Palace Costume: Inside Hollywood’s Best Kept Fashion Secret

by Mimi Haddon

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 jewelry 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion

320 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all the clothing, accessories and costume pieces that The Palace Costume Company has. It would be so much FUN to walk in that place and be told to pick an outfit 👠 There are so many gorgeous pieces representing different time periods, culture, and tastes. It is Absolutely Fascinating. These outfits end up being chosen for Movies and Media. I would love to buy the Physical Copy of this Book. I think that would be the best way to Own It. Thanks for letting me peek into the glamour. Gorgeous Book.

Thank you NetGalley, Mimi Haddon, and Chronicle Books for Granting me this Book. I always leave reviews for books I read.

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and enjoyable travel through time! This book highlights some of the greatest fashion pieces many of us have become familiar with through film. Palace Costume & Prop Co. serves as home to many of the unique, creative, and not to mention award-winning pieces we have seen throughout the years in films such as Bonnie and Clyde, Austin Powers in Goldmember, and Beloved. Details about the pieces are given to us in interview form, which I personally loved. I feel it gives the reader more of an understanding of the pieces' purpose, the designers, stylists, and collectors' inspirations, as well as fun and fond memories at Palace Costume. The latter half of this book graces us with beautiful and colorful pictures, all of which are creative, unique, and fun!

Thank you NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Mimi Haddon for this beautiful ARC!

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Chronicle Books) for promotional purposes.

This was such a gorgeous book!

This book explores Palace Costume, a costume rental house in Los Angeles that specializes in vintage clothing. The first part of the book featured interviews with the founder and numerous costume designers. The interviews were very insightful and were a fun way to tell the history and story of the Palace Costume. The rest of the book featured pictures of the clothes in the collection.

The photography was stunning. The clothes were captured in such interesting ways. I also loved how the images flowed nicely. As I was flipping through the pages, I felt like I watching a fashion show with how they were organized. I could tell there was a lot of thought behind the way the photos were ordered.

However, I would have loved to have seen more pictures of the inside of the store. The way the store was talked about made it seem so cool and unique; I wanted to see more of the different rooms. I also would have liked captions for the photos. I wanted more information on the clothes I was seeing.

Overall, this was a beautiful book! If you love fashion (especially vintage clothes), you’ll enjoy this one!

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning book with 300+ images of amazing items from the L.A. icon, the Palace Costume & Prop Co., with dozens of interviews with Oscar-winning designers and gorgeous film stills of clothes and accessories they used for the movies. A must-read for anyone who loves fashion and films.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really interesting, gorgeous book perfect for anyone who loves fashion! The photos are amazing and this was a pleasure to read! Special Thank You to Mimi Haddon,Chronicle Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a hidden gem for film lovers, fashion enthusiasts, and vintage aficionados alike. The photos are breathtaking—seriously, every shot pops with color and texture, making the costumes feel larger than life. What really hooked me, though, was the fascinating history behind Palace Costume and how they’ve preserved so many iconic pieces. The care that goes into storing and maintaining this collection is mind-blowing. Plus, hearing from the costume designers who brought these outfits to the screen was a nice touch. It's not just about the clothes; it’s about the stories behind them. If you love peeking behind the curtain of Hollywood magic, you’ll love this one. Solid 4 stars!

[Dorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palace Costume:Inside Hollywood's Best Kept Secret
by: Mimi Haddon
due 9-10-24
Chronicle Chroma Books
5.0 stars

Melody Barnett is the Godmother of retro clothing, and costume design. Her love of retro-clothing began with her excitement over finding and collecting different fabrics, and styles of clothing. 'Palace Costume' is a deep dive into her collection. Opening a small boutique in Hollywood on Melrose, she quickly became the go-to for theatre, movie sets and famous people who need retro and era-specific clothing; she began her rental service, but exclusively for in-trade-only use. Soon she had to move to a larger location. Her collection is now housed in a 30,000 square foot warehouse, with over a half million pieces. I would love to go and just browse, but it is not open to the public. Pieces featured in movies, worn by actors would be amazing.

Barnett's extensive and phenomenal collection has been documented for years by Mimi Haddon. Over 300 of her photographs are featured here. It's history is told by interviews with well-known costume designers. The interviews help us understand the extensive and special care that these items need- keeping them clean, and useable. Some are hundreds of years old.

I really enjoyed the history of style and the interviews, with Academy Award winning costume designers about the clothing and accesories that they have used from her collection. An excellent resouce, and so well documented.
Recommended. An excellent walk down memory lane.
Thanks to #NetGalley for sending thie e-book ARC for review.
#PalaceCostume #Netgalley

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always had an interest in costume design, especially historical costumes. It's always been just an interest though - never something I felt strong enough to pursue either as a hobby or as a career choice, but oh, reading this absolutely gorgeous book makes me want to completely 180 my life just for a chance to peak inside this glorious palace of history.

Before coming across this book, I had absolutely no idea that costume houses existed - it makes sense, of course, to have some sort of collection of artifacts to peruse for costume designers to draw inspiration from but Palace Costume & Prop Company is grander than anything you could imagine. I am dearly thankful I took a look at this book because it opened a beautiful, colorful world full of textiles, and patterns, and everything you could possibly want.

This book is a fantastic blend of history about the collection alongside interviews with the curator, Melody Barnett, and the designers who use this magical place for their work. The photos it includes are so stunning it's like working at a masterpiece in an art piece, and highlight just how special this collection is.

I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone interested in fashion, historical costuming, or even just wants to look at some pretty pictures.

Thank you so much to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opens with a brief introduction to what Palace Costume is, then spends about half of its pagecount on interviews about this Eden for costumers and stylists in LA. The first interviewees are Melody Barnett, the owner, buyer, and soul of Palace Costume, and Lee Ramstead, who has helped her run the shop since 1978. Both of these interviews are insightful and author/interviewer Mimi Haddon keeps the questions flowing well to tease out some nuances of Palace Costume's history.

Remaining interviewees are costume designers and stylists who talk about their own experiences at Palace Costume, and share some anecdotes and stories about finding particular costumes. These tales are interspersed with pictures from the Palace Costume collection and the films/shows being discussed. While I found these interviews a bit repetitive, someone more interested in styling and costume design would definitely get more out of them than I was able to glean.

The real highlight of this book for me, though, is the second half. This section of the book showcases some items from Palace Costume's collection with stunning photography - the layouts for items and double-page spreads are thoughtfully designed and really work well to showcase the costume elements as pieces of art in their own right. For this section alone, I'd highly recommend the book. It would be great for anyone interested in costuming, vintage clothing, product photography, or Hollywood stories.

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melody Barnett is truly an amazing person and entrepreneur, and kudos to Mimi Haddon for this engaging and absolutely fascinating look into Palace Hollywood and Melody’s vast collection of sixty years.

The book opens with a series of absorbing interviews with both Melody herself and some of Hollywood’s leading costume designers and stylists. The interviews are fairly lengthy (2-3 pages of pretty small text) and center primarily on how the designers feel about Palace Costumes/their experiences there, but the sheer breadth and uniqueness of the responses helps to prevent these interviews from being repetitive. The second portion of the book, beginning on page 136, includes beautiful photographs of the collection in all of its stunning glory. Film aficionados will likely recognise pieces of the collection from their favorite movies; even if you don’t, the sheer array of colourful, visually stunning pieces spanning at least 100 years and ranging from glasses to jewellery to vests, swimsuits and shoes will have you in awe. This is an amazing book for display and for anyone who has even a passing interest in fashion or costume design.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley. This in no way influences the content or rating of my review.

[Edie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Palace Costume began with a woman named Melody who loved to shop vintage. In time, her hobby got out of control. She amassed a bigger and bigger collection until she turned her passion into a business. In time she supplied rental clothes to an endless list of designers working in film and television. Name a movie and there’s a good chance that the actor’s apparel originated at this unique LA emporium.

Although there are other costume shops. But the wealth of choices, the great taste in the proprietor’s selections and the homey vibes (partly because the Melody and her family actually live there!) makes this a favorite spot to provide dress for both stars and extras.

The book quotes many high profile customers. They contributed testimonials to the Palace as a magnificent resource, both as a place for rentals and for inspiration. Unfortunately, their repetitious praise got to be a bit too much for this reader.

Many color photographs showed details and full shots of the clothing. Sometimes examples are layered one over another. This creates some arty effects which
became rather overwhelming. I Imagine this is how one would feel if actually at the Palace. It sounds like a fantastic place to experience

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in fashion, Hollywood, and LA, this book is right up your alley. For me, I enjoyed learning about this costuming repository and the woman behind it. I had hoped it would be more focused on the collection of clothes, rather than a bunch of interviews with industry folks. I'd have liked the book more if it featured well-known movie costumes and the stories behind those pieces. It would have been nice if the included photos of clothing and accessories had captions to tell us how they came into the collection, what era they're from, who made them, etc. I also wish there were more photos of the collection -- everyone in the interviews kept telling the reader how extensive the collection is, but there weren't very many photos of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

[Kelli Santistevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 jewelry featured in countless movies for more than fifty years.

Thank you Chronicle Books & Netgalley for the digital ARC! I don’t usually follow fashion but I really enjoyed reading this book and looking at the pictures of the fashion. I thought it was very interesting.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who notices costumes in movies, or understands the role of costume designers in creating the look and feel of a character or era, will appreciate this book. There's lots of love in the book for the lady behind Palace Costume. She's been at it for years and years! The cover is distinctive, but I wouldn't have chosen a photo of ladies shoes! I like the collage of fashion labels on the inside covers. It's a beautifully designed book doing justice to the topic.

[Encanto Atelier · Rating 4 out of 5]

love fashion, this cover and title drew me in. This not only has beautiful textile photos throughout but it also share about fashion moments and people.
It’s a level up from just a regular coffee fashion book.
The photos are stunning, you can tell how much work went into each piece.
I received an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting compilation of interviews and images of the Palace Costume collection. Palace Costume, run by Mallory Bennett, houses several costumes and famous pieces used in Hollywood. It is a unique place, and seeing it get spotlighted is lovely.

[Jean Offutt-Lindt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting, what an extraordinary woman. To be allowed to walk through her halls must be fascinating

[Sarah Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big proponent of reading art and fashion books. They usually have a ton of pictures sprinkled in with some really interesting facts and stories, which makes these books a great way to digest nonfiction.

Palace Costume is a great example of this! It offers an inside look into Palace Costume & Prop Co., which has served as a fashion, prop, and costuming resource for the film industry for more than 50 years.

The book is full of pictures of the riches this company houses and author and photographer Mimi Haddon does a great job of highlighting their beauty. There are also a bunch of interviews with key players ranging from founder and visionary Melody Barnette, to the various costumers who have come to Palace Costume over the years.

I read a lot of books about the film industry, but even with that background, I learned a ton about costuming, particularly the vision behind it and how precise it needs to be to ensure that the overall artistic vision of a film is met. Because the book mostly consists of photos and interviews, it’s really easy to pick this book up whenever, and bounce around to chapters of interest (though I do recommend reading it cover to cover).

Palace Costume hits shelves Sept. 10. Thanks to Chronicle and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book to look at and read. It definitely seemed like it was geared more toward a stylist or someone that is into Fashion and the LA film industry.
Its nicely photographed and laid out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.