m gonna watch a historical drama, I want them to at least give an EFFORT to make it look historical. If I didn’t want it to look historical, I wouldn’t look for something that’s labeled a historical drama. :/

You know what ... it is called entertainment. I loved the show and very much enjoyed this. Thank You for your hard work.

am i the only person who thought the dresses made it beautifully cinematic as it should be

MEDIVAL WOMEN COULDNT SHOW THERE ARMS OMG this makes me so maddddddd

If I wanted a documentary or biography I would have watched the history channel. Reign was a beautifully made fictional series, the music, costumes, hairstyles, the entire mood had a youthful, modern flair, which made the whole watching experience more appealing to me.... I personally loved it but I always had in mind it was very loosely based on the life of Mary Stuart, so it didn't disappoint.... I'm 49 yrs old by the way... (characteristically) far from what is perceived as the entended viewing audience. I Loved this video, learned many things.... I never notice the finnishings on the costumes, or whether they have modern fastenings like zippers, etc.... I just appreciate the aesthetic.... obviously those details will be very noticeable to someone who works in the field of fashion or costume design... very interesting, thank you.

As I study art history and general history in university, this type of shows, I think, are just not my cup of tea. I think these shows create a wrong kind of picture of history and life of real people to audience. Biggest problem in historical dramas specially in America is that they don't hire researchers in they production. In Britain and Germany they use historians in period dramas and I think the difference in remarkable. For example Downton Abbey is like one of the most successful tv-series ever and historically it's amazing! Also Downfall (Der Untergang) German film about Hitler's last days is one of the most historically accurate films ever. I can't even watch others play Hitler than Bruno Ganz. Anyway I think these type of shows are more like "drama" shows than historical shows and important thing is to remember that they are not historically accurate. In Reign I think they would have made far more successful series if they have use more historically accurate costumes and followed the real life of Mary Stuart - her life is much more interesting than the show's plot. I think they should have do something similar like Downton Abbey, Victoria or the Crown. I think all of these series provide that in the end historically accurate shows are more successful than this type of shows are except maybe Tudors but it was successful just because Natalie Dormer's performance as Anne Boleyn was amazing - even I have to admit that. In the words of Tim Goodman in his report about this show: "Reign" brings historical absurdism to new levels and reveals just how dumb The CW must think its audience is to accept such fantasy as fact because real history is "hard" -- especially for a girl. In short, The CW is ruining the country." (www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/reign-tv-review-648214) BTW loved this video! It was amazing and I am very happy to hear that show is ending - finally.

I LOVED how detailed your commentary was concerning all aspects of the costumes, history of the period, your opinions, referencing other designers, etc. I felt like I was in a design class. I wish I could find videos like this for all my favorite shows. This video inspired me to pursue my passion of fashion/jewelry design.

I mean, at 29:33, that character was meant to portray a real stuck up spoiled princess. So I guess that costume was chosen to represent some fakeness and some youthfulness and be completely out of place. But I agree, it was completely out of place for the show and the timeline.

I love the costumes on Reign, honestly that was the main reason I watches.

You should really look into the clothing in this Turkish show called Magnificent Century and Magnificent Century: Kosem. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.

Love it! Will you review the costumes of "The Tudors" or "The White Queen"?

I love period dramas, but I had to give up in season one, because the girls wore ca. 2012 prom dresses to their first ball, in the 16th century. Oh, brother.

The clothes, music, and ACCENTS bothered me. I watch basically anything somewhat historically based because I adore history. It bugs me how it's so often wrapped up in really incorrect things or just so much sex. I laughed out loud when I heard the accents on Reign, because it's supposed to be the French court! I guess most of them couldn't swing a solid French accent so they went with English. *facepalm* The clothes looked like prom dresses, especially early on, and while I realize the budget constraints, it bugged me! They'd have been accused of being prostitutes for showing their arms like that! If and how much cleavage varied by region and period, but the entire arms!? It's STILL a big deal when Princess Kate shows her arms! The music also bugged me at first, because it was jarring. But I did get used to that. And of course many of the costumes are gorgeous. But it's just... the printed keys dress in particular bugged me because it was obviously not stitched and they didn't print like we do today. So.... I know people can get over this and watch it. I did, and I watched the whole series. But I don't love that we HAVE to get over it. I'd like a show that at least tried. Without a ton of modern music. Or do like Reign sometimes did and have the music be orchestral covers, that was always lovely! A nice modern nod but not as obvious or jarring. Have fewer more appropriate costumes. And... I'd rather have them all do passable English accents than have a huge variety of skill of French accents but still, in a perfect world, if it's a French history supposedly, these are actors, maybe have actors who can do a French accent. Just once I'd like a show that's really faithful. History is crazy enough that we don't need to add people who don't exist (as much as I love Bash, he didn't exist so why add him as a main character!? Or Francis's son the Barron, who didnt exist either, and though bastards could slip by in history if not recognized, a recognized one would be remembered, like Henry VIII's Fitzroy). Again, I did like the show. I just... really disliked decisions that were made about the styling and making it soo about relationships (even with a half brother love triangle!?). I don't bash that too much because so many historically based or influenced shows do it, so it's a genre problem and not just a Reign problem. I was so happy to settle into the show in seasons 3&4, with less gripes with costuming and music. There was less of them taking their shoes off and dancing in prom dresses and if felt slightly more respectable. One note though.... It did kind of bug me that the reviewer didn't watch even one episode, it doesn't sound like. Maybe some of the backlash would be less if she had. But it strikes me when someone puts this much work into something but they haven't done something simple like watch some of the episodes. I'm not a judgmental person, but it kind of rankled me. I just feel like I can more easily accept people's opinions, regardless of how in tune with my own they are, if they have at least shared, in part, my experience. Like for instance, Mary was wearing black with the mesh gold sleeve detail because she was in mourning. I also wish you'd maybe mentioned which character was dressed the most often in a modern look (Kenna, I think) and which was your favorite overall in terms of styling.

I think if you pretend reign is not about Mary Queen of scots, the series can be pretty enjoyable.

lolllll my brain exploded seeing this many time periods in the costumes alone!!!

First I really liked the show and I study history of costume. At first I thought that the costumes were awful (like the high heels in season 1), but as the show continued I saw the development that you described. I also thought of the resemblance to movies like Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola and I think that in season 3 and 4 they did a good job of maintaining a kind of personal style from the characters mixed with a contemporary feel with the silhouette and a historical hint. I think overall the costume stylist did a good job of incorporating all of the different aspects and the modern music played in kinda medieval style makes a good match. It would have been a complete other show if they used realistic renaissance fashion, but the story wasn't realistic either. This show was a hybrid and I think that the costumes underlined that and matched it at least in the two last seasons very well.

I liked the mix of period costume and modern but sometimes they did take it a little too far, so much so that it took you out of the story. I find Kenna's looks in S1 often were too out of place.

I think this show wasn't thought to be historically accurate (script or costume) even tho it is in some ways.... instead the main porpuse was to catch a young audience which it did... if you like romantic series this is for you👌 also the dresses in this show are soooo beautifull!!!

I really do love this show! I may be reading into it too much but the whole "fuster cluck" of costumes shows how women have struggled through the whole time. Each era that the costumes draw inspiration from also relates the the fact women have had to work extra hard to prove themselves through all the eras. I think that's a really nice thought to have. This is a really good video, there's definitely some stuff that I didn't notice. I think it's really strange how I didn't notice just how modern and couture some of the dresses used are, it's crazy that you can literally buy a lot of the dresses from online; I honestly never noticed most of these off the rail dresses when I was watching the show. Maybe due to the fact that I was more interested in the story. Either way I love how this show embraces strong feminine roles and incorporates modern themes; it makes the show even more addictive and relatable.

I think the important thing in reign is that the fashion resembles the characters. They are a concrete depictions of the character's mood and state. Therefore the costume focus is not to depict the fashion of the time, but to support the character.

Could you do a video on Once Upon a Time? Particularly for the costumes used in the "Enchanted Forest" scenes?

The inconsistency is what bothered me. I was so surprised when Queen Elizabeth came in. Everything was on a whole new level.

I´m only at minute 22 but I completely agree with you. One can design anachronistically, granted, but what I truly miss is a common denominator, an idea that powers and runs through all the characters of, at least, the season. In my opinion, it doesn´t matter that you draw inspiration from the tudor era, the 1900´s or your mother's wardrobe, but keep it consistent. Also, I love that you keep disclaiming that is your own opinion and the way you are being so polite about it. Truly enjoyable video. Thank you :D

tbh, the costumes on BBC's Elizabeth R were very pretty, just as pretty as the costumes on Reign, though the designs are completely different. I'm a young woman and I've watched Reign and I even know that the costumes aren't remotely historical. Also the "pumpkin" pants can look sexy on a guy who looks good on them and I would've liked to see some of them on Reign. Great video though. I would like for you to review the costumes of The White Queen, or the new Starz sequel, The White Princess.

So happy to have found this. The time line cluster cluck probably killed me the most. You've pointed out everything I've been repeating to my friends since I began watching the series. It's nice to know I haven't fully lost it!

What a FANTASTIC video. It's clear you've put so much work into it. I'm so glad that I found your channel - I had been watching the channel Prior Attire to learn about ladies' clothing in past centuries and KZfaq recommended me your video on the side panel. YOUR CHANNEL IS AMAZING, and I'm so happy I found it. I am not a costumer myself (no sewing skills, sadly) but I am so very interested in fabrics, silhouettes, and such. Also, I'm from Toronto, too! So nice to find a fellow Torontonian creating quality content on youtube :) Can't wait to see more of your vids.

This is such an amazing channel I'm so glad I found it!!! Could you maybe do a video on the costumes of The Vikings? That would be so awesome!

Reusing costumes would have been more accurate anyways because people didn't wear new clothes every day in Tudor years. Not even queens.

Found you on Nick's livestream, and.... I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL! Just checked it out and already I love the art, thumbnails, content, etc! Keep it up, you got a new sub!! :D

I love your channel you give me so much insights in designing costumes.Thank you, you feed my curiosity. There are so many things you made clearer that I wouldn't think off. You make history so much more interesting!

I initially watched the show only for the costumes! No matter what, they are amazing. Plus all the different crowns and hairstyles... The modern touch just makes them better imo

interesting how i didn't realize some of the outfits were literally modern off the rack stuff before. when you see them in the context of the show your brain, even when it knows it's not accurate, takes a leap to make it look just a little bit more historical

This was the best episode I've personally seen to date. I learned SOOOO MUCH, regarding anchoring looks whether it be through color, texture, or silhouettes. I've never seen the show, Reign, but I was picking up on what you wound up discussing right from the start. I really look forward to seeing more episodes like this, very insightful.

Fantastic commentary. You clearly know what you're talking about. Educated, knowledgeable, great examples, great visuals. Loved that you reference Elizabeth R and Greenaway's The Cook! Never seen the show but am a fan of Mary Queen of Scots and have seen other dramas based on her.

Bro- I only watched the show for Lady Lola 😭

I’m a history buff, and I really enjoy Reign. However, I always was frustrated with the inaccuracies and sort of “off-ness” of some parts that were put in. Now seeing the transitions with the costumes, I realize why I liked the later seasons better. Thanks for this informative video!

Just got done watching the series for the second time! Loved it even more the second time around. I also noticed the modern accents especially Mary’s first wedding gown and all the sleeveless dresses. But overall I enjoyed the variety of dresses and colors. Thought the ladies and dresses were all beautiful and would describe them edgiest of period pieces. Kept me intrigued!

Reign costumes are gorgeous! I loved the modern touch on the gowns

I've just started watching Reign as I needed something to watch on Netflix. I'm not in the target audience and know nothing about fashion, but I did notice the style was very contemporary of today with a little hint of being "old" . I though about this and instead of betting this was a cost issue I decided they have done this because this style is much more attractive to todays audience as the fashion at that time is ridiculous for us, not only the guys pants and neck rings and girls gowns and white powdered faces. I bet Elisabeth R wouldn't fly well with Reigns target audience. I agree that they could have done without that many costumes and I think many people of that time got their costumes enhanced and updated rather than replaced. I love how they mix pop music in TV series and loved how they incorporated music from SIa, Lorde, ... as string pieces.

I wanted all their dresses though. xD

A very even-handed treatment of the costuming. Beautifully done!

Love the costumes on Salem! The costume designer is a genius and i love many of his other works.

I honestly didn't mind the historical inaccuracy of the costumes. Well, maybe I did a little bit at first, but then I became more absorbed into the story rather than the history. The only costume that made me really upset, was the dress Mary was executed in. The fact that the original Mary, Queen of Scots wore red to her execution was so iconic because it showed her devoutness as a Catholic even to her dying breath, and I think they tried to portray that by having her hold her prayer beads as she was executed, but from a cinematic point of view, the red dress would have been better in my opinion. I mean, just imagine a stark, bold, red dress against a grey, muted scene. It would emphasize her as a character, and also show just how isolated she was from everyone, as she literally had no one at the end of her life. But that's just me.

Well I like Reign and watched it since the beginning, but it kinda annoyed me after Francis died. Of course I noticed that the costumes were not accurate, but they are amazing. Their gowns are gorgeous, even if they have nothing to do with the historical period. I think it doesn't really matter because this is not an accurate historic fiction, it's just fiction.

I don't know why but for some reason your videos are very soothing.

You are the expert on this topic. Great detail description. I am a history passionate and I concur with your assessment. Thank you♥️

A whole generation is going to grow up accepting the utter nonsense of programmes such as this as actual historical fact. Apparently, the producers of 'Reign' developed the "historical" premise of this show like 1,000 blindfolded men in a room full of targets, each of them with handfuls of darts: throw enough darts, SOME will hit the target. And if they stab one another occasionally, well, so much the better!

I want Mary's wedding dress to get married, the one when she marries Francis. AMAZING!!!

Fantastic and insightful break down! Amazing job. I did watch the pilot of Reign, but kinda stopped. I'm curious about rest now after your assessment of the stylist and her adapting through each season.

Superb commentary with in-depth discussion of garment construction, design, and embellishment.. Awesome job, thank you!

Can you do gossip girl and analyze why it was such a huge fashion iconic show?

this show so incorrect with history facts, but the costumes were great.

You should totally make a video on the costumes of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette!!

it is strange seeing meghan follows in not-turn-of-the-century dresses :D I mean, she looked lovely in 1900s dresses

This is one of my biggest pet peeves about the show. Half the time, it just looks like they're wearing prom dresses with a crown. It's what I would imagine a teenager would come up with for "historical clothing". PS, you should do Outlander! The costumes are amazing, especially season 2 which was set in France instead of Scotland and with a ton of embroidery. I watched a featurette on the costume design for it, and since (if you haven't seen it) the premise of the main character, Claire, is that she's out of her own time, they wanted her to look historically accurate, yet always just a little bit "wrong" for the time period. IE, 18th-century french gowns with a touch of Chanel to fit her 20th-century tastes. I adore the costumes.

the general fashion I believe is pretty much "fashion porn" material :P at least for me :P but yeah it is obvious that many pieces are contemporary and not historycaly accurate. but it doesnt reallt bother me

Thank you for this background ⭐️ This was one of my favourite shows and I loved the costumes. Glad they did not go with the pumpkin pants!

I love the 100 too. I would love to see a video on costumes of the 100.

It´s like some teenagers thought lets play a bit around with costumes - time period doesn´t matter, accuracy doesn´t matter. I tried to watch this series but I couldn´t get over the costumes.

All of the dresses are so pretty. =) I hope that you have a nice day. =)

i would love to hear your commentary on the costumes of marie antoinette!

I just started to watch this and it looks really great! I love the story thanks for making this video! xxx Greetings and Hugs from Belgium

When I started to watch Reign the one think that really annoyed me was the outfits, I really appreciate a show that is accurate with costuming.

i like the costumes, i love history but just allow myself to enjoy the beauty.

For god sake, the girls on this show look like they just came out of coachella

Am addicted to that show ..what would I do when the season is over 😢😢😢

I watched the show a few years ago and I have to agree that I didn’t enjoy some of the ‘modern’ costumes that were used. I think the idea to give all of the men leather trousers was a great choice, as they are much more visually appealing and ‘rugged’ as men were supposed to be back then. The costumes definitely got better throughout the seasons, it’s just a shame that the time, resources and budget weren’t available from the start. The worst outfit for me was definitely Claude’s almost neon pink strapless gown she wore to her coming home party. It honestly made me cringe a little, but I suppose Claude’s character was supposed to be shocking and risqué so it suited her in a sense 🤔

I am new to this channel and I just wanted to say that I am very interested in your content and discussion. Keep it up :) Definitely subscribing!

When I used to watch the show, I regularly would say aloud, "There is no way they wore clothes like that back then!" :-)

I'd love to see you do a video on Downtown Abbey's costume design!

inara's dresses from firefly and serenity are gorgeous you should totally take a look at them and do a video about them

the historical inaccuracies of the tudors pissed me off more than those of reign. at least reign wasn't trying to be accurate.

I wanna see more of Reign costume videos!!

My favorite costume is the one Mary wears at the event when she has the red England traditional outfit