Blade Runner (1982)

Costume Design by Charles Knode & Michael Kaplan

Note: In all interviews, Ridley Scott brings up only Charles Knode as the costume designer for the picture, with Knode having drawn all the costume sketches for the main characters; presumably, Kaplan's duties were most likely in the realm of 'assistant costume designer'.

Blade Runner's visual style was intended to be both old and new, being a futuristic spin on the 1930s and 1940s fashions, as per the film itself being a futuristic noir.

The noir influence is seen very clearly with the costume worn by Harrison Ford as replicant hunter Rick Deckard, who always wears a brown trenchcoat over various custom-made patterned shirts.

It should be worth noting that he was meant to be wearing a hat in Charles Knode's costume sketches, but thanks to having just filmed Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ford was adamant to not wear any headwear at all!

Really, can we just take a minute to appreciate just how many quirky patterned shirts were custom-made for Ford's title role? Of course the highlight for me is the green and brown shirt crisscrossed with red and blue lining, but the other shirts are pretty fun too!

In some scenes, Ford wears a brown blazer instead of his trenchcoat. According to this auction listing, the blazer - and presumably the rest of Blade Runner's costumes - were constructed at Ital Costume, a Hollywood costume house.

(I don't know if the striped sweater and grey cardigan that Ford wears in Blade Runner's final scenes were custom-made items, or if they were just vintage clothing Knode or Kaplan had found)

Fellow detective Gaff (Edward James Olmos) is dressed more like an Edwardian 'dandy', wearing a yellow or silvery waistcoat under his slightly futuristic vinyl-lined trenchcoat along with bow tie and trilby hat.

Gaff also sports a grey variation on the vinyl-lined trenchcoat as well in some scenes, again obscured by the film's atmospheric lighting.

(As for other named LAPD characters in the film, I have no idea if the suit worn by Morgan Paull as Holden, or the shirt and jacket worn by M. Emmet Walsh as Bryant, were custom-made for each actor or just bought vintage clothing due to their minor roles)

Two sets of futuristic police uniforms were made for the extras playing the LAPD officers. The first uniform consists of a custom-made string top, with motorbike armor stuck on. The second uniform is a custom made brown vinyl coat and hat, only seen in production photos.

A futuristic trenchcoat was made for Rutger Hauer as the rogue replicant's ringleader, Roy Batty. The jacket has a slightly militaristic feeling, befitting the character's background as a soldier. The rest of Hauer's costume, like the trousers and vest, were most likely bought items.

Batty's lackey is the replicant Leon, played by Brion James. Leon's first costume is a futuristic prison uniform, that resembles a medical 'Howie coat'; I think this was custom-made for Brion James, not a bought item.

Leon's next costume is a vinyl trenchcoat and work jacket; I also feel these were custom-made for Brion James, due to the cut of the jacket being similar to the menswear Knode designed for the picture.

Batty and Leon pay a visit to the scientist Chew, played by James Hong. Knode designed and fabricated a thick furred coat for Hong to wear, as his character worked in sub-zero temperatures.

Much of the film's more glamorous looks are worn by Sean Young as the replicant Rachel. Again befitting the futuristic noir look, many of Young's costumes were inspired by the padded shoulder suits designed by Gilbert Adrian, combined with the then-emerging fashion trend of 1980s 'power dressing'.

Rachael's first costume is a shiny black two piece suit made out of silk with black snakeskin pieces fixed on the collar and shoulders. A prim yet glamorous design, made more evocative with Young's pompadour hairstyle.

Rachael's second outfit is a blue fur coat with a large high collar black fur wrap, lined with black silk going down in the middle, and with striped black and grey fur cuffs.

Rachael's third outfit (perhaps the most famous) is a fur coat patterned in chevron stripes of different fur colours of grey and white. The fur coat, with its high collar, slightly resembles a parka.

Rachel's fourth outfit is another tribute to Gilbert Adrian's designs, being a silk two piece suit made up of striped blocks of shiny fabrics, giving it a futuristic touch.

Rachel's last outfit is a charming brown-striped blouse, seen briefly towards the film's end.

A deep blue tuxedo was custom-made for Joe Turkel to wear as the scientist and corporate leader Tyrell.

Tyrell is next seen wearing a heavy dressing gown, made of a mosaic-like patterned fabric. The implication was that Tyrell was so opulent he could even wear a gown that acted as a bed in its own right. The gown is worn over a nightie, also custom-made for Turkel.

Sebastian (William Sanderson) wears one of the film's more colourful costumes; astudded multicoloured jacket and striped overalls, worn with a leather cap. The outfit gives him a slightly mischievous look, given that he is more or less a future equivalent of a toymaker.

For filming, the coat was weathered to give Sebastian a more dishivelled look, as if he had been in poverty for a long time.

Pris (Daryl Hannah), being a futuristic prostiture, of course wears a sensual costume. Hannah sports a tiger-pattern striped jacket, worn over a shimmering patterned romper, vest and stockings, finished with a studded choker and large white hairdo.

(More than likely Hannah's second costume as Pris, worn in the confrontation with Deckard, was merely a bought spandex unitard)

Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) is another rogue Replicant who works as an exotic dancer. As part of her work in the 'Snake Pit', she wears not much at all except translucent orange nipple pasties and underwear!

(Sometimes, almost no costume is still a costume!)

During her escape, she wears a leather bikini, and leather padded boots fixed with metal spikes, worn with a (possibly bought?) clear plastic raincoat. The kinky costume is in line with the character's role as a future sex worker.

I have neglected to include the various extras costumes, including these in behind the scenes and publicity photographs, partly as there's an infuriating lack of information on them, and partly as I feel most of them were not made for the film.

At least two extras in the 'Snake Pit' sequence are wearing costumes reused from the 1968 musical Star. No doubt the extras in the street scenes wore a mix of wardrobe stock, vintage clothing and bought contemporary clothing. Should any of these outfits be auctioned, or more information arise, I will amend this accordingly!

(A brief note - because of the film's more dynamic direction often not showing costumes in full or in clear lighting, a lot of production photos were used in this post, and I had to find most of them online with no clear sources. Apologies if it was distracting, or if I didn't manage to remember where I'd found the images! I know one of them was a public Imgur gallery.)