The glitz and luxury of Hollywood
It's no secret that the new is the well-forgotten old. And fashion is no exception here. Very often designers and fashion designers create their collections inspired by the creations of masters of previous generations. The Fashion Institute of Technology Museum, located in New York, holds unique exhibitions and provides an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the history of American fashion.
The exposition dedicated to one of the aspects of the history of American cinema, which through the camera lens influenced the perception of overseas life by Europeans, deserves special attention. This is the exposition Adrian: Hollywood and Beyond ("Adrian: Hollywood and Beyond"), which presents the work of the most virtuoso Hollywood designer Gilbert Adrian, who made an invaluable contribution to the film industry of the period 1930-1950, called the golden age of Hollywood.
At that time, Europeans' ideas about America were largely determined by how attractive the picture of the embodied American dream was created on the screen.
And she was just incredible. The fabulous beauty of the films and the extraordinary actresses fluttering on the screen in gorgeous outfits filled the hearts of millions of viewers with sweet dreams. And in many ways, the creator of this extravaganza was Gilbert Adrian.
He built a career as a costume designer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio (MGM), where he worked on more than 250 films, including the legendary Wizard of Oz. His creations for star actresses such as Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Norma Shearer and Katharine Hepburn inspired women of all ages. Adrian's costume sketches were often published in Vogue magazine. The head of the MGM studio, Irving Thalberg, admitted that without art director Cedric Gibbons and costume designer Gilbert Adrian, there would never have been success.
One of the largest and oldest retail chains in the USA –Macy's– and other retailers saw the designer's triumph as a marketing opportunity and opened small boutiques in department stores across the country – the so-called cinema stores, where things were presented that copied Adrian's costumes created for famous hollywood movies.
For promotional purposes, MGM in 1940 released a short film called "Hollywood: The World Center of Style". Inspired by the success of movie theater stores, Adrian opened his own Fashion House in 1942, where outfits were made that matched the image that his contemporaries liked. Potential clients have long been familiar with the designer's work. For more than a decade, women have been dressing in dresses similar to those he created for the most famous movie stars.
Adrian was primarily an artist. Everyone admired his ability to adapt the trends of French haute couture to the heroines of Hollywood films, taking into account the character of the actress, her figure, manner of movement and speech, which only enhanced the dramatic storyline. The spectacular dresses in which the stars appeared in films helped them to feel the character of the heroines. Often, the image created by Adrian on the screen merged so much with the personality of the actress that it became part of her image in life.
Director George Cukor, who shot many romantic films of that time, noted: "If an actress has a bad figure, her name is Adriana and he covers her. If the figure is amazing, then it emphasizes all its advantages.
To be continued.
Text and photo: Elena Derzhavets