10 Iconic Dresses That Changed Movie History News Discovery Abandoned Spaces Archeology Battlefields Geography Entertainment Glamour Strangeness Vintage Hollywood Lifestyle Fashion Interiors About us Contact us News Discovery Abandoned Spaces Archeology Battlefields Geography Entertainment Glamour Strangeness Vintage Hollywood Lifestyle Fashion Interiors About us Contact us 10 Iconic Dresses That Changed Movie History Nov 14, 2018 Barbara Stepko Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946). Getty Images. Along with stellar performances and captivating plotlines, it’s the costumes that leave an indelible impression when we sit, transfixed, in a darkened theater. Here are ten unforgettable looks from filmdom’s first fifty years. Theda Bara in Cleopatra (1917) Theda Bara as Cleopatra (1917). Playing the Queen of the Nile, silent film star Theda Bara caused quite the kerfuffle, wearing a barely-there costume created by George James Hopkins. “The Cleopatra costume created quite a stir because it cost $1,000 a yard and Theda seemed to be wearing only ten cents’ worth,” noted the actress’s biographer Ronald Genini. Sexy, for sure, though not everyone was impressed. A film critic for The Cleveland Leader observed that the actress had put on a few pounds “and perhaps should change her name to ‘Feeda Bara.’” Jean Harlow in Dinner at Eight (1933) Jean Harlow as Kitty Packard in Dinner at Eight. Playing a dumb-like-a-fox floozy in this comedy-drama about guests preparing for a high-class soiree, the blonde bombshell held her own against heavyweights like John Barrymore, poured into a white satin bias-cut gown that hugged her every curve. Censorship, it goes without saying, was pretty liberal back then — Harlow rarely wore a bra. “Our only rule in those days,” noted designer Edith Head, “was ‘Will it stay on?’ If dresses fell off, we just shot again.” Vivian Lee in Scarlett O’Hara (1939) Vivien Leigh/Scarlett O’Hara figure at Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Photo by Castles, Capes & Clones CC BY SA 2.0 Before designing the charming dresses for Gone with the Wind heroine Scarlett O’Hara, costume designer Walter Plunkett journeyed back East, to Atlanta and Philadelphia, to find swatch books from mills of the 1840s to use as guides. (He discovered one mill near Philadelphia that had been producing some of the same patterns since 1840!) Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939) Judy Garland “Dorothy Gale” Arabian-pattern test Ruby Slippers and dress with blouse from The Wizard of Oz (1939) at the Debbie Reynolds Auction Breaks Up Historic Hollywood Collection (The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA, USA). All were early concept designs that were not used in the final film. Photo by Doug Kline CC BY 2.0 Designer Gilbert Adrian was the ideal choice to create Dorothy’s dress: He loved the Oz books as a youngster. Garland won the role of Dorothy despite substantial competition. The designer actually retrieved his old schoolbooks from his childhood home in Connecticut, in which he had sketched the characters some 20 years earlier. Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946) Screenshot of Rita Hayworth as Gilda performing ‘Put The Blame On Mame’ in the trailer for the film Gilda. “People didn’t want to see Rita Hayworth in a suit,” said costume designer Jean Louis, creator of this black satin number, paired with long gloves. (Look closely: The dress was inspired by John Singer Sargent’s 1884 painting “Portrait of Madame X.”) Hayworth wore a corset to squeeze into the dress: She had given birth to a daughter just a few months earlier and hadn’t quite regained her pre-pregnancy figure. Hedy Lamar in Samson and Delilah (1949) The film’s Academy Award-winning costumes include this peacock gown and cape designed by Edith Head and worn by Delilah (Hedy Lamarr) at the Temple of Dagon. Producer Cecile B. DeMille’s motto: Go big, or go home. Witness this elaborate costume, adorned with peacock feathers, created for Hedy Lamar for her role as Biblical seductress, Delilah. Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as Samson and Delilah. Edith Head, a stickler for detail, referenced sources about Egyptian and Babylonian times to get the look just right, but noted that “because of censorship, the correct costumes were not allowed … when you present someone in a bodice, you immediately have a costume that’s not historically right.” Grace Kelly in Rear Window (1954) Grace Kelly in Rear Window. Costume Design by Edith Head. Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite leading lady, Kelly played the sophisticated fashion consultant girlfriend of photographer L. B. “Jeff” Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart), who helps him investigate a suspected murder. “Hitch wanted her to look like a piece of Dresden china, something untouchable,” said Edith Head. The legendary costume designer came through with a closetful of elegant looks. The highlight: a black-and-white dress, with a beaded chiffon skirt. Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch (1955) Marilyn Monroe posing in the white dress. The sex symbol’s iconic white halter dress made quite an impression in the comedic romp, but it’s best-known for a publicity stunt to promote the picture. Monroe posed on a Manhattan subway grating, as a passing subway train lifted the billowy skirt, exposing a pair of white panties (actually, two pairs, to make sure no one got a glimpse of anything naughty). Marilyn Monroe promotion for Seven Year Itch (1955). Thousands of spectators were delighted, but baseball slugger Joe DiMaggio, Monroe’s husband at the time, was reportedly disgusted by the “exhibitionist” display. Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) Audrey Hepburn – Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Simply put, Hubert de Givenchy’s creation for Holly Golightly is the most famous little black dress of all time, reaching true icon status among fashionistas. Cropped screenshot of Audrey Hepburn from the trailer for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The chic little number — a satin sheath evening gown embellished with a cut-out décolleté, adorned with strings of pearls — fetched $923,187 at a Christie’s auction in 2006. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Produced by Warner Brothers Studios. Photo by Getty Images The 1930s-inspired clothes that the Depression Era couple-on-a-crime-spree sported set off a fashion revolution, and nabbed costume designer Theadora Van Runkle a much-deserved Oscar nomination. The movie was a boon for the beret business, in particular. Read another story from us: Rita Hayworth – Hollywood’s Original Love Goddess Struggled with Romance The village in the French Pyrenees where the chapeaus were made would increase production from 5,000 to 12,000 berets a week. Barbara Stepko Barbara Stepko is a New Jersey-based freelance editor and writer who has contributed to AARP magazine and the Wall Street Journal. « The Iconic Stiletto Dagger – Weapon of Choice Among Medieval Knights The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Gia – Fashion’s First Supermodel who Ended up Homeless » Newsletter STAY UPDATED WITH OUR NEWS Join 1000s of subscribers and receive the best Vintage News in your mailbox for FREE Most Read Police arrest a 72-year-old “suburban grandfather” suspected of being the Golden State Killer “I’m not dead yet”: some Buddhist monks followed self-mummification Project Azorian: Howard Hughes’ secret mission 1960s U.S. satellite that started transmitting again in 2013 The “Walk of Shame” in Game of Thrones historical inspiration The only unsolved skyjacking case in U.S. history might have a break Kurt Gödel became too paranoid to eat and died of starvation “Little Ease”: One of the most feared torture devices in the Tower of London The humble English girl who became Cora Pearl Walt Disney softened the original Snow White story © The Vintage News 2014–2022