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Some Iconic Celluloid Gowns to Remember
I'm a Cleveland, Ohio-based writer, editor and writing coach, with more than 25 years of experience, including stints in Chicago and Washington, D.C. My work has appeared in more than 100 print and online publications, from the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor to local and regional publications. My work has been recognized by awards (including an Emmy) from four journalism groups.
19 Comments:
Sounds like Cher's dress collection! ;o)
Thanks for stopping by, Marie.
It's hard to top Marilyn or Audrey, I admit. Some of Liz Taylor's movie gowns, though, were pretty awesome. And if Grace Kelly or Ingrid Bergman had worn an off-the-rack Sears dress, they still would have made it look glamorous. It's all in the way you WEAR it.
At least that's what my drag queen buddies tell me. LOL
Now that you mention it, Art, Grace Kelly is a huge and unfortunate omission from this list. She looked dazzling in whatever she wore, whatever movie it was. I'll never forget her casual elegance in Rear Window, as she tried to convince Jimmy Stewart that she's really a simple girl, all evidence to the contrary.
What a fun photo-fest. I love to watch the red carpet events to see the gowns. Such an interesting art form. I love Katharine Hepburn's style, even if what she mostly wore weren't gowns.
Kate was unique. So comfortable in her own skin that she set fashions rather than followed them. And she personified cool no matter what she wore. The other night on the classic movie channel, I watched an interview with Lauren Bacall, who recounted how she and Bogie hung out a lot with Kate and Spencer Tracy. Can you imagine how fun that foursome would have been to listen in on for an evening?
I vote with Art, I loved the Liz Taylor gowns, both of them. It's been so long since she's worn anything but a caftan, I forgot what an absolutely stunning star she is. And timeless gowns! I'd pair socks in them any day. :)
Boy, did she light up the screen in her prime. Not long ago, I happened to watch Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, maybe for the first time ever from start to finish (I'd previously only seen it in small pieces). She was something, as was Paul Newman. I also thought of her when I read the other day that Michelle Obama is supposedly the most famous woman in America. What an absurdly ignorant statement, I thought. She'll have to put in a few more decades in the white hot spotlight to even begin to catch up to Liz.
I like Monroe's dress in Niagara, and Taylor's dress in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The other, poofy ballgown dress of Taylor's is kind of fun, too. I like the classic dress styles of the 50s. The styles of the 60s and 80s, on the other hand...ugh.
Thanks for the fun link!
This subject reminds me of when Snook, my late father-in-law, used to talk about how "the dame wore a gownless evening strap."
That gave me a great chuckle over lunch, Mike. He sounds like the kind of guy I would have enjoyed. We can't get away with using he word "dame," nor would even want to, but coming from a member of what's been called The Greatest Generation, it somehow seemed to fit. Almost like one of those lovely dresses on those lovely female shapes.
I have to nominate the red sequin gown of Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, though it is definitely not memorable for the same reasons as the other "lovely dresses on those lovely female shapes."
That was indeed a memorable dress, for obvious reasons. Good for you for going outside the boundaries of the article. The smartest students tend to color outside the lines.
Well, if we're going to go in that direction, there's the dress with incredibly long streamers trailing in the wind that Terence Stamp wore in "Priscilla, Queen of Desert," while sitting on top of the bus in a chair that looked like a giant sequined high-heel pump. Certainly one of the most memorable outfits ever displayed on film.
That's a new one on me, Art. Never saw it or heard of it.
There are three ultimate drag movies, but they're not necessarily something most non-gays are going to know about. So no worries. Here's the list, for future reference:
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Love Julie Newmar
Wigstock
Certainly heard of the second one, though never saw it, but not the other two. I'll have to check them out. But tell me, Art, where would Rocky Horror figure in this, if anywhere?
Rocky Horror is brilliant camp, but in some ways it's not a really "gay" movie, at lest not in an iconic way like the others. The camp and gay elements are actually rather secondary, in the same way that the gay subplots in "Rent" are central to the main plot. Similarly, Rocky Horror is not primarily a drag movie; the drag elements are secondary, essential but not central. If that makes sense.
Makes perfect sense. Thanks for the education.
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