Historical Pendleton Blankets in Killers of the Flower Moon

 

Variety - "‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Costume Designer Jacqueline West Used Over 1,000 Blankets From Pendleton and Osage Nation"

"In total, West used over 1,000 blankets. The Oregon-based company Pendleton recreated many vintage styles, while others were purchased, and some were loaned to her by members of the Osage community. “There are four different ways to wear a blanket,” O’Keefe adds.

The team at Pendleton sent West color charts and designs made specifically for the Osage tribes in the 1920s. Says West, “I showed them a photograph of [the real] Mollie Burkhart and her sisters in the studio, and they recreated those blankets in the colors they had done back then, right down to the labels they were using in the 1920s.”

Historically, the Pendleton blankets were a huge trade item for the different tribes. West explains that the Osage added fringe and characteristic ribbon work to the blankets. “I felt it became almost armor. It was something to put on yourself, even if you dressed in a modern way. It came from the white man, but the Osage made it their own to make sure everyone knew their pride in it,” West says. “Lily would make sure it was folded in just the right way. And you can see throughout there are different ways she wears it. It becomes a tell of her mood in that particular scene and how protected she wanted to be with it.”

As for DiCaprio, says West, “There is one jacket made from an Osage blanket. Marty loved the idea of that because it was this real blanket from the 1920s that we cut up and made into a jacket. But Leo’s a big guy, so we only managed to get one jacket from it.”"