BOOK: The Costume House: The Inside Story of Cosprop

Opening on Friday 18 July 2026 at Dovecot Studios, the stunning Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop exhibition celebrates sixty years of Cosprop’s creativity and an opportunity to see behind the scenes of the celebrated costume house.

Founded by Oscar and BAFTA-winning costume designer John Bright in 1965, legendary London based Cosprop specialises in period costume for film, television and theatre. Through his work as a costume designer, a costumier, maker, advisor, collector and historian, Bright’s intelligence and eye for detail is in thousands of film, television and stage productions.

This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition features many costumes never seen in public before. Helena Bonham Carter in A Room with a View, Meryl Streep in Out of Africa, Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey, Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, and Leslie Manville in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Cosprop is synonymous with dressing iconic characters in award-winning films and television.

Through stunning costumes, accessories and sketches, the visitor will learn the design and making process from script-to screen. Leading costume designers and actors will share their thoughts on favourite costumes, showing how Cosprop brought these magical moments to life.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a beautiful, richly illustrated book celebrating sixty years of Cosprop, written by former V&A film curator Keith Lodwick, and with a foreword by Dame Judi Dench. 

Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9781399994002
Number of pages: 240
Dimensions: 273 x 379 mm
Language: English