CINEMA BRIDES AND HOW THEY INFLUENCED FASHION

Allow me to indulge in one of my favorite subjects--the cinema bride and how inspiring these celluloid ladies  have been when it comes to promoting fashion. These two gowns worn by Gene Tierney and Claudette Colbert are works of art and a great representation of their time.  I ask you, what could be more 1930s than Robert Kalloch's wedding gown for Claudette in, It Happened One Night? (pictured below). Believe it or not, the body-hugging bias cut she's wearing was still a new and radical concept in the early 30s when this movie came out.   During this golden era, it was not Paris as much as Hollywood that decreed fashion. This simple satin gown with florals surrounding the neckline could be found today in a few designer collections. The look has become timeless.   As for the allover lace dress in the header photo, I adore it and am proud to say I have one almost identical in my vintage collection.  The one above was designed by Oleg Cassini for the movie, The Razor's Edge.   Notice both gowns have veils long enough to add some major drama to each look . . . .

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GREAT CINEMATIC GOWNS THAT INSPIRE BRIDAL

I've always been fascinated by Hollywood.  Golden Oldie designers of course have my utmost attention and have inspired my collections extensively.  They include such luminaries as Adrian, the King of Hollywood Design, Travis Banton who worked for Paramount and Edith Head who started out in the twenties and continued designing for cinema till she died in the early eighties.  Some of these gowns and dresses made such a hit, they were copied by manufacturers  and stores for years.  The above dress by Adrian worn by Joan Crawford is just one example of the trend that came out of the 1932 release, Letty Lynton.

Above: The Laura Gown.  Worn by Gene Tierney in the 1944 Film Noir classic, this white jersey is a  tour de Force in simplicity and draping by 20th Century Fox designer Bonnie Cashin.  Cashin was a designer who moved around a lot not only through the movie industry, she switched back and forth from Hollywood, to Broadway to Seventh Avenue.  I can see her sportswear influence here (where she excelled best) in the chosen fabric and draping.  And by the way, this gown may look simple but its not an easy design to create.  The drape is very tricky and would be an ideal 'problem to solve' for some eager design student or seasoned Parisian couturier . . .

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A Place in the Sun.  If you haven't caught this 1951 Montgomery Clift and Liz Taylor flick, do so.  Close friends in real life, the actors' screen chemistry was full of heat (even though Clift was gay).  The story was adapted from Theodore Dreiser's, An American Tragedy and boy is it a lollapalooza.  So is the 'Deb' dress.  Cut on the bias, the circular skirt has plenty of volume sans any bulky gathering at the waistline.  Notice how a true bias cut falls onto triangles?  Whenever she walks the dress moves with her . . . Well here's another tidbit: the petticoat underneath this gown is enormous . . .

This silk crepe cut on the bias was worn by Jean Harlow in Dinner at Eight.  Created by MGM's Adrian, he accentuated her hair and breasts by dressing her in clingy, slinky, bias-cut satins that, in those days, resembled sexy nightgowns (a radically new concept in the 30s). Adrian also played up these body-hugging, boudoir chic silhouettes by sometimes adding feathers and fur melding in nicely to what was then known as the Big White Set.

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 Fred and Ginger were the icons of romance during the Golden Age of Hollywood. If you've checked out most of the top designer bridal collections the past couple years, the Astaire-Rogersesque glamour is still allover the radar screen.  Ginger's gowns were legendary yet no one designer was synonymous with creating her costumes at RKO.  The famous Feather Dress above by designer Bernard Newman.
hails from Top Hat 1935.  She was also dressed by Irene Sharaff,and Walter Plunkett.

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Above is Liz Taylor in the 1958 version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  Cast alongside the caustic and oh so pregnant Madeline Sherwood as Sister Woman, Liz (Maggie the Cat) comes off as the very essence of Goddess.  Designer Helen Rose helps this along with the pure white dress with a bias-cut skirt ( I'm guessing silk crepe or chiffon) that moves beautifully whenever Liz does . . .

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Who'da thought this sexy little number would ever be a suitable candidate for bridal wear?  Believe it or not this crepe halter dress with a pleated skirt that blew up and over Marilyn's head in The Seven Year Itch was bought off the rack.  The image above right is a replica of the famous white dress redesigned in 1976 by designer, John Kloss.

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Audrey Hepburn's ball gown from My Fair Lady is a touchstone in classic chic regardless of the fact it is a period gown designed by Cecil Beaton circa 1964 to depict the pre-WWI era of Paris fashion.

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Another pre WWI costume flick, The Swan inspired this white eyelet gem worn by Grace Kelly and designed by MGM costumer, Helen Rose.  Rose also designed Grace Kelly's real life wedding gown

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