When you watch “The 19th Wife,” you can’t help but think about the unique dresses worn by the polygamous women. Christine Thomson is the costume designer who was tasked with creating the look for the movie. Get the inside scoop on the number of dresses made for the film, how the actors responded to their conservative wardrobe and where the dresses are now.

How did you research the striking looks of the characters in “The 19th Wife”?


We’re really lucky today because we have the Internet and even in reading other people’s novels, the research they’ve done, with the access we have to other people’s cultures, it’s really just a few clicks away. With all of the controversy that has gone on in some [polygamous] communities, the images are more than accessible. From there, the trail goes through Mormon websites, and there were a number of documentaries that have been done, like the one about the “Lost Boys,” that you can rent. It’s fascinating, and of course I read “The 19th Wife” as well as reading some of Ann Eliza Young’s book. It’s merely a matter of finding a trail and wandering down to collect all the facts so you’re ready to hit the ground running when it’s time to get things right for the movie.

Once you determine the design, based on the research, how do you produce the costumes? Are they sewn by hand or sent to a factory? How does it work?


I have a very good cutter and tailor that I have used for a number of shows. As soon as we knew we were going ahead with this, I went to fabric stores and found fabrics on sale and bought everything I could find in my color palette. I had sketches, and we made some samples up; we photographed those to show the producers, and they approved them. We made a slight variation for Chyler Leigh’s character, Queenie. We didn’t give her a collar. We wanted to make her a little bit different because of her looks and her character, and because she was a little bit of a rebel in the story. We wanted to show that maybe she made that kind of sartorial choice when she made her dress without a collar on it. We manufactured 97 dresses, and we had to fit them all. We had huge fitting sessions, and we had pregnancy pads made and we fit those on some women, and we hemmed everything and we altered the shoulders. We wanted every dress to fit perfectly, because in the research, the women are very well kept. Their clothes fit properly and their hair is always nicely done, and we wanted to respect their culture by making it as accurate as possible.

Was there ever an instance when an actor mistakenly took the wrong costume?


No, because we have great on-set people and everything is labeled with their names. In the fittings we take pictures and we put those pictures with their name tags, and everything is alphabetical. They were washed and steamed every day, and we really had quite a little army to take care of the costumes.

What did you do with the dresses when the movie was over?


We gave them to charity. We did ask studio houses if they wanted them, but they really didn’t have any use for them because they were so specific. Maybe they will find their way to a polygamous compound, I don’t know, but they did get donated. Often we have a sale at the end, and some people bought them as a memento. Some of the crew members were quite captivated by the story and bought one.

Have you ever worked on a movie where the costumes are so similar and have a distinct look particular to one culture? Was it more difficult or easier to work within those parameters?


When you have a clear parameter to look for the costumes, in a way it makes the choices easier because you know the color palette and the silhouette. I thought our greatest challenge would be to get people to wear them. Often actors like to modify a costume to make it more flattering for them, and we had the most professional group of actors and background performers. There was never any question about the dresses whatsoever. Chyler Leigh was the ultimate professional. She was lovely to work with and really embraced her role. There was never any question of not liking the dress, because it was true to her character, and the fittings went very smoothly. I think we were blessed to have such a great cast.