Gingham dress of Judy Garland
In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, American entertainer Judy Garland wears a blue-and-white dress in her seminal role as Dorothy Gale for all of her appearances throughout the film. Also nicknamed the "Dorothy dress" after the character, it was designed for the film by MGM costume designer Adrian, who based it on L. Frank Baum's description of Dorothy's dress in his children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Several copies of the dress were made for Garland to wear during production, which were styled to make her appear younger and thinner on camera. The complete outfit consists of a checked blue-and-white gingham pinafore worn over a cream-colored blouse. It is often paired with ruby slippers, another famous clothing item from the film. The dress was sewn on a treadle sewing machine to help it appear authentically homemade. Considerably modest in comparison to most of the film's costumes, the garment's simple, youthful design is meant to represent Dorothy's innocence, while its bright color symbolizes the character's journey from mundane Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, which were filmed in sepia tone and Technicolor, respectively. The "Dorothy dress" is often credited with helping popularize the use of gingham