Harris Costumes

A few things you should know...

In the early 1940’s Leon Harris a tailor, in Oklahoma was busy outfitting famous country western stars like Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, and Hank Williams.  Harris gained notoriety when he was the first to use pearl snaps and the western yoke pattern on shirt fronts. He also made custom western wear for Bob Wills, Hank Snow, Leon McAuliffe and the Light Crust Doughboys.

In an effort to bolster the tailoring and manufacturing business in Fort Worth, the Chamber of Commerce recruited Mr. Harris to Fort Worth in the mid 1940’s.   Soon customers hired Leon and his wife, Clarice Harris to make costumes for special events.  As requests for “western wear” declined, requests for costumes increased, so much so that in 1949 the name of the shop was changed to Harris Costumes.

In 1970, Phyllis Doyle, the daughter of Leon and Clarice took over the business. She spent the next 35 years building the inventory to over 17,000 pieces.  Mrs. Doyle realized that the shop’s continued success depended on aggressive advertisement. With the assistance of her son Jason they contacted schools and theaters all over the state of Texas.  Harris Costumes is one of the premier places to rent costumes for theatrical productions in the state.

In January 2005, Mrs. Doyle sold the business to a long-time customer, Korey Williams. Korey earned a double Masters Degree in Speech Communications and Theatre Arts from Louisiana Tech University.  In theatre Korey’s major field of study was directing / acting and her minor was costume design.  Since purchasing the shop she has added a complete line of costumes for Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”  Her ability to match fabric, color and style is evident in these creations. Korey is dedicated to upgrading the shop’s inventory as well as keeping Harris Costumes committed to providing quality costumes at reasonable prices primarily for Theatrical Productions.

TESTIMONIALS

“For the past ten years, I have been fortunate to have a friendship and business relationship with Harris Costumes of Fort Worth, Texas.  They are the best people with whom I have ever been associated theatrically in my entire career. I have challenged them with new releases such as “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast “and “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” I gave them pictures of exactly what I wanted and received in perfect timing magnificent copies.

They are an intricate part of as close-to-Broadway-you-can get final product, which we always try to do.  Harris Costumers are the Best!”

Patricia Schaff, Director and Drama Department Chair

St. Scholastica Academy

Covington, Louisiana

“Harris Costumes is like having your own private costume design group. They don’t just rent costumes; they go above and beyond expectations to create precisely the costume you had imagined.

Each and every employee at Harris is knowledgeable in costume design and history. The approximate 150 costumes which we rented were all in excellent condition, well-maintained and clean.  Each costume was complete with accessories, even to the smallest consideration.”

Amy Harris

Moberly Baptist Church

Longview, Texas

“What I love about Harris Costumes is the relationships that they build with clients. When costuming “Beauty and the Beast” for Haltom High School they really listened to my color and texture ideas and created a beautiful palette. They made my students feel special. Prices are appropriate for top quality fabric and craftsmanship. You can walk out of there with the outfit, undergarment, wig and all of the accessories. If they don’t have something, they provide resources and ideas to find it or they will offer to make it for you. They are true artist, historians, and creative geniuses.”

Renee Norris

Theatre Department

Haltom High School

Haltom, Texas

“In 1974 I hired Harris Costumes in Fort Worth to help with our church musical. Since that time Harris as been the costumer on all of my musicals and plays. Harris is a professional yet personal company.  They are efficient, industry knowledgeable and extremely helpful! They are equipped to handle any show request you have and if you are not familiar with the period of the show or costumes they can pull the entire show for you. In addition to great service, I have not been able to find a better price. They are like family and I would not consider having anyone but Harris do my shows.”

Dr. Ed Ferlazzo

Minister of Music and Arts

Haltom Road Baptist Church

Fort Worth, Texas