HOLLYWOOD'S MOST FASHIONABLE ARCHIVE

MEET MELODY BARNETT, THE ECCENTRIC AND GLAMOROUS OWNER OF PALACE COSTUME

- Words Cerys Davies

Every time a young Melody Barnett attended church, she was awestruck.

Something about the congregation's elegant headwear always caught her eye. The women would often wear these extravagant, floral hats or don a more subtle pillbox style. And Barnett, owner of Hollywood rental house Palace Costume, remembers being entirely entranced.

This fashion-leaning fascination, she says, is a part of her heritage. Coming from a lineage of collectors, the 83-year-old has dedicated her life to the clothes of the past. For nearly 50 years, Palace Costume, a space open exclusively by appointment to stylists and costume designers, has offered a wearable fashion archive dating back to the 1880s. It's become a one-stop shop for striking inspiration and embracing a timeless sense of glamour.

Since Palace Costume's inception, Barnett's clothing has appeared in classic films such as “Chinatown,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The Godfather,” and more recent Oscar winners like “La La Land” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Beyond the silver screen, Beyoncé wore heart-shaped, reflective underwear on the cover of “Texas Hold 'Em,” Chappell Roan sported a sequined marching band leotard for the “Hot to Go!” music video, and dangly, yellow earrings completed Billie Eilish's look in the “What Was I Made For?” video — all pieces pulled from Palace.

The Fairfax Avenue storefront is surrounded by a kind of mystical energy. Tucked between a modern apartment complex and a wellness center, it's easy to drive by and never notice the atypical castle facade, complete with fairy tale-esque murals of animal-faced figures, sheet ghosts and stone walls.