Hollywood studio wardrobe department, c.a. 1939. Image: The wonderful Beguiling Hollywood
Our pal, Sally Silverscreen of the marvelous 18 Cinema Lane, tagged us with the “Flaming Hot…5 Reasons Why” Tag, where participants select five characters from film and/or television they think is “swoon-worthy”.
Dear Reader, there are so many swoon-worthy characters in film and television that we simply could not narrow them down to five.
What we can do, however, is list five costume designers from Classic Hollywood whose job it was to make actors look swoon-worthy.
In no particular order, we present some of our favourite designers, with images from Pinterest.
Orry-Kelly – Warner Bros.
Three-time Oscar winner Orry George Kelly was born in Australia and moved to New York City with acting ambitions. He began designing sets and costumes on Broadway, and was hired by Warner Bros. in 1932 as their head costume designer. Above: Orry-Kelly design for Bette Davis in Bordertown (1935).
Hubert de Givenchy
At the age of 25, Hubert de Givenchy became a notable fashion designer in Paris. He opened his own design house in 1952, and became even more famous for his clients, which included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Audrey Hepburn. Above: The iconic Givenchy dress for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).
Irene – MGM
Irene Lentz learned how to sew as a child and, as an adult, she designed fashions for the wealthy clients of the luxury Bullocks Wilshire department store. Before she became the leading costume supervisor at MGM, she designed clothing for some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Above: Irene design for friend Doris Day in Lover Come Back (1961).
Adrian – MGM
Adrian Adolph Greenburg studied Fine Art in New York and Paris before venturing to Hollywood. He was hired by MGM in 1928 and soon after signed a contract as head designer. His name often appeared as “Gowns by Adrian” in film credits, due to his sumptuous gown designs. Above: Adrian design for Greta Garbo in Inspiration (1931).
Edith Head – Paramount Studios
Edith Head is an Oscar record-holder with eight (!) Academy Awards. She began her career in 1925 at Paramount, and eventually became one of the most influential designers in Hollywood. She also published a book on dressing for success. Above: Edith Head design for Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun (1951).
What about you? Do you have five “Flaming Hot” choices in film or television? Share your choices in the comments below!
Love Edith Head’s creations and this post. I admit I did love Nolan Miller’s creations for Dynasty and The Colbys in the 1980s in the time of shoulder pads.
Good idea… I would love to have been chunky jumper adviser to Mr Plummer on that movie… or beige adviser for DiCaprio on Gatsby… or Alain Delon’s wardrobe adviser for…
Among these 5 I only knew Edith Head, because she has been the inspiration for Pixar’s Incredibles movie character Edna, who designs superheroes costumes, strictly with no cloak! XD
Great post, Ruth! I knew about Hubert de Givenchy and Edith Head, but not the other three. Thank you for sharing their amazing creations and their contribution to the cinema industry.
Hollywood studios have always hired extremely talented people as wardrobe designers, haven’t they? I thought of you as I worked on this post, because your site has helped me better appreciate the work designers do.
Yes, Hollywood always had the most talented professionals working in all fields of cinema making.
I´m glad to know the content of my blog was helpful and inspiring!
A swoon-worthy post! Excellent idea to give the unsung heroes a spot in the limelight. I say unsung, but of course they are celebrated. Still, it’s good to see just one of the many aspects of movie making being shown for their contribution.
What a nice choice of real magic makers! I didn’t know Orry Kelly wanted to be an actor, but I’m glad he found his place in the sun backstage!
Cheers!
Le
Hollywood wouldn’t be the same without Orry-Kelly, I think. When researching his designs, I thought, “If only a person could buy these clothes online!”
Everyone has their own style choice, but of the selection shown above, Irene and Edith mirror my style preferences the most. I always liked Doris Day’s fashions in her romantic comedies.
Doris Day always looked like a million bucks in her films, didn’t she? She akways credited wardrobe designers for making her look si good. (Although, I don’t think they deserve ALL the credit, Doris.)
Silver Screenings 
Love Edith Head’s creations and this post. I admit I did love Nolan Miller’s creations for Dynasty and The Colbys in the 1980s in the time of shoulder pads.
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Ah yes, the shoulder pads! In the right designer’s hands, they were beautiful.
For a moment, I thought you were going to name a chunky sweater/jumper designer! 😉
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Good idea… I would love to have been chunky jumper adviser to Mr Plummer on that movie… or beige adviser for DiCaprio on Gatsby… or Alain Delon’s wardrobe adviser for…
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Haha! You’d be the best choice, actually!
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It would only be worth it if I had an assistant, fancy a job??
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You bet I do!
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Yay, let’s find a time machine and do it.
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If anyone could find one, it would be you, Gill.
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Such iconic looks. While I’d heard of Edith Head and Givenchy, it was fun to see the designs of the others on your list.
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Thanks! It was hard to narrow the choices down to five… I might have to do a second list!
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The Lentz dress for Doris Day is one of my all time favorites.
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I absolutely love that dress. It looks so good on Doris Day, but I think it’s the kind of design that would suit a lot of people.
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Among these 5 I only knew Edith Head, because she has been the inspiration for Pixar’s Incredibles movie character Edna, who designs superheroes costumes, strictly with no cloak! XD
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Ha! I LOVE Edna from The Incredibles and her No Cloak rule. She’s a wonderful tribute to Edith Head, isn’t she?
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Great post, Ruth! I knew about Hubert de Givenchy and Edith Head, but not the other three. Thank you for sharing their amazing creations and their contribution to the cinema industry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hollywood studios have always hired extremely talented people as wardrobe designers, haven’t they? I thought of you as I worked on this post, because your site has helped me better appreciate the work designers do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, Hollywood always had the most talented professionals working in all fields of cinema making.
I´m glad to know the content of my blog was helpful and inspiring!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A swoon-worthy post! Excellent idea to give the unsung heroes a spot in the limelight. I say unsung, but of course they are celebrated. Still, it’s good to see just one of the many aspects of movie making being shown for their contribution.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for dropping by! It was a lot of fun working on this post. Sometimes I felt as though I was clothes-shopping while looking for images!
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Now you mention it, clothes shopping while looking for images sounds like a whole lot of fun!
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It’s my new hobby!
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What a nice choice of real magic makers! I didn’t know Orry Kelly wanted to be an actor, but I’m glad he found his place in the sun backstage!
Cheers!
Le
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hollywood wouldn’t be the same without Orry-Kelly, I think. When researching his designs, I thought, “If only a person could buy these clothes online!”
LikeLike
Everyone has their own style choice, but of the selection shown above, Irene and Edith mirror my style preferences the most. I always liked Doris Day’s fashions in her romantic comedies.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doris Day always looked like a million bucks in her films, didn’t she? She akways credited wardrobe designers for making her look si good. (Although, I don’t think they deserve ALL the credit, Doris.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Superb choices, Ruth! That Adrian gown on Garbo…wow. (Must track down the film immediately) 🙂
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It was hard to narrow down the choices here. And it took me forever because I realized I was SHOPPING instead of researching. You know how it is.
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