I was thrilled to check out the exhibit Adrian Hollywood and Beyond at the Museum at FIT. This wonderful museum is FREE and if you love fashion, this is a must stop when visiting NYC.
Information from the Museum of FIT website:
Gilbert Adrian (1903-1959) built his career as a costume designer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he worked on more than 250 films, including The Wizard of Oz. His creations for glamorous actresses such as Joan Crawford and Katharine Hepburn inspired women of all ages. Macy’s and other retailers recognized this as a marketing opportunity and opened small boutiques within department stores across the country — “cinema shops,” featuring ensembles based on costumes seen in Hollywood films. To promote them, MGM released a short film in 1940 entitled “Hollywood: Style Center of the World.” Encouraged by the success of the cinema shops, Adrian opened a fashion house in 1942 and began to create looks that appealed to his new leading lady: the American woman.
This exhibition, Adrian: Hollywood and Beyond, highlights both Adrian’s ready-to-wear and his costumes, while focusing on his innovative use of textiles. Beginning during his Hollywood days, fabric was central to Adrian’s aesthetic. He employed an arsenal of techniques — such as appliqué, piecing, mitering, pleating, and draping — to build dynamic garments in which the materials are as celebrated as they are integral to the design. Adrian worked with and endorsed different textile manufacturers throughout his career. Indeed, his final collection in 1952 was dedicated to the “beauty” and “integrity of fabric.”
Adrian was married to actress Janet Gaynor and died of a sudden heart attack at age 56.
I love these vintage ads for his designs
Adrian, costume, 1952, USA, from the film Lovely to Look At, 70.8.18
Such a gorgeous piece of fashion, the draping is just fantastic
Adrian, evening dress, 1947, USA, textile by Salvador Dalí/Wesley Simpson, Gift of Lola Walker, P90.69.1 (gown to the left)
"The fabric is the first signal that the costume is an Adrian "
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