Fashion Spotlight: Walter Plunkett

Walter Plunkett's name is not a household name but his contributions to costume designs will go down in history. Some of his most famous work includes Gone With The Wind and Singing In The Rain.

Walter Plunkett had an interesting life story in that he didn't always want to be a designer at all. Studying Law at the University of California and later persued a career in acting. It wasn't until 1927  in the movie Hard Boiled Haggerty that he started his career in costume design.

Punkett worked as head of the wardrobe department at RKO studios until 1935 while also doing freelance costume design. He later moved on to MGM studios where he stayed until 1965. Plunkett wasn't always a fan of costume designing in film as he didn't feel as though it gave him enough creative freedom. He later quit the film industry all together and worked on Broadway and for the Metropolitan Opera.

Nominated for 11 Oscars, Walter Plunkett only won one for his contributions to the movie An American In Paris. Some of his other works in film include:

• Little Women (1933)
• The Gay Divorcee (1934)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
• Little Women (1949)
• The Secret Garden (1949)
• Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
• Father of The Bride (1950)
• How The West Was Won (1962)

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Fashion Spotlight: Adrian Adolph Greenberg

 

Adrian Adolph Greenberg better known as Adrian (because when you're a fierce bitch you don't bother with other names) is an American costume designer who famously costumed The Wizard of Oz and started the shoulder pads in women trend when he gave Joan Crawford the extra "umph" to her look back in the 40s with those strong shoulders.Why is Adrian so great? Because he started more fashion trends than any other costume designer during his time, because most modern fashion has references from the past, Adrian's influence on the fashion industry is still seen today. 

 Adrian was born on March 3rd, 1903 in Naugatuck, Connecticut. He attended The New York School of Fine Arts which is now known as the famous Parsons School of Design. From there he transfered to the school's branch in Paris and soon began costume designing overseas. 


One of his first noted pieces was costuming  for Rudolph Valentino's wife in A Sainted Devil. Only 4 years later Adrian was promoted to chief desginer for MGM studio were he costumed for well over 200 films. 

With working in so many films he of course worked with famous Hollywood starlets of that time such as:  Greta Garbo Norma Shear, Jean Harlow, Katherine Hepburn and Joan Crawford. 

Bias cut dresses were not even a thought womenswear until Adrian dressed Jean Harlow, giving Harlow her iconic sultry look. Adrian also started the strong shoulder pad look of the 1940s that trickled into the 70s, 80s, early 90s, and made a come back in 2010 when dressed Joan Crawford in them.

Dresses beautiful Hollywood starlet's was only a small part of his famous career. Creating the look of some of the most famous films in Hollywood was his main focus, he is credited for creating the looks for one of the most beloved films in movie history ,The Wizard of OZ. He also did extraordinary work in films such as The Women, Camille, and Marie Antoinette which was critically acclaimed for being historically dead on in accuracy.


After years of working solely into costume designing, in 1941 he stared to mass produce some of his costume inspired designs, making womens ready to wear clothing for his store in Beverly Hills. 

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Fashion Spotlight: Edith Head

If there is one thing that I really love is watching old movies. Part of the movie experience is watching a character develop and evolve over time. Naturally plot direction has a lot to do with it but one important key piece that really silently tells the story behind a character is their costuming. But who are the faces behind some of the most iconic looks in movie history? Well saddle up hombre because I'm going to show you some of the faces behind the clothes. 

Kicking off this mini series is Edith Head. Mrs. Head ruled movie costuming, during the golden era dressing some of the most famous movie stars from that era from Grace Kelly to Elizabeth Taylor to Audrey Hepburn.

Edith did not start the foundation of her career in costume design at all. She earned her BA degree in Letters and Sciences at the University of California. Later earning a MA in Romance languages at Staford University. From there be began a teaching career. She first learned how to draw by taking art classes at night be the request of her principle who wanted her to teach an Art class.

It wasn't until 1924 she began her long lasting career in design being hired as a fashion sketcher for Paramount Pictures. One of  her first major assignment in her new career was as an assistant for the movie Wings, the first movie to ever win a Best Picture award at the Academy Awards. Edith later on moved from fashion sketching to full on fashion designing, staying with Paramount pictures for 44 years before moving on to Universal in the 60s.

Elizabeth Taylor in Elephant Walk

During her career, Edith defined fashion by dressing some of the most famous stars in Hollywood in some of their most successful roles movie roles. Mae West was able to keep the men drooling with Edith designing the costume for her She Done Him Wrong. Edith emphasized the break down of a character when Betty Davis played a famous actress trying to hold on to her last pit of spotlight in All About Eve. Some of Audrey Hepburn's biggest and most notable pictures in the fashion world were due to the grace and style of Edith Head. Edith designed for Sabrina, Roman Holiday, and Funny Face.

During Edith's switch to Universal pictures she worked in a lot of Alfred Hitchcock films that include: Grace Kelly in Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much, Kim Novak in Vertigo and Tippi Hedren in The Birds. The winner of 8 Academy Awards, more than any woman in the history of the academy, Mrs. Head has earned her name in the fashion history books and she truly defined an entire era of fashion with her work in film.

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