admin The movie centers around Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), who marries Mollie (Lily Gladstone) as a ploy to infiltrate her wealthy Osage family, the Kyles, and steal their inheritance. Soon after, Mollie’s sisters start to disappear under mysterious circumstances, one by one. In the early 20th century, the Osage Nation was one of the richest people per capita in the world, earning substantial royalties from oil sales in their territory. This wealth made them a target.
Knowing this history, West and O’Keefe wanted the Native attire in the film to be extravagant and beautiful—two qualities they often found within their research of what Osage members wore at the time. “I must have pulled 2,000 photographs from the period,” says West. “There was a range from traditional to modern. Some people traveled to France and had the best couture clothing, bespoke suits, and handmade shoes—but even the moderns always had a touch of Osage that they hung onto.”
A pivotal piece that exemplified this idea of luxurious—yet traditional—Osage style was the blanket, an ornamental accessory that’s worn by all four of the Indigenous sisters in the film. West and O’Keefe’s research found that many Osage women wore striped blankets by Pendleton, which were sometimes adorned or embellished by family members with extra elements. “(Osage) women wore these as armor,” says West. “It’s what you wore when you went out and faced the world, and (you felt like) you can handle anything in it.”
Photo: Courtesy of Apple TV+
