Adrian: a lifetime of movie glamour, art and high fashion

Abstract

This book is a bright and vivacious look at the fashion, art and homes of one of the most celebrated fashion designers of the twentieth century. Adrian (1903-1959) designed costumes for over 150 Hollywood productions, including fabulous gowns worn by such iconic actresses as Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, and Katharine Hepburn. He then went on to found one of the most popular and influential fashion labels of the mid-twentieth century, Adrian, Ltd. He had a passion for art and interior design, as seen in his impeccably decorated homes, which he shared with his wife, Hollywood movie star Janet Gaynor, and his personal paintings and sketches. The man who created the famous ruby slippers worn in The Wizard of Oz was also the first American designer honored with a retrospective at the Smithsonian Institution, and his influence can still be felt on the runways in New York and Paris today. This is the first book on the famed Hollywood fashion and costume designer to be published with the cooperation of his family. With a foreword by the designer's son, Robin, as well as a treasure trove of never-before-seen images and anecdotes taken from Adrian's unpublished manuscript, this is the definitive book on the life of the legendary designer

Contents

My father / Robin Adrian -- Introduction / Leonard Stanley -- The early years. Connecticut, 1903 ; Paris, 1922 ; Irving Berlin -- Hollywood. The Valentinos ; Cecil B. DeMille -- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Greta Garbo -- Janet Gaynor -- Adrian, Ltd. -- Adrian: life at home -- Paintings: Africa and Brazil -- Lovely to look at -- Return to the theatre. At the Grand ; Camelot