Palace Costume

Palace Costume is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Palace Costume & Prop Co., an exclusive Los Angeles film-industry haven of dresses, gowns, garments, accessories, props, and jewellery featured in countless movies for more than fifty years.

Curated for the exclusive benefit of costumers, stylists, and designers, Palace Costume & Prop Co. has lent authenticity and panache to classic films such as Chinatown, The Godfather, Boogie Nights, Austin Powers, The Big Lebowski, and Coming to America, to name but a few. Oscar-winning costume designers such as Mark Bridges, Sandy Powell, and Ruth Carter have been known to peruse the archive for inspiration and specific pieces for their films. Interviews with several Academy Award–nominated costume designers, including Shirley Kurata of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and Mary Zophres of True Grit, La La Land, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and Babylon, are featured in the book.

Palace Costume has been the vision of Melody Barnette, whose journey in retro clothing is movie-worthy itself. Her first boutique in Los Angeles in the early 1970s attracted the likes of Diana Ross and Joni Mitchell and many other rock-and-rollers from the era. This inspired her to transition the business into a to-the-trade-only rental service, enabling her to hold onto and care for these vintage gems. Fifty years later, her 30,000-square-foot trove of over half a million pieces is a beloved and legendary collection featured for the first time in Palace Costume.

LA-based photographer Mimi Haddon has been carefully curating and artfully photographing the vintage treasures at Palace Costume for many years. Over 300 of her stunning, stylized, and saturated images are featured in this visually comprehensive and delightful celebration of this one-of-a-kind archive. This inspirational look-book is sure to delight a wide audience, including vintage-clothing enthusiasts, fashionistas, costume designers, stylists, and cinephiles.