Gowns! Do you have a favorite?

◄ Before you read this post... did you notice the new Christmas banner? Lovely isn't it?

So here I am again with another first on Blame Mame... a Top 10 list. I love doing things like this and this series is going to be started with my Top 10 Classic Hollywood Gowns. I love the fashions of Classic Hollywood sometimes as much as I love the movies and actors. Give me something designed by Adrian, Travilla or Edith Head and I am set! So before my list is revealed, I want to know know which gowns do you love? Please leave a comment here or over on the Blame Mame Facebook page!

Here are two gorgeous gowns that didn't quite make my top 10...

Fashion | Gowns By Kalloch

One thing that stands out most to me when I watch studio era films are the costume designs. There were many influential designers from this period, some more popular then others. Fashion artist such as Edith Head and Adrian are very well known, but after watching 1938's Holiday and Bringing Up Baby I discovered a designer I hadn't yet discovered. The name next to the gowns billing? Columbia Studio's Robert Kalloch.

Designs for Holiday & Bringing Up Baby

Robert Kalloch was born in 1893 in New York City. He got his start designing gowns for New York's high-profile socialites and dancers for Lucille Ltd. He got his break in Hollywood in the early 1930's when he was hired by Harry Cohn to help improve the low-budget reputation of Columbia Pictures. 

Designs for Mrs Miniver & His Girl Friday

Robert Kalloch was one of the biggest trendsetters in Hollywood during the 1930's and 1940's. Stars such as Fay Wray and Greer Garson were lucky enough to have their sophisticated wardrobes designed by Kollach. 

Irene Dunne and Robert Kollach with designs from The Awful Truth

Simply credited with 'Gowns by Kalloch', many memorable films of that period were touched by this leader of fashion. Films such as His Girl Friday (1940), For Me and My Gal (1942), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and The Awful Truth (1937) are just a few of the iconic films he worked on. His designs can even be seen uncredited in 1934's It Happened One Night and Twentieth Century.

Wedding gown from It Happened One Night

 

Kalloch also gets credit for helping shape the style of Look Magazine's "Best Dressed Girl In Hollywood" of 1940, Rita Hayworth. He was the first to specially design a wardrobe for Rita as her fame was rising. He worked with Rita on such films as The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939), Angels Over Broadway (1940), The Lady In Question (1940), You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and Only Angels Have Wings (1939). 

Designs for Angels Over Broadway, You'll Never Get Rich, & Lone Wolf Spy Hunt

As you can see Robert Kalloch stayed quite busy in his short time in Hollywood.

Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in designs from Babes On Broadway

Fashion | Letty Lynton

Added Sunday 09.25 || Here is my contribution to the Fashion In Film Blogathon. You can find the other entries for the event here. Also be sure to check out my other [older] post about fashion in film... Sketch To Screen: All About Eve!

One of my favorite things about Classic Hollywood are the costumes worn by all of the glamorous stars of that time. I was very excited to see the 'Fashion In Film' blogathon being hosted by Hollywood Revue and decided what I would write about that day!

I knew I wanted to highlight a single film that had a large influence on fashion, and of course, it had to star one of my favorite actors. And so came the idea of the 1932 film Letty Lynton. Did the film make a mark on the fashion world? Check! Does it star one of my favorite actors? Check! Sounded like a good plan to me.

Fashion | Sketch To Screen

Edited 04.04.11

This is the first of the series Sketch To Screen. In this series of photographs, we will document costume design from the sketch paper to the screen where the costumes were made famous. In the first post of the series, we are going to look at the Edith Head designed gown Bette Davis wore in the beloved party scene of All About Eve.

DESIGN: ankle length, made of a heavy brown silk, with elbow-length cuffs & pockets at the waist, all trimmed in sable