Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546058
36 FALL 2026 PHOTO: AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT © 1998 The one thing you don't want in this industry is to get a phone call saying, 'my uniform was wrong,' or 'the insignia was wrong,' because poop rolls downhill very quickly. I got that phone call a couple of times in my life and I remember every one. That was enough to motivate me to get it correct, and once again, it's really not that hard. All you have to do is care enough to do the research and get it right. Sometimes it's a night scene and you won't see detail. Is it a comedy or a drama? Other times it has to be spot on. Just ask the right questions and the Designer will let you know." He proceeds to tell us that sometimes, other than production rentals, there are rentals for special occasions allowed at United American; and this particular ceremony was for the men who opened the gates at the Dachau Concentration Camp. "They were, at that point, 90-something years old, and they wanted to wear their old uniforms. I kept thinking, these guys school. I was surrounded by information all day—although the internet is geing beer, you can find incredible references online—books are still the best, and reading is absolutely my superpower." Gerber can tell you facts about the costumes in any aisle you walk down in the costume house, he says, "I know a lot of ridiculous things and it all comes from just reading books. It's all about educating yourself to get it as accurate as humanly possible, right up until they say 'action.' Once they say action, that's it. Whatever they're wearing is what they're going to be wearing, because once that thing is on camera, forget it. You're not changing it, so you beer have it right." Signatory costume houses like United American, Western Costume Company, and Motion Picture Costume Company have extensive collections of uniforms and United is especially proud of their period uniform collection. Gerber is very engaging when he says, "We strive to be as accurate as possible. It's the law here; it was what Luster wanted. Not only is everything as historically accurate as possible, but everything in the building needs to be able to be worn by the principal actor. If it's not a good quality, we either repair it or we get rid of it, that's our claim to fame." Walking down the aisles of United American's uniform warehouse, each aisle is organized to a specific period of American history. Going as far back as the French justacorps and gilets of the 1750s, to the British redcoats from the French and Indian War, as well as costumes that were built for the 1992 film The Last of the Mohicans; and continuing through history in each aisle: the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and the Calvary of the Indian Wars, World War I to World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, to modern warfare. The costumes that you can find in stock are period-accurate in material, structure, and weight. Says Gerber, "Period uniforms are almost always all made out of wool, because coon kills. When coon gets wet, it stays wet and you can get hypothermia and die. But when wool literally had the courage to fight and survive in World War II, to open the gates at a concentration camp. The very least I could do was make sure their insignia was correct, and I always use that as an example. I mean, these guys actually did it. Soldiers actually do the work. I'm just a Costumer, and these guys risk their lives for strangers. They do amazing things for us. The very least we can do is get their uniform accurate. It's a respect thing. It's a responsibility I take very seriously and I use my reference books as an aid. And if I can't find the answer online or in a book, I call Kurt or Patrick. Aer excoriating my ignorance for a lile while, they eventually give me an answer that I can trust as gospel." At Gerber's desk as you walk into the uniform building, you will see several shelves packed with books filled with information about American History, World Wars, and other military conflicts. "I was a bookseller when I was in high "Soldiers actually do the work. I'm just a Costumer, and these guys risk their lives for strangers. They do amazing things for us. The very least we can do is get their uniform accurate." —GABE GERBER