The Cost of a TV Show’s Wardrobe

When I was in college, I saw a movie that had Ben Affleck in it (Jersey Girl, perhaps?) and he was wearing the same shirt that I had on, which I had bought from Urban Outfitters for $20. How did they come to choose that shirt for that particular scene?

Our pal Jon Custer sent me this post by Jezebel showing what certain outfits cost on Parks and Recreation (that Madewell top Ann Perkins is wearing is $108), and poses these questions:

Do they get some kind of promotional consideration from the brands? And why do characters always either wear the same outfit constantly, or never wear the same thing twice — wouldn’t it be cheaper and more believable just to buy a normal human-sized wardrobe for each character on a long-running show?

Anybody know the answers? Anyone know a wardrobe person who works in TV who could tell us what happens behind the scenes? Help us pull back the curtain a little bit.

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