Beloved owner of one of Hollywood's last costume shops dies at 90

Los Angeles Times

27-02-2025

Ursula Boschet, the iconic Hollywood costume designer, whose shop draped celebrities and civilians for more than half a century, has died. She was 90.
Boschet died Monday afternoon of pancreatic cancer surrounded by family at her home in Chatsworth, a spokesperson for the family confirmed.
In a career that defied the frequent churn and vagaries associated with the entertainment industry, Ursula's Costumes became a local institution. Over five decades she estimated that she made more than 100,000 costumes for television, films, plays and private customers.
Boschet garnered a reputation for her well-crafted, creative threads — and for not making a fuss over celebrities.
'She was special. She was a really big part of my family's life. She had a passion for creativity and she will be missed,' said Jamie Lee Curtis, who began coming to Ursula's Costumes over 30 years ago, in an interview with The Times.
Kathleen Uris, a costumer who worked with Boschet for more than 20 years, described the experience as a 'master class with a genius costumer.'
In addition to her entertainment work such as for the nearly seven-season duration of the 1980s television show 'Cagney & Lacey,' Boschet was the go-to designer for a number of costume parties in Los Angeles, including the annual Labyrinth Masquerade Ball, held at the Biltmore Hotel.
For decades, people lined up around the block during the month of October, when the shop was open seven days a week to keep up with Halloween customers.
Many of her clients became like extended family members. The walls of her store are covered in framed autographed photos of scores of actors including Bruce Willis and Curtis, all addressed to her.
She made costumes for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's children. When Michael Keaton came to the shop with his little dog after starring in 'Batman,' Boschet said she made a miniature Caped Crusader costume for the pooch.
Steve Martin, whom she met while working on his 1984 film 'All of Me,' asked her to create hidden suit pockets from which he could pull things out for one of his magic acts. In the early 1990s, he appeared as the Great Flydini, who retrieved items such as scarves, eggs and a telephone from the fly in his pants.
Curtis recalled visiting the shop each year as early as April to begin consulting with Boschet about her family's Halloween costumes.
'We had long discussions about what this year's costumes were going to be and the accouterments,' Curtis said. 'She had such a breadth of knowledge and how to build something out of nothing.'
Later, when Curtis' youngest daughter became involved in gaming and cosplay, Boschet became an invaluable ally.
'When I think of teachers and those who appreciated and saw my children's gifts and made a difference, Ursula is one of them,' Curtis said. 'She is someone who made an impact on our family life through her work with our daughter. She was special.'
Despite a series of health troubles, up until recently, the diminutive nonagenarian continued to come to the store and workshop that bears her name in Santa Monica five days a week, working eight to 10 hours a day.
However, last summer Boschet announced that she planned to finally shut down following a storm of industry woes that included the pandemic and the labor strikes. She also cited her age and health, and the fact that she had no one to take over the business (her children were uninterested).
'There was no money coming in,' she told The Times. 'I couldn't pay the rent anymore. And I have bills to pay.'
The news left her legions of customers bereft. 'I'm heartbroken,' Kate Beckinsale said last July, adding, 'Ursula is one of my longest relationships in L.A., including my marriage.'
Beckinsale came in about once a month to dress up and rent costumes for herself, friends and family.
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1934, the daughter of a butcher and a homemaker, Boschet learned dressmaking and tailoring at 14. In 1952, at 18, she married her husband, a barber.
With postwar Germany still largely in rubble, they found it difficult to earn a living and in 1957 they emigrated to Canada.
For nearly five years in Toronto, Boschet worked at a large sock factory before the couple moved to Los Angeles, where she got a job working on various theater productions. She joined the Theatrical Wardrobe Union, which sent her around to the studios.
In 1973, she landed at Disney, which leased a space in what is now called the Culver Studios, primarily making costumes for Disney on Parade. Three years later, when the parade work ended, she decided to launch her own wardrobe and costume business.
After announcing the closure of Ursula's Costumes last summer, Boschet began to sell off her inventory, which represented every possible period and type of costume and accessory. Many of her longtime customers made a pilgrimage to the shop to say goodbye and buy a piece of costume history.
The shop will close for good this Saturday.
Boschet is survived by her daughter, Ela Steere, and son, Richard Boschet; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.